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Long-Range Wireless Keyboard/Mouse?
tambo writes with the sort of problem more people wish they had: "I've just bought myself an excellent LCD TV. I'd love to be able to access my home server from it for many reasons (music, video, surfing, MAME, etc.) — but my home server is in another room, 30 feet away from the TV and 50 feet away from the couch. I've acquired some gear to send PC audio and video wirelessly (over the 5.8GHz range), so that's all good. My challenge now is trying to send input wirelessly to my PC from fifty feet away. I've thought about getting a wireless USB hub, but that would introduce an additional wireless hop that would probably add to the input latency (and might interfere with all the other wireless gear in my pad.) My best bet now is to get a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that have an unusually good range, and some of the Logitechs seem to qualify, but it's a gamble. Advice?"
The right bluetooth equipment can have a range of up to 100m. That enough?
i think this is what they mean by possessions owning the person rather than the other way around.
If 5 watts isn't enough, just hook it up to a 1KW linear amp. Oh wait, there's a van out front that says FCC on it. BRB. Door.
--
BMO
I realise you've just spent a fair bit on sending video and audio from the server, and probably don't want to waste that investment, but wouldn't the easiest approach be to have a networked PC under the screen, and use that to connect mouse and keyboard to? You could SSH into your server, or similar?
With this approach you could dedicate the "set-top box" to recording video (handy for the antenna connection or cable box...) and use the server for storing recordings long-term.
This is where the serious fun begins.
Use a USB extension cable, plug it into the server, and plug the wireless receiver into that. Run it along the wall as far as is necessary to bring it into range of wherever you use the keyboard.
And on a side note: the couch? Really? I can never quite believe that people are actually comfortable using a computer when they are sat on a couch. That goes double for non-laptops.
Gyration GO PRO 2.4GHz Optical Air Mouse and Compact Keyboard Suite. Needs only an empty USB port and gives you a 100' range.
http://www.gyration.com/p-18-go-pro-24ghz-optical-air-mouse-and-compact-keyboard-suite.aspx
Unne Liljeblad, Mix Engineer
Laptop keyboard + mouse shared to the desktop over wifi with synergy. http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/
me jumping with kites I make...
I built a little homebrew ir receiver that runs on the serial port. There are only 5 components that are easy to get and easy to solder together. Plans are linked on the homepage www.lirc.org
It might be worth looking into getting a cheap EEE ($300) and just SSHing into your PC to control it.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
[Your] best bet now is to get a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that have an unusually good range, and some of the Logitechs seem to qualify, but it's a gamble.
use a usb bluetooth adapter on a long extender cable so it's closer to your couch!
with the crazy setup you are trying to do, your best bet is getting a small carpet, some wood, and sending smoke signals to your server.
Read radical news here
http://reviews.cnet.com/keyboards/logitech-cordless-mediaboard-for/4505-3134_7-32319140.html
My friend is using one for just this purpose. And he's about 30' or so away, and he's going through from the first room of his house to his basement and it's working great.
As for the wireless video? Are you using so type of VGA wireless solution? With an LCD TV you should be able to receive 720p or even 1080p connect. This would require either a component or HDMI/DVI connect. There are actually DVI over ethernet adapters which will send your single over the long distance without losing quality which the wireless solution I used to use has issues with. You could also just hit up http://www.monoprice.com/ and pick up a 40" HDMI cable for about $40 or so shipped. If you didn't know you can get adapters that convert DVI->HDMI and some even support sound as well.
i did this in a boardroom at my office.. .
bluetooth form 30 feet worked OK but it was sketchy.. signal would drop in and out. not too usable.
so i got one of these:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2893288&Sku=C250-3868
and hung the bluetooth receiver in the center of the room. USB over cat5 goes a long way and you can hide the cables well.
At least on the Mac, there are a variety of remotes implemented as web apps running on small web servers on the host computer, e.g. Remote Buddy. Then all you need is an iPod Touch or iPhone, or other handheld capable of running a browser connected via Wi-Fi.
Storage server* in a back room, Mac Mini hooked up to the TV. Added a bluetooth keyboard and Mighty Mouse and I'm set. It's even a DVD player smaller than most! (Can't wait 'till they come out with a Blu-ray model.)
