Wireless mouse .... how do they turn off?

[unclet]

1) It seems all wireless mice I have seen require batteries (makes sense), although does this mean the mouse is always turned ON?  Is there a switch on the side of these mice which allow them not to suck the batteries dry?

2) Is there a wireless mouse which is smart enough to turn itself off when it has not been moved for a certain amount of time?

3) The mice I have read about seem to take AAA batteries.   How long do these batteries last?   I would have assumed these mice would use lithium batteries instead .... wouldn't that be better?

4) Will you recommend a mouse which can do this stuff?

[purpledrillmonkey]

1) It seems all wireless mice I have seen require batteries (makes sense), although does this mean the mouse is always turned ON?  Is there a switch on the side of these mice which allow them not to suck the batteries dry?

My Logitech MediaPlay cordless mouse has an On/Off switch on the bottom of the mouse.  Can't say whether all cordless mice have the same.

2) Is there a wireless mouse which is smart enough to turn itself off when it has not been moved for a certain amount of time?

Can't say for certain, but I leave mine on 24/7 and I replace the batteries once every 4-6 months I would estimate.  I turn my computer off at night tho, so it might do some sort of hibernation thing then.

3) The mice I have read about seem to take AAA batteries.   How long do these batteries last?   I would have assumed these mice would use lithium batteries instead .... wouldn't that be better?

Both my mouse, and the mouse I bought for my mom (the most basic wireless/optical Logitech mouse) run on AA's.  As I said, batteries seem good for months at a time when the computer is on roughly 8~12 hours per day.

[NoOne=NBA=]

All the ones I've seen power down when not in use.
Logitech makes ones that have their own recharging cradle.
I'm guessing the other companies probably do as well, but Logitech is the one that I happen to own.

[ChadTower]

Yep, they timeout after inactivity and go into standby. 

[shardian]

My coworker has a wireless mouse that I just quizzed him about. It does have a hibernate mode when it isn't moved for a bit (around 2 minutes), but it still uses a small amount of juice during the hibernate time. It also has an off button on the bottom that you need to turn off if the pc is off.

His uses AA's, and the mouse is in use pretty much non-stop for 8-10 hours a day. He changes batteries roughly every 2 months.

I would say that unless you are needing to be using a mouse away from the actual pc unit, just stick with a cord mouse.

[stan2323]

I have a Microsoft wierless mouse and keyboard.  They are great.  When I got it I liked it so much I bought one for my 2nd computer.  They both use 2 AAs and last 6 to 8 months on a set.  I run the computer 4 to 6 hours a day.  I use the Energizer Lithiums.  The mouse does have a sleep mode if it is not used for a few minutes. 

[unclet]

stan2323
I was thinking about getting the "Microsoft 1000 wireless keyboard and mouse" and that looks like what you have .... or do you have the 3000 series?

Thanks for all the responses.

[u_rebelscum]

1) It seems all wireless mice I have seen require batteries (makes sense), although does this mean the mouse is always turned ON?  Is there a switch on the side of these mice which allow them not to suck the batteries dry?

2) Is there a wireless mouse which is smart enough to turn itself off when it has not been moved for a certain amount of time?

3) The mice I have read about seem to take AAA batteries.   How long do these batteries last?   I would have assumed these mice would use lithium batteries instead .... wouldn't that be better?

4) Will you recommend a mouse which can do this stuff?

Most have been covered, but my 2 cents.

1) Technically, unless they have a switch, yes they are "on".  (Some travel mice store the USB receiver internally, and some of these turn off when storing them, but not all.)  But...

2) They don't turn off, but most go into standby and/or hibernation after some set period of time.  The ones that go into these modes last longer, and those that go quickly last even longer in general, but some people have complained about not instant response.  Most mice are very good at this now, though.  OTOH, bad mice run out quickly (month or two) whether they are used or not.

3) AAA is almost always travel mice.  AA is more often in desktop wireless mice, but also on the bigger travel mice.  Some mice, OTOH, have special lithium (embedded or replaceable); these always come with a recharger.  AA are cheaper, can be replaced easily, and can run for a long time; lithium last a long time, don't need to be changed (are rechargeable), but you need to wait for them to recharge vs just putting in two new normal batteries if they run out while you want to use them.  Which is better?   Depends what you value.

4) I have a Logitech wireless for my laptop (rechargeable lithium), and a Microsoft (AA) at work.  I like both, both last "forever".  The Logitech has a switch, the Microsoft does not.  The Logitech has a change level led that lights when in use, but I've never run out while even when I started using with only one level left; I only recharge when I need to about once every month or three.  The Microsoft batteries last longer, about 4-6 months, but my biggest problem is I can't tell I need to change until the mouse starts acting funny.


FWIW, I used to not like wireless at first; I had too many problems and funny acting occurances.  Years later (now), they've gotten a lot better, and use them at work and on my laytop (home desktop is a wired TB, though).

[unclet]

Thanks for the input.

Think I will get a Microsoft Wireless Mouse 1000, just have to find a cheap price for one ..... any ideas?   Does your work "sell" them?

[Minwah]

My Logitech mouse stays on all the time...the red light is always flashing.

I take the batteries out if I know I'm not going to use it for a while....bit annoying really.

[nipsmg]

I've got a wireless optical Microsoft travel mouse, and it's got a USB dongle that snaps into the bottom.  When the USB dongle is snapped in, the mouse is off.


Otherwise, after a period of inactivity it will "sleep".

[u_rebelscum]

My Logitech mouse stays on all the time...the red light is always flashing.

The sensor light?  If it's blinking, it's in a "sleep mode".  In normal use, the light should be constantly on.

Which model do you have?  Older logitech and microsoft (and other brands) "sleep mode" were like you described, and thus not as good as newer models battery time.