Wireless mouse lag: Fact or Fiction?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2004-10-02 02:39am

I see it everywhere. The whole, almost immature stigma against wireless mice. "OMG wireless mice lag, it sux" or "Corded = win" again and again and again. Maybe it's true, or maybe it's a myth propagated by poular belief.

So to answer it all: is it true? Has anyone done real research into this thing and checked for themselves? Any sources?

Psycho Smiley · Post by **Psycho Smiley** » 2004-10-02 07:12am

Well, this is just from my own mouse, but anyway:

There is no lag. It responds just as well as a corded mouse. There are some bad things, however. Sometimes the reciever gets a signal the mouse didn't send, or a signal the mouse did send doesn't make it to the computer. So you end up right-clicking without meaning to, or having to click twice occasionally. This could just be my mouse. It only happens occasionally, and is less annoying (IMO) than the cord getting snagged.

Lord of the Farce · Post by **Lord of the Farce** » 2004-10-02 08:07am

If the Nintendo Gamecube's Wavebird Wireless Controller is any indication, as long as there isn't any hardware damage or signifigant interference between transmission/reception, "wireless lag" is a myth... Or an excuse.

Guy N. Cognito · Post by **Guy N. Cognito** » 2004-10-02 10:15am

The lag is so small you don't even notice. It's like an extra hop count on a network, which is nothing as far a a human is concerned.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2004-10-02 10:29am

Myth. Batteries, on the other hand, are why I resisted wireless til the MX700. Yummy charger access station...

Praxis · Post by **Praxis** » 2004-10-02 11:26am

Lord of the Farce wrote:If the Nintendo Gamecube's Wavebird Wireless Controller is any indication, as long as there isn't any hardware damage or signifigant interference between transmission/reception, "wireless lag" is a myth... Or an excuse.

Yeah, great example. There is no lag whatsoever in any way with the Wavebird.

Temjin · Post by **Temjin** » 2004-10-02 03:43pm

Myth. there is no noticable lag what so ever. Most don't even have the problems that Psycho Smiley's does.

Of course, mine goes through batteries like they were candy. And they always seem to fail when I'm winnig a game.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2004-10-02 04:07pm

Myth. I've been using wireless mice for ages and the only problem I've run into is the batteries dying at inopportunate moments. Yay for rechargeables and mice with rechargers built into the cradle.
Beats the goddamn cable getting snagged (leave alone simply being way to short) any day of the week.

Shortie · Post by **Shortie** » 2004-10-02 06:00pm

My (optical) one does jump to the bottom-left of the screen every so often, which is irritating, but not the end of the world. Even changing the batteries is less hassle for me than worrying about cables. I love wireless devices, and I've never noticed lag.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2004-10-02 06:12pm

I have no lag, and I've used both wireless optical and ballmouse.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-10-02 06:23pm

Gimme a fuel-cell battery or better yet a NUKEYOULAR Radioisotope battery, then we'll talk 'wireless lasermaus'.

I want a mouse that won't die for months at a time...

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2004-10-02 06:43pm

Charge an MX700 for an hour or two a week, on average, and you never have to replace it. I've been running on the same set of batteries for over a year now. The new MX1000 is even better, got a lithium-ion that's got a theoretical duration of 21 days on a few hours charge or some such silly number.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-10-02 06:52pm

I've used a wireless mouse, and experienced no lag, although the batteries died every once in a while. It's not that bad, but it's something that doesn't happen at all using a mouse with a cord.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2004-10-02 07:49pm

Hmm, my friend has a wireless optical mouse, and whenever he dies in an FPS, he claims that the batteries are low on power and that it lagged.

Take that as you will

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2004-10-03 03:52am

The new MX1000 is even better, got a lithium-ion that's got a theoretical duration of 21 days on a few hours charge or some such silly number.

Not to mention that it uses a laser instead of an LED for the optical system, which allows for even greater accuracy...

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-10-03 04:30am

I run an MX-700 and a Logitech Y-RH35 wireless keyboard, and there's no perceivable lag off of either... however, one problem I have run into is that my PCS phone will occasionally screw with the signal. Keys will stick for no apparent reason (tremendously irritating, for example, when I hit delete once for an email, and it merrily starts chewing up everything in the inbox until I hit another key), and it was driving me nuts for months with this, until one time when I answered a call while talking in messaging, and had the phone plugged in. My keyboard totally fritzed out on me, and a couple more tests revealed that yup, when the phone is plugged in, it glitches the signals.

I recently started playing Battlefront, and this is the only game I've had the problem in... but every once in a while, left click will also 'stick' and suddenly I'm shooting up the countryside until I run out of ammo or click it again.

IANAE, so I can't tell you why, but there it is.

I never want another corded mouse again. Sweet freedom...

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2004-10-03 06:39am

I work in an environment where part of the job is playing with and comparing such toys.

Yes, there is lag. Expect to see it on the cheap, generic branded wireless mice and some of the microsoft mice. The better logitech mice however are pure gold, you'd hardly know there wasn't a cord there.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2004-10-03 06:54am

i´m using a wireless mouse which uses infrared signals similar to remote controls. it doesn´t lag.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-10-03 01:40pm

I'm using one now at all...and I've never once had a lag problem. I don't understand where people come up with this bullshit. Hell, I like it better than my corded mouse because I don't have to keep it on the desk and make room for another wire back there.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-10-03 02:41pm

Praxis wrote:
Lord of the Farce wrote:If the Nintendo Gamecube's Wavebird Wireless Controller is any indication, as long as there isn't any hardware damage or signifigant interference between transmission/reception, "wireless lag" is a myth... Or an excuse.
Yeah, great example. There is no lag whatsoever in any way with the Wavebird.

The Wavebird is the greatest fucking thing ever. EVER.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2004-10-03 03:18pm

I've been using my Logitech Cordless Mouseman Optical for nearly three years now. I've never noticed any lag what-so-ever. Fuck, I can move 30 ft away and type through two fucking walls and it doesn't lag. Same for my mouse. I've only changed the batteries in my keyboard twice (rechargables) and only every two or three months on my mouse (lithiums until recently). Even the cheap 12 year old rechargables last just over a week. Even when the batteries are low, there is no lag.

Myth BUSTED.