Wireless Home Networking - Index of

manufacturers make Bluetooth speaker systems that work with your
Bluetooth-enabled devices. Companies such as iBluon and Motorola
manufacture Bluetooth transmitters that take the signal from your
stereo’s headset Out jack. So cut the cord and still enjoy your music.
Keyboards and meeses (that’s
plural for mouse!)
Chapter 15: Using a Bluetooth Network
Wireless keyboards and mice have been around for a while (Danny has been
swearing by his Logitech wireless mouse for years and years), but they’ve
been a bit clunky. To get them working, you have to buy a pair of radio
transceivers to plug into your computer, and then you have to worry about
interference between your mouse and other devices in your home. With
Bluetooth, things get much easier. Danny recently upgraded to the Bluetooth
version of his Logitech mouse. He also attached a Bluetooth presenter
mouse that works at the same time — Bluetooth is the only way to connect
more than one mouse to a single computer — so he can work out and
scroll through his e-mail. (Unfortunately, you can’t connect more than one
keyboard to a computer, but if you have a Bluetooth keyboard it’s easy
enough to pick it up and take it with you.) If your PC (or PDA, for that matter)
has Bluetooth built in, you don’t need to buy any special adapters or transceivers.
Just put the batteries in your keyboard and mouse and start working.
You probably don’t even need to install any special software or drivers on
your PC to make this work. For example, if you have a Mac, check out the
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse (www.apple.com/keyboard). They are
slickly designed (of course — they’re from Apple!) and go for months on their
batteries without any cords.
If your PC isn’t already Bluetooth equipped, consider buying the Logitech
diNovo Media Desktop Laser (www.logitech.com, about $199). This system
includes both a full-function wireless keyboard — one of those cool multimedia
models with a ton of extra buttons for special functions (such as audio
volume and MP3 fast forward and rewind) — and a detached media pad
that acts as a hand remote or numeric keyboard with a built-in calculator. It
also includes a wireless optical mouse (no mouse ball to clean) with the cool
four-way scrolling feature, and a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into one of
your PC’s USB ports. This adapter turns your PC into a Bluetooth PC. In other
words, it can be used with any Bluetooth device, not just with the keyboard
and mouse that come in the box with it. This kit is a great way to unwire your
mouse and keyboard and get a Bluetooth PC, all in one fell swoop.
The diNovo Media Desktop Laser is easy to set up. You just plug the receiver
into a USB port on the back of your computer and install the keyboard and
mouse driver software. (This isn’t a Bluetooth requirement; rather, it allows
you to use all the special buttons on the keyboard and the extra mouse
buttons.) You must have an up-to-date version of Windows XP (simply use
the built-in Windows XP software update program).
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