Why does my wireless mouse work at home but not at the university?
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TechWhiz42
I have a Microsoft 1850 wireless mouse that was functioning normally until Friday morning at home on my laptop. Later that day, it wouldn't work at the university, even though it turns on, lights up, and my laptop recognizes its USB dongle. I initially thought the batteries might be dead, but it worked perfectly once I got back home without changing them. Today, back at the university, it has stopped working again but is fine at home. I'm wondering if there could be some kind of interference causing this issue, especially since I live in a crowded dorm building. What could be going on? Also, I tried using it with a friend's computer at the university, and it didn't work there either.
Answers
It might be worth testing another mouse to see if that works at the university. If a different mouse works, then the original one probably has a problem, even if it’s fine at home.
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Have you checked the surface you’re using your mouse on? Sometimes optical mice can act up if they're not on the right material, so make sure it's a suitable surface.
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Where is the USB dongle plugged in? If it's in a port that’s been working for you for ages, it should be fine, but at the university, have you tried different USB ports just to rule that out?
TechWhiz42: I tried the same port I've always used, but at the university, I tested all the USB ports to see if it would help.
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The real issue could be congestion on the 2.4 GHz band. The university probably has a lot of Wi-Fi networks and wireless devices, which can lead to signal loss. That's why it works great at home but struggles at the university. A wired mouse or a Bluetooth one could avoid these problems altogether!
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TechWhiz42: I'm using it on a wooden table, and both the tables at home and uni are pretty similar.