You're making the split at the I/O level. Makes much more sense to me to split at the storage level. Storage is still noisy, processing has gotten pretty quiet. Why fling all those signals around when you can just have one Ethernet backhaul, and keep all the I/O in the same room?
-Peter
*Actually just a Newertech drive plugged into the USB port on my Airport Extreme. I hope to upgrade to a Drobo soon.
Oh it's too bad they don't make the old PCjr infrared keyboards anymore. They had an upgraded model that improved on the notorious "chiclet" keyboard, I used to have one, it worked decently. The reason I say it would be perfect for you is that you can now buy "IR extenders" that are designed to carry IR remote control signals into AV equipment inside cabinets. The IR hits a receiver via line of sight, it's converted and sent down a wire, and is retransmitted by an IR LED at the other end of the wire. You could run the extender's wire as far as you like, and still have a wireless keyboard.
Maybe there are other IR keyboards around, but I'm not aware of any. They had a few bugs. For example, if I struck a BIC cigarette lighter near my PCjr, the spark would emit a little IR and the CPU would beep, indicating an unknown IR transmission error.
Most Part 15 devices intentionally have bad antennas, or bad matching to the antenna. If you don't care about the letter of the law, the easiest mod to improve range is to put a proper antenna on each end. This can be as simple as a correct length of wire soldered to the right spot.
Nothing like rolling your own.
Buy a small form factor PC (a mac mini or similar) and connect it to your home server with wifi. Then you can buy a wireless keyboard-mouse combo.
Your couch is 20' away from your TV?
Move your damn couch.
Why, when I was growing up, my idea of a wireless remote control was having the kids type and use the mouse for me!
I mean, you have to utilize them somehow, right??
Let them work off that nervous energy they get from playing all them darned 3-D video games. What, 256 colors wasn't enough for you??!?
word.
http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbmrfotb45ub.htm
Built-in trackball and 45ft range may work for you.
I was going to suggest a similar setup to others... a MAC Mini will surely do the job, but creating a terminal session from an outdated PC @ the TV would have saved tons of cash, and put to use some of the old hardware hanging around the house...
Over wifi it acts like a keyboard + mouse + mini-screen to your computer.
:p
Of course if you have an iPhone this is a cost effective and neat solution.
If you don't, this might be one extra reason to get the 3G model
I haven't used their keyboards but we use their Gyromouse products in various rooms for presentations. In addition to being a real cool motion control device (works like a Wiimote, but better, doesn't need IR) it has a really long range. They claim 100 feet and I'd believe it. I haven't done accurate range tests, but it'll go all over a fairly large room.
Seems to be very solid technology.
Come on, wireless travels at the same speed as wired. Just try a hub and see if it works.
Cheap notebook, 802.11, SSH and X.
Asus EEE PC + VNC over Wi-Fi should solve everything.
You're gonna try to run MAME over a wireless video signal? Stop and think for a second. You'll have horrendous lag. It'll be unplayable. Set-top box is your only option.
You could always get a common wireless keyboard and mouse and get a cat5 KVM extender and just use the K/M part. Get the reciever closer to where you are, maybe underneath the floor if you have a basement.
We have a Gyration keyboard and mouse set at our church. The range is awesome: The receiver and PC are at the back while the keyboard and mouse are controlled from the pulpit, well over 100 feet away.
There are Ethernet-based PS/2 extension cables. Probably not really that cheap, but it would mean you would have a cable long enough too reach your TV set, and use any standard PS/2 based wireless desktop set (keyboard+mouse). I suppose that it relies on your server having PS/2 inputs though.
These extensions are commonly used in e.g. schools where the actual computers are hidden in a cupboard (i.e. to prevent theft) with only monitors, keyboards and mice on the desks.
I have a really elegant proof for Fermat's last theorem. If this sig was only a bit longer...
Wal Mart sells a keyboard mouse combo with the tag on the front that says "2.4 ghz wireless" it is from like micro innovation's or some off brand. Works perfectly, slimline, and very cheap. I tried like 10 other keyboards and this one works the best of them and was by far the cheapest!
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
"What do I need to remotely administer my server?"
"Wireless keyboard and mouse."
"But it's really far away!"
"Binoculars too, then."
