For those computer users who simply cannot do away with enough wires, a blue tooth mouse may be the right direction to go when looking for wireless connections. While wireless mice and keyboards have been around awhile, RF and IR need line of sight and a fairly close proximity to function properly.

Typically, a radio frequency mouse and an infrared mouse have a cradle with connect to your computer and the mouse makes wireless contact with the cradle. As opposed to a blue tooth mouse, the space between the cradle and the mouse must be free of obstruction for the signal to get through. If you set your coffee cup or drink glass in the way it can stop your mouse from working.

A blue tooth mouse, on the other hand, can find the signal from your computer at a range between 10 and 30 feet and can go through walls, although that probably will not happen when using your mouse. If your computer is blue tooth enabled, a blue tooth mouse connection is easy to make and can make portability that much easier when carrying a portable mouse. Not everyone finds the touch pads found on many laptops convenient and easy to use and like the feel of a mouse.

Adapters Make Blue Tooth Use Available

If your computer is not blue tooth capable, a blue tooth adapter that plugs into your USB port can make the addition of blue tooth devices possible. Not only can you connect a blue tooth mouse through the adapter, but it generally handle up to seven devices at once with the use of an adapter, unlike other wireless devices, which requires a separate receiver for each device such as one for the mouse and another for the keyboard. Additionally that adapter can also work with a blue tooth enabled printer as well.

The choice of which blue tooth mouse will most likely be a personal choice as many of the different brands will work pretty much the same way. A main difference, however is in scrolling capabilities. Microsoft has one of the few blue tooth mouse with side scrolling capabilities. A Logitech blue tooth mouse has a scrolling advantage where the user can feel the scroller, while Microsoft's is an extremely smooth scroll. How beneficial the slanted wheel for side scrolling turns out to be is dependent on individual choice.

The scrolling speeds and recovery time one a blue tooth mouse is comparable on all models by all manufacturers, about 75MHz on average, which is slower than most wired mice. The cost of a blue tooth mouse typically runs between $50 and just over $100, but as blue tooth technology advances, you can expect the cost to continually decline.