Wireless Mouse

A4 Tech’s wireless 4D mouse (model RFW-25) works on radio frequencies (RF), so that you don’t have to point it towards the receiver or be in clear sight of it, as with infrared mice. The receiver is the interface between the mouse and the computer, and connects to the PC’s PS/2 port. It works with Windows 95/98/2000 /NT 4. It has two scroll wheels and three buttons that can be programmed for various functions. The upper and lower scroll wheels are for vertical and horizontal scrolling, and offer features, such as function swapping, volume controls, and zoom in/out. The middle button is under the vertical scroll wheel and is accessed by pressing on the wheel. Any one of the three buttons can be used for normal left click and the other two can be reprogrammed for functions such as auto scroll and one click closure of files. More functions let you access Net-specific and frequently-used commands with one click. It also supports a 520-dpi resolution, which means faster on-screen cursor movement.

Its 255 ID codes (unique strings to identify it) and two frequency channels avoid interference with other RF mice in one room. However, these codes don’t work at a distance of more than 1.5 m, hence the need for two channels. The mouse has a claimed optimal operating distance of 1 m; however, it worked fine until we increased its distance from the receiver to more than 2.5 m. Its price of Rs 2,500 (plus, one year warranty) is higher than other wireless mice like the Mercury mouse (less than Rs 1,000).

Anand Sharma and Ankur Saxena at PCQ Labs