Wireless mice are more popular than they ever have been.
Computer users love them because you don’t need to plug in anything except the dongle, and you never, ever have to deal with the tangle of cables that come with wired devices.
Well, it’s not that simple. When I try to use my wireless mouse, it feels sluggish compared to my old wired one. You hit a button, wait and then wait some more.
The response time for a wireless mouse is much higher than that of wired mice.
But why?
Let’s look at what causes these problems.
Why is a wireless mouse not as smooth as a wired mouse?
Wireless mice are not as smooth as a wired mouse because they rely on radio signals to communicate with your computer, whereas a wired mouse uses a dedicated cable instead. This eliminates the signal delay.
It’s like the difference between using Wi-Fi and an Ethernet cable.
There are two main things that contribute to delay in how a wireless mouse responds to your input.
The first of these is interference from other electronic devices on the 2.4 GHz band used by many wireless devices.
And the second is because wireless mice rely on relaying optical signals through that same radio signal.
Why are optical signals a potential cause for a sluggish mouse?
When you click a button on your mouse, it is read by your computer via an infra-red LED/laser at the bottom of the mouse under the scroll wheel. The LED sends out pulses of light which are read by the sensor on your computer to determine what if any, input has taken place.
This is then translated into a radio signal that has to be sent from the mouse to be received by the RF dongle plugged into the back of your computer.
So you get a delay time of anywhere up to 15ms (Milliseconds), which is far quicker than a blink of the human eye but it’s a delay that doesn’t take place with wired a mouse, for example.
Light also does not pass through solid objects very well, and it can be severely disrupted by reflective surfaces like walls and tables.
This can become a problem if your mouse isn’t sitting on a perfectly flat non-reflective surface because the laser never actually makes contact with your mouse pad or desk.
Because of this, wireless mice are designed to compensate for any potential interference, but this can then cause problems with multiple clicks being registered at once or other forms of lag.
Another reason why wireless mice aren’t as smooth as wired mice is because of interference in the 2.4GHz band that they operate in.
Many other wireless devices operate on the 2.4 GHz band as well, which means that you might experience interference from wireless keyboards or Wi-Fi networks in your home or office.
You can solve this by using a frequency other than 2.4GHz for your mouse, but the problem is that the higher the frequency, the higher chance you have of experiencing interference from other wireless devices.
5GHz was one option as an alternative band for your wireless mouse, but that’s becoming massively congested now with everything from microwaves to Bluetooth devices using it.
Some high-end wireless mice come with their own dedicated radio frequency that can help overcome this issue.
And then a final reason is the batteries inside your wireless mouse. Using cheap batteries can mean sudden drops in functionality because they discharge unevenly.
So you’ll need to make sure that your batteries are not only the best quality you can afford but check their charge level on a regular basis too. Or that you remember to recharge your mouse regularly.
How can you make a wireless mouse be more responsive?
If you want a wireless mouse to be as smooth as a wired one, you should eliminate all sources of interference.
This means turning off all wireless devices while you’re using your computer so they don’t affect the signals being sent from your mouse. Ideally don’t use a Wi-Fi adapter on your computer either and rely on an Ethernet connection instead.
To really minimize any problems you have with interference, buy a new wireless mouse that operates on a higher frequency band.
Because of the potential for interference, it’s best to stick to high-end gaming mice if you want your input to be registered by your computer as accurately and quickly as possible.
Hint: There’s a really good reason why professional gamers spend so much on high-end wireless mice, or just opt for wired mice instead.
You should also pay attention to the surface you’re using a wireless optical mouse on. And if necessary buy yourself a mouse pad designed for optical mice – that makes a bigger difference in response times and functionality than most people realize.
Is a wired mouse better than a wireless mouse?
Yes, but not by much. A wired mouse will be the smoothest and most accurate option for input.
It will also eliminate any potential problems with interference from other devices or wireless networks.
A wired mouse is generally preferred over a wireless one if you need to use your computer in an area that has high levels of radio frequency (RF) – which is most modern households.
And that goes double if you’re using smart devices around your home because your home is literally saturated in radio waves. Relax, they’re not harmful, except sometimes to wireless input devices.
Wired mice also score well on their flexibility -your only requirement is a free USB port on your PC or MAC. There’s no need for a dongle (which is easy to lose) or any additional driver software.
Wrapping things up
You’re not imaging that your wireless mouse feels more sluggish than a wired mouse – and you’re not alone.
It is possible to get around most of these issues by reducing interference from other electronic devices, keeping your driver software up to date, and ensuring that your wireless mouse is used on a non-reflective surface.
But it’s also worth testing a wired mouse to see if it’s simply a better option for you.
