Many of you will say that there are mice that do not need a dongle, but in this case it is because they are Bluetooth mice and many PCs (especially mini PCs and computers laptops) have a built-in Bluetooth module. If a mouse is wireless but not Bluetooth, then it will necessarily need a receiver to work (except in rare cases where the user has decided to integrate an RF module into their PC, in which case it will be the one that does. as a receiver instead of the USB dongle, although today it is quite absurd to do so since all mice come with their own receiver).
The transmitter, in this case the mouse, transmits the encoded information to the receiver via a wireless channel; In order to communicate with each other without causing conflicts or interference with other devices, both devices must first be paired, which means that both devices work on the same frequency, the same channel, and they use a identification code common. A channel is simply a specific frequency and code, and the purpose of pairing is to accurately filter out interference from other RF sources and devices.
Pairing methods can vary depending on the device manufacturer, although most are already paired at the factory so the user doesn’t have to worry about a thing. However, you might lose or break the receiver and have to buy a new one, so all modern wireless mice also have a way to force a new sync, usually by holding down a dedicated button or a combination of its. buttons (this information comes in the user manual).
In addition, to protect the information that the mouse transmits to the receiver, all wireless mice include a encryption or encryption system who can only interpret his receiver, so that even if another device picks up the waves, he does not know what to do with them, or even where they come from or where they are going. Some devices also use a method of frequency hopping which consists of both the mouse and its receiver which automatically change frequency using a certain pattern, providing additional protection against interference and eavesdropping.
This is how radio frequency works in a wireless mouse
For the radio frequency transmission to be successful, several components are involved, and these are the keys:
- First, the transmitter (the mouse or headset in this case) initiates communication. It takes some initial data (movements, clicks, etc.) and modifies the signal using a modulation technique to encode the signal data.
- The transmitter is also responsible for determining the power level of the wave, and it depends on this whether the receiver successfully receives the transmission. The level of power required for this is known as receive sensitivity, although this is data the manufacturer almost never gives in a wireless mouse.
- The receiving antenna then collects the signal, translates the modulated signals and transmits them to the PC for processing.
One of the advantages of using 2.4 GHz frequency is that the power consumption is very low, so it does not affect the battery consumption of wireless devices too much (compared to the consumption of the sensor or devices. LED of a mouse is barely a tenth).
What frequencies are wireless devices using? Are they dangerous?
To begin with, you should know that the word radiofrequency comes from radio and frequency, as is obvious, and radio waves have been proven to be completely harmless to humans, so you shouldn’t worry because the use of a wireless mouse or wireless headset can harm your health.
That said, the first wireless mice that operated at radio frequency did so using a frequency of 27 MHz, which had a fairly limited range (barely three meters), but for some time the frequency used has been that of 2.4 GHz, because it has a much greater range (up to 10 meters) but using a proprietary protocol, different from that used for example by smartphones or your router’s WiFi.
This 2.4 GHz frequency is also very stable, allows transmission with a bandwidth much higher (which in recent times has allowed the creation of technologies with considerably reduced latency) and which generally have little or no interference in a work or home environment. On top of that, the fact that the devices can be paired using different channels allows that even if you have a good handful of wireless mice working on the table, none of them interfere with the others (up to 78 devices interference-free, according to Logitech).
Bluetooth radio frequency
Wireless technology Bluetooth This is also not a novelty, because it has been with us for many years and, in fact, its standard is progressing more and more to offer each time a greater range of use and greater bandwidth of data transfer.
The radio frequency technology which uses the Bluetooth protocol is quite similar to the 802.11b and 802.11g standards which use the 2.4 GHz frequencies, although it also uses an adaptive frequency hopping method to always choose the frequencies with less frequency. ‘interference, although unlike 2.4 GHz RF communication from wireless mice or headphones, in this case other devices such as electrical devices (oven, microwave, etc.) may cause interference.