I would suggest getting an old PC and putting it under the couch, and connect it to your LAN. Use either Synergy (synergy2.sourceforge.net) or VNC to send the keyboard/mouse signals to your server. If you set it up properly, you don't need to see the under-couch box at all. You also don't need anything very powerful, and you don't need to attach a screen, beyond initial setup. $50, tops! With a slightly nicer box, this could also give you a local spot for dropping in a dvd drive (auto rip and deposit on the server, perhaps?), local USB or firewire, and anything else you might find useful on hand.
Or take that P200 laptop with the cracked screen that's been lying around and use it as a X server for the keyboard and mouse.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I've got a Linux HTPC that satisfies me pretty well. The only case fan I need is on the power supply, since I'm using a low-power AMD 45W dual core CPU. The CPU fan is small and almost inadible. Since all the data storage is on the home server, the HTPC boots off a 4GB CF card. The power supply itself is "80 plus" rated PS with power factor correction, and the fan only runs as fast as it needs to, which isn't very fast since nothing in the box makes too much heat.
The performance specs aren't incredible, and this setup wouldn't be suitable for hard-core gaming, but it doesn't take much CPU horsepower these days to run video and audio codecs.I am not a crackpot.
I use a Versapoint RF keyboard, they usually sell for around $150. They advertise 100ft range - I have never tried mine at this distance but I do use it at 20-30 feet through a wall and it works great, I highly recommend it. It also has a built in mouse, which was what sold me for it over a Gyration keyboard.
Solved.
Seriously, though, a thin client with an X server, VNC or RDP client would probably be best. You can probably convert some set top box or DIY with a mini-ITX machine or something.
To my knowledge there is no wireless DVI/HDMI, which means you're probably getting the signal via a composit TV out on the back of your server, which will already be lossy as hell by it's very nature, then sending it over a lossy radio connection. The difference between a PC's TV out and an HDMI connection is very large and you are not getting the benefit of your shiny new screen if you're going to use a non-digital source.
The best advice I can offer you is to grab one of the new barebone pc's with HDMI out and build a small unobtusive looking Media PC, which can then run MythTV, Media Portal, LinuxMCE, XBMC Linux/Windows, GeexBox, or any of the other great Mediacenter solutions that are out there. I'd also ditch the idea of the KB/M after initial setup and just grab yourself an MCE remote as your main input device (they're cheap, good quality and are well supported on both Windows and Linux).
For what it's worth, I've got a 3.2TB media server based on FreeNAS with 8x 500GB drives in RAID-5. I've got a media box under every TV in the house. The HD capable screens have the Asus P2-M2A690G barebones case with X2 4800+ CPU running Media Portal (Will be XBMC for Windows/Linux when a more stable build of either is out), while the SD TV's each have a modified Xbox running XBMC (unfortunately the otherwise rubust Xbox just isn't capable of decoding H.264 on it's 733Mhz cpu).
The Asus Barebones is whisper quiet, smaller than a PS3 and wouldn't look out of place next to a DVD or VCR.
Anyway, I wish you good luck with whatever solution you choose to go with.
I only buy pepper spray that's been tested on anti-vivisectionists.
I bought a fancy Logitech one, but it was terrible. It did not have any guarantee on the box of how far it would work. So I bought a cheaper one, that said it would work 30', and it works great. It is 2.4Ghz and works a good 30' away from my TV. The brand is Gear Head which I had never heard of before. my natural typing speed is too fast for it. So, sometimes there is a weird latency. YMMV.
Or just put it higher up on the wall or ceiling. I've pulled about 50 feet from a 30 foot bluetooth headset by using the extender cable to raise it higher into the air.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
What you need is a Philips Streamium SL300i. This device can connect to your network by wire or wireless if you want. It will stream all your video and audio from your server onto the tv. On top of that you could view you pictures with it. The nice thing about it is that it can play lots of video and audio formats. It comes with a remote that helps navigate through your files and folders or even on the internet.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FE7SGA/
I use this keyboard with integrated trackball. It's cheap and has a 45 foot rated range. This way I don't have to have a separate mouse.
So you get a USB cable that has a repeater in it.
I think the repeater is a one-port USB hub, so they could be daisy chained for a while, as long as they get enough power from the original port. Maybe have a powered USB hub that the wireless receiver plugs into.
