If you’re reading this you’re either just curious about the technical possibility of using a full-sized keyboard with your laptop.
Or you’re sick of trying to type on a laptop keyboard because it feels like it was designed for somebody with Hobbit hands.
So let’s look at what options are available to you.
Is it possible to use a wireless keyboard with your laptop?
Yes, it’s possible to connect either an RF (Radio Frequency) wireless keyboard or a Bluetooth wireless keyboard to a laptop, using a USB receiver to make the wireless connection.
This includes the vast majority of older laptops on the market – they can support a wireless keyboard as long as they have an unused USB port and their Windows, iOS, or Linux OS supports it.
The same technology that allows you to connect a variety of wireless mice to a laptop also allows you to connect other Human Interface Devices (HIDs) to a laptop, such as a full-sized keyboard.
Why would you want to connect a wireless keyboard to a laptop?
Let’s expand on exactly why anyone would want to take the step of adding an external keyboard to their laptop setup.
Laptops have smaller keyboards than their desktop counterparts. This is because laptops – by design – need to be more compact, lighter to carry around, use less power, etc.
Compact layout keyboards aren’t very good
Laptops have a smaller built-in keyboard than their desktop counterparts. This is because laptops – by design – need to be more compact, lighter to carry around, use less power, etc.
But the major downside of that reduction in size and footprint is that laptop keyboards not only are physically smaller but feel smaller too – there’s very little in the way of tactile response when using most laptop keyboards.
And that leads to problems like making tons of typos because your fingers are using their muscle memory to type the right letters but on the wrong keys, especially if you’re used to tapping on a numeric keypad on a day-to-day basis.
I always use my numeric pad when I’m using the Windows calculator app – it’s just a habit developed over 30 years that I don’t see any reason to break.
This isn’t the kind of data entry problem you’d have with a full-size external mechanical keyboard for example.
Ergonomics still matter
Another popular reason for using a wireless keyboard with a laptop is simply that it’s more comfortable to use. The keys are larger, your hands and fingertips are in familiar territory and you make fewer mistakes when typing.
Your wrists also have less strain on them, so you can type for longer periods of time without feeling fatigued.
And you also get to choose a dedicated external ergonomic keyboard of your choice, from your favourite brand.
You have no real need to be mobile
Not everyone who owns a laptop has to move around during the day as part of their job. The truth is that the furthest most laptop owners have to move on a given day is from their desk to a conference or meeting room in the same building.
In those situations, it makes far more sense to have your laptop hooked up to a wireless keyboard or mouse via Bluetooth or RF, or just set up a docking station/port replicator instead and connect a wired keyboard instead.
You hate clutter
And finally, there are those of you who connect a USB keyboard and mouse to your laptop each day but are now sick of all the extra wires trailing across your desk.
A wireless keyboard is just far neater in situations like this.
So, as you can see, wanting to connect a wireless keyboard to a laptop actually makes a lot of sense, depending on how you work, and where you work.
Different types of wireless keyboards:
There are 2 different keyboards you can connect to your laptop:
- RF (Radio Frequency)
- Bluetooth
We’ll start with Bluetooth first because it’s a pretty common question people ask.
Yes, you can use a Bluetooth keyboard with your laptop. The requirements are:
- Your laptop has a built-in Bluetooth adapter
- You purchase an external Bluetooth USB dongle/adapter for your laptop
Most business-class laptops will feature Bluetooth connections as standard, but laptops aimed at home users typically don’t.
RF keyboards, on the other hand, will always require an adapter or dongle to connect this type of wireless keyboard to your laptop. The good news is that any wireless keyboard comes with the required dongle in the box, so it’s not an additional cost for you.
People often mistakenly refer to RF keyboards as “Wi-Fi” but they’re not – they don’t rely on or need an Internet signal to communicate with your laptop.
Instead, the tiny wireless adapter that plugs into the USB port on your laptop uses radio waves to send signals from the keyboard directly to your laptop – Wi-Fi is never part of the process.
Are there downsides to using a wireless keyboard with your laptop?
There are several, and the first of these is relying on battery power.
You’ll have to worry about the alkaline batteries inside your keyboard and either replacing them or keeping them charged.
An internal battery will need to be kept charged, external rechargeable batteries will need to be recharged within their battery life, and disposable batteries will need to be replaced with fresh batteries. Although to be fair your typical alkaline battery has several months of battery life when used with a wireless keyboard.
This also means that wireless keyboards are more expensive to run on a day-to-day basis and have higher energy demands than wired USB keyboards, for example.
They will also have a slightly higher carbon footprint because many of them use disposable batteries. You can reduce the potential environmental damage by using rechargeable batteries, but that’s still not a perfect solution.
Using wireless technology also means that the signals between your wireless keyboard and laptop could experience connection issues or potentially be hacked.
Wireless device connection issues
Both RF and Bluetooth keyboards have a maximum connection range:
- Bluetooth 10m (30 feet)
- RF devices 100m (300 feet)
Just bear in mind that both of the above figures are theoretical maximums and not what the average computer user gets.
Why?
Something called the connection path.
Because we have walls, furniture, microwaves, TVs, and fridges in our homes – lots and lots of obstruction and interference. And that’s without something silly like your ‘Pairing Mode’ functionality not working as intended, which is all too common with Bluetooth devices.
We get into more detail on this in our article on how far a wireless keyboard can reach (link:
Wireless keyboard security issues
RF wireless keyboards offer no encryption, whereas Bluetooth wireless keyboards do encrypt their signals – we cover this in our article on how far a wireless keyboard signal goes, and you can also get some troubleshooting steps there.
The downside here is that Bluetooth keyboards also tend to be more expensive than their RF counterparts and aren’t as easy to find.
But if security is an important issue for you, and you’re not going to need to operate more than 30 feet from your laptop (who would need to?) then Bluetooth offers a far more secure connection than you get with an RF wireless keyboard.
Personal preference matters
For me, I’ve always found it easier to type on an external keyboard whenever I’m using a laptop in an office environment. But when I’m traveling for work the external keyboard stays at home because it’s just one more nuisance item to lug around with me on trains, flights or in taxis.
