10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
LazyBoy Special!
Date of Review: Jan 17, 2009
The Bottom Line: Buy this if range no more than about 12 feet is OK for you. Or buy an extra LONG USB cable extension? Long life of the batteries great as well.
I needed this as I hooked up one of my old desktop computers to our 52 Inch High Definition Big Screen TV Monitors to watch Netflix & YouTube Video etc. This Computer also has a built in TV Tuner with built in DVR (with 250 Megs of memory) so I can even program it to tape my TV shows of cable in addition to my High Definition Cable company DVR. Then, I can burn a disc if wanted as well. I wanted to stay in my recliner and do what people in recliners "DO". NOTHING! So I read all the reviews here and elsewhere and took a shot. It was so easy to hook up it actually scared me. NO need to anything except put in the INCLUDED Long Life Batteries (SHOCK), plug in the USP device & go!
The only part I had any trouble with was range. To get the mouse and keyboard to "find" the range extender device that is part of the system, I needed to put the USP Dongle into a FRONT USB port on my computer (no big deal), then run the extender device (about 5 feet long) along a wall to place it as close to my recliner as possible. JUST barely made it! It (the extender) sits another 6 feet away from my chair. Any further away and I lose communication between devices.
For anyone else as lazy as ME, be advised....This HUGE keyboard is so wide it will not fit between the armrests of my large recliner! As a result, I just tip one side up. No big deal really but worth noting. The keys feel great and I LOVE both it AND the very heavy mouse that is smooth scrolling as silk. If this had better range for lazy guys like myself, I would give it 5 stars. But wishing for a more normal size keyboard as well as a very short range, I give it 3 stars. If used within it's capabilities, it is extremely handy and allows me to use an old obsolete Desktop Computer to boot.
Short Range "walkaround".....If you have to extend the range of the receiver, you can shop online for a longer USB CABLE. I would recommend one of the 16 foot cables that average just a bit over $1.00 per foot. You can piggy back these cables for a bit up to 80 feet and maintain enough signal.
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