Or you use a USB-Ethernet Extender, which sends the USB signals over an Ethernet cable. I don't think that is USB over IP, so you probably can't plug that into an ethernet switch at all.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
This seems like a no brainer.
Use your machine as a server, and get an XBOX used, chip or otherwise modify it, load the latest rev of XBMC and you are done.
If you want PC functionality, there are companies that make (or you can homebrew) a XBOX to USB adapter. The xbox uses USB for it's controllers and it's a proprietary one. You can get keyboard drivers, linux, basically anything you want on the XBOX, and I think it would fix most of your problems.
It did mine. Dropped all the computers in the room, put in an XBOX, a wireless controller from FRY's for about 45 dollars on sale, and I have EVERYTHING I need in a set top player, weather updates, RSS grabber, MAME / any other emu you can think of pretty much emu, insert anything else you can think of.
--Toll_Free
I've used a Samsung Q1 Ultra before through "remote assistance" (just set up an invitation that is valid for like 60 days) and connect to the main machine over wifi. The sweet thing is you are able to browse the net on the primary monitor or put the video controls on the primary screen and not interfere with the video playing on the TV.
Mine works great for this... I have the older model but I've used this product from 100 feet away from a laptop in a presentation.
... I think mine might be a very early version.
http://www.gyration.com/
http://www.gyration.com/p-56-m2000-travel-air-mouse.aspx
[signature]
It's relatively cheap to get a USB extender that will go up to 150ft, usually over a network cable. Since you're looking at a mouse - you'd want to have your input devices set up on a coffee table (or equivalent) anyway - so it shouldn't actually be a problem wiring it up properly.
In my experience, wireless keyboards don't work well at 10 feet - let alone the ranges you're asking about. Go with cables. Besides, you'll never have to worry about batteries.
Also: it is ridiculous to be concerned about latency with such tiny distances.
Adesso's done a really nice job of integrating a nice keyboard and trackball that works nice in my lap, with mouse buttons in several places that work well with various ways of holding it.
I think I paid about $60.
http://www.adesso.com/products_detail.asp?productid=336
tambo, what is connected to your television? You said you want to control your server but how are you going to see what you're doing?
Get some cheap frontend system that can output the native resolution via DVI to your tv. Then ssh/vnc/rdp/etc. and you can use a normal wireless keyboard.
I have an hdtv about 20 feet away, for queuing up shows and what not and downloading tv shows, i just run vnc server on the pc hooked right into the tv....and use a laptop on the client end
http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/ Shares your keyboard and mouse over the network, would work great with a laptop.
Gyration Mice and Keyboards, they have models that go over 100' and they are tiny! I have the 30' version and it gets every bit of it, tiny little keyboard and wireless gyro/optical mouse, its awesome!
I solved it by opening the receiver and replacing the little antenna inside (part of the printed circuit) with a long thin cable. Looked a bit dodgy, but I could walk a fair way without the signal dropping.
If you can extend the USB (wireless or otherwise) then you can plug a regular wireless keyboard dongol close to the couch.
Do not use Bluetooth with WiFi, since they use the same frequency. In theory this shouldn't happen, or at least the interference should be very low. But in practice the interference exists! I have a PS3 and a WiFi network for my Notebooks, and is impossible to use both at the same time, since the Bluetooth PS3 controller makes the Notebook WiFi goes down.
Aren't you at all concerned that typing passwords on a wireless keyboard is unsafe?
Anyway, if I may post a "me too" on a couple things posted here, I've done a bunch of the things other people suggest. I have a homemade set-top box with a homemade IR receiver, the latter of which you can find instructions on how to make with the LIRC project. (Linux IR remote control). I also like to write the software involved and I can tell you the LIRC interface is very simple to code for. If you don't code your own I'm sure projects like MythTV have some kind of support.
I also do the wifi thing, with my laptop, or my cell phone which does wifi. SSH. That way you don't have to worry about unencrypted passwords over the air. I keep my laptop under my coffee table so that if I need to do something over SSH I can. But most everyday functionality comes from the IR remote, which can adjust volume, navigate the filesystem, start and kill programs etc, using some (relatively simple) code I wrote.
If you manage to pull this off, be aware that you're sending those keystrokes 50+ feet through the air in all directions. You can either hope no one is listening or go for an encrypted solution (hard to find for a reasonable price). I had a need for a (short-range) wireless keyboard a few months ago and ended up going infrared so that if anyone was going to snoop me, they'd have to be in my line of sight.
Granted, I've only ever owned 2 wireless keyboard/mouse combos, but both of them would work under those conditions without any problems. Went from one corner of my house clear across to the opposite. One was a dell branded Logitech, the other was Micro Innovations. Clearly not the best brands. :)
I was quite surprised at the range of my Apple Bluetooth keyboard (the new flat version) and Mighty Mouse - they would work without problems completely across my house (not very far - maybe 40 feet) and through the floor and part of the basement wall. Unfortunately I hated the Mighty Mouse. I've searched in vain for a decent wireless trackball in the style of the Logitech Mouseman Marble, but no dice. I use Logitech's non-bluetooth wireless Mouseman Marble, but the range is less than 6 feet.
I just helped set up a Fiberoptic setup with monitor/mouse/keyboard for a hospital in Boston that interacted with a server setup 10 blocks away. That used a few repeaters, but you shouldn't have to have any with your distance. Check out fiberoptic KVMs, should deal with your problems.
This IO Gear wireless keyboard and mouse set works VERY well. In our conference room we had a standard set, and even a Gyration, before getting this, nothing compares. We were constantly loosing mouse movement or missing keystrokes. Most of the desktop wireless keyboards and mice are made to work well within 6ft of the computer, the IO Gear will easily do 25ft without loosing keystrokes.
Why not just use something like a p3 1 ghz with medial portal on it and have it connect to the server? I have one with a haupage tuner to give me remote capabilities and it works perfectly. I put in a 500 gig hdd. Works great.
I'm not anti-social, I'm anti-idiot.
I am using http://www.touchpadpro/ on my iPhone to control my Mac at a distance, over the WiFi. The TouchPad Pro work on top of VNC so I guess it should works with Windoze and Linux, too.
It should works with the iPod Touch, if so happen you haven't got an iPhone yet.
--
Replied on my iPhone via 802.11b on a ferry to the Central in Hong Kong
I needed to run a USB jack in the wall behind my TV (for the Microsoft IR media center receiver) 45 feet to my server room in the basement. I bought 3 15-foot USB cables with built-in passive amplifiers. They cost about $17 each and it was money well spent. I simply plug an aesthetically pleasing USB hub into the wall and place it on my entertainment center, and plug in my IR receiver, a wireless keyboard receiver, an external hard drive with movies, etc.
logitech dinovo series 1 is excellent in this regard as its bluetooth receiver works really well.. 60' in my test case
.. and if your a gamer there is a bit of delay that will slightly handicap you in fps games but nothing to bad you should still be able to pop a couple peeps in tha head ..
... the keyboard unlike the mouse will go a month or longer on a set of batteries
downfall ?? mouse goes through batteries to quickly so you will need to keep a charger for batteries close by
what is great about the the dinovo series 1 is that the keyboard does not have a recharging base thus you can leave it anywhere and just replace the batteries as needed
as long as your house construction does not interfere with the signal this should be the answer.
to complement this setup i would also get the dinovo mini for a back lit alternative to this full size keyboard because nothing beats having a keyboard and mouse all in the palm of your hands for quick web surfing
Music the Paint dancefloor the canvas your body the brush
Disclaimer: I'm biased, I'm a hardware nut and a sales person.
I say build (or buy) a nice quiet media PC to stick in your living room. Leave the "home server" as a server, and let a dedicated Myth box do the heavy lifting.
I've seen some crazies build fantastic media centers around those funky AMD 780G boards with the onboard ATI HD2400 and HDMI output. There's an NVidia equivalent as well, if you're religious like me.
-Billco, Fnarg.com
We spec these all the time. The website lists 100', I've personally taken them up to around 50'. http://www.wireless-computing.com/
Check out the mice and keyboards from Gyration, which use RF signals for a long range. While the advertised range of 100' is exaggerated, it might work for you. I still use the keyboard because it's nice and compact (no numpad) even though my range is much shorter and I switched to a laser mouse.
http://www.gyration.com/c-2-mice-keyboards.aspx
http://www.buy.com/articles/loc/2/channeltype/2/channelid/109/subtype/1/147.html
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2054511,00.asp
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=830544
What about an EeePC running VNC as a remote?
Use a laptop. Even a very very old laptop. And use synergy. you don't even need a laptop with a working display. (As long as you set up with an external monitor). http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/
Had the same situation some time back.
If one use a Class I bluetooth/usb dongle instead of the basic cradle that comes with the Logitech gear (class II) the range is increased.
class I has a nominal range of 100m
class II has a nominal range of 10m and most bluetooth gear use this
class III has a nominal range of 1m and the only gadget using it I've seen is a bluetooth GPS receiver.
Using a class I receiver with class II gadgets, in my experience, increases the range over an all-class-II setup.
Bluetooth 2.0 EDR dongle are supposed to have 100m range too, but I haven't had the occasion to see if there's a significant increase in range.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Google for "Longview KVM" - up to 500ft.
Take a look at this hack:
http://www.volunteerlabrat.com/default.html?goto=keyboardhack.html
Or Remote Desktop http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=948
Although not entirely what you are looking for...
I use a Wiimote. Modded a sensor bar to a wallwart. A good USB Bluetooth adapter will provide a reliable range up to 60-70 feet (the ones that are rated at 100M, anyways)
I only use it with my media center software (faultBox -- still under development - but making progress!)... Surfing is for the computer. Not the TV. Maybe I just have a bad taste in my mouth from Sasktel's MAX setup. *shutters*
Read their support forums... you'll find quite a few people have problems with connectivity of some of their products (if not all... I've mostly only checked mice)... and that Logitech has never fixed these problems, and they appear in new products too.
My personal experience of problems has been with the V270 bluetooth mouse, and the exact same problem is reported with the newer V470. I also have a DiNovo MediaPad (bluetooth numpad, with a small LCD display)... it doen't get used much, but I don't think I've had problems with it. The bluetooth items are otherwise great, of course.
Save yourself the pain and suffering of input lag, dropped connections, battery swapping, and start up time (as the wireless device pops out of standby), and just get yourself a good ole usb extension cable and repeater. This goes double or triple if you intend to play any games at all on the TV. For just clicking on an mkv file, a wireless device will do you. But it will do you poorly.
only one everything
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/keyboards/keyboard/devices/3848&cl=us,en
I was demonstrating this to a friend a week ago and he asked about the range, I said I wasn't sure, so I walked outside, across the road and down two doors and I could still type and use the built in mousepad thing. Well over 40 meters. Works out of the box with Ubuntu. Battery lasts for a month without recharging. I combine this with a Logitech Harmony 785 and MythTV, very happy with the results.
Task Mangler
And he can also shine your shoes and clip your toenails and do your laundry and fetch you a G&T, and all sorts of other things your wireless keyboard and mouse could never do, and you never have to leave your couch, ever!
And you'll do society some good, by taking a poor waif off the street!
Accuratus makes a wireless keyboard with a range of up to 50 ft (15 m). I found this link (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accuratus-mini-range-wireless-keyboard/dp/tech-data/B000IUY8VY/ref=de_a_smtd/026-7213754-5364427) at the UK Amazon site, but I'm certain it can be found elsewhere. I found my (other model, less range) Accuratus wireless keyboard on eBay.
Get yourself a PS3, hook it up to the "TV", slap Yellowdog or Ubuntu GNU/Linux on it, and connect a wireless keyboard whose hardware supports encryption, so that your keystrokes can't be snooped.
Use SSH to connect from your shiny new PS3 to the server... problem solved. And you'll have a great entertainment piece of hardware when you don't feel like mucking around with computers.
I second this advice. I've played around with the diNovo at long distances, and have managed to control my machine from over 100 feet away. It it also one of the very few wireless keyboards with a number keypad (albeit as a separate unit).
For the mouse, I keep two sets of rechargeable batteries on hand and an external charger -- they need to be swapped every few days. The keyboard gets 4 to 8 hours of pretty solid use every day, and needs new batteries every 6 to 8 weeks.
We use RF-based keyboards and mice from Interlink Electronics in our board room and large auditoriums. They work great for us and do not require line-of-site. You can see the model we use here:
http://www.smklink.com/index.php?id=NDA0
"FORMAT C:" - Kills bugs dead!
You should check out Icron (http://www.icron.com).
From their home page:
Solutions powered by ExtremeUSB extend USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices beyond the 5 meter connection limit and enable Cable-Free USB solutions over any distance.
Synergy allows one keyboard and mouse to control more than one PC. With an EEE PC running Synergy you would just have to move the mouse left-right between the EEE and the server. Synergy is really easy to setup and it is always useful to have two screens. The TV guide can be brought up on the EEE without having to disrupt the big screen. If running mythtv you get mythweb for this purpose.
If taking the Synergy route the EEE PC is the keyboard/mouse for the server once it has booted up and assuming no network problems.
if the Logitech diNovo Edge meets your range requirements, I recently purchased one and I would highly recommend one. It's a bit pricey, but it looks and works great.
My only caveat, however, is that their SetPoint software, when I "upgraded", actually caused functionality to cease. The good news, though, is that the keyboard is usable even without the drivers, just some of the media center functions and such won't work. The BIOS even recognizes the keyboard, so there's pretty much no need for a ps2 keyboard on my machine any longer.
The only other possible thing that would detract from this keyboard is its price, as it costs more than $100
I have a Belkin MediaPilot keyboard which works from 30 feet away through the garage wall ... might do the trick for you!
I actually tried this with a wireless keyboard/mouse I have that has dismal range (5 feet or so - beyond that it's unreliable). I was actually quite surprised that it made no perceptible difference. Maybe what I did just wasn't enough, or caused some weird impedance mismatch or something. The frequency was low - 49 MHz - so I figured an extra couple of feet of wire soldered to the pathetic excuse for an antenna inside the USB receiver would help. I guess that's what I get when I pay $25 for a wireless keyboard/mouse...
I use an iPod Touch, jailbroken, with the TouchPad Pro app installed. It's a VNC client that turns the Touch into a trackpad and keyboard. Since it's WiFi, range is not such an issue. It's not going to let me write a novel, but it's more than enough to let me control my Mac Mini when the Apple Remote can't help.
There must be a lot of wannabe comedians judging by the quantity (and quality) of the lame posts. Some of you just can't wait to throw in silly one-liners instead of posting useful comments. Give the man some help! Smoke signals - please! Tambo, I have a bluetooth logitech keyboard and I have my HTPC in the same room (7.6m x 4.5m room) and I still have trouble getting good mouse resolution and have to do all sorts of acrobatic manoeuvres to get anything typed in. Buy from a company with a good return policy, and try one out. I really don't think bluetooth will help. This is just me experience, but YMMV. The keyboard I have (and don't recommend) is: Logitech Cordless Laser LX710. Avoid. The mouse is horrible.
You could buy a cheap Xbox remote and receiver (about $8 from EB in Oz) and use this...
http://dlangenberg.googlepages.com/diycomputerremote
If you happen to have a laptop as well, you could simply install synergy on both computers and share the laptop's keyboard and mouse much like a dual monitor setup. It is a free alternative that has worked for me for a couple years.
I've found that logitech wireless keyboards are quite laggy once you start typing over 80~ WPM. I have a Mx3200 keyboard sitting in the cupboard here because it's just too frustrating to wait for it to catch up. The mouse is fantastic though.
I've had excellent results with the Bluetooth Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 Supposedly an 8000 version was supposed to be released with backlit keys ala the Logitech G15 (wired) keyboard, but I haven't seen one for sale yet. I've tried several other keyboard/mouse combos, and they all cap out at about 6 feet. The Bluetooth setup, meanwhile, works from the next room, and the mouse is surprisingly responsive.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
be happy with what u have. c mon enjoy it afterall it is ur new lcd.And enjoying is atleast better than worring about accesing it with ur home server.
I would run ethernet between the rooms and use a usb over ethernet solution like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16800997018 from IOGear. This would allow you to locate the wireless receiver in your entertainment room and run ethernet through the walls to your server room.
Why walk? It doesn't TM.
Well, it never used to.
Long live the old lib.
(apologies to non- discworld mud players those who don't get this)