Blue tooth mouse What is the difference between a blue tooth and a digital optical mouse?

Question

SQLGeek · Accepted Answer

They're two different things. "Digital optical" refers to how the mouse senses that it's being moved over a surface. Old-style mice used a physical ball cupped inside the mouse to detect motion, translated that analog motion of the ballot digital signals which it then relayed to the computer. An optical mouse uses a low-powered laser, reflected off the surface over which the mouse moves, to detect how the mouse is being moved.
Bluetooth is how the mouse communicates the movement to the computer. An old-style was physically connected to the computer with a cable that ran from the mouse to the computer to transmit the signals of how the mouse was being moved. With a Bluetooth (cordless) mouse, you connect a small dongle to the computer, and the mouse communicates wirelessly with that dongle, using the Bluetooth wireless protocol to tell the computer how the mouse is being moved.

MAB62 · Answer

The digital optical part refers to the laser on the bottom of the mouse. Both USB and bluetooth mice are pretty much all digital optical nowadays.

A USB wireless mouse has a small USB dongle (small device like a flash drive) that you plug into one of your USB ports and it then communicates to your wireless mouse up to 20ft or 30ft or whatever distance your mouse can reach. A bluetooth mouse doesn't need a dongle to communicate with your computer if your computer has bluetooth. The dongle is built in already. You just have to pair the mouse to the computer and they will work together. The disadvantage with the bluetooth as opposed to the wireless USB is that bluetooth devices usually won't keep connected when more than about 10 to 15 feet from the computer.

Mykuhh · Answer

A Bluetooth mouse will connect with no transponder (chip) requires where a digital mouse comes with a small transponder that you insert into the USB port.

DarkGuy · Answer

Blue tooth is the connection and optical is the tracking technology.

MinInfo · Answer

Bluetooth does not normally require an extra USB port as your laptop/desktop should already have a Bluetooth receiver. This mouse does not communicate via Bluetooth (no pairing operation). It only transmits to the included receiver.

Answered by MinInfo 10 years ago

spyro88 · Answer

Blue tooth is is a function on some device that allows you to use that product wireless without plugging it in. optical you still need to plug in a USB into the computer to use the mouse.

Ninja750 · Answer

One connects to the PC directly (Bluetooth) and the other used as USB receiver when wireless to communicate.

CommunityAnswer · Answer

Bluetooth is the way it transmits signal. Digital optics are the way it reads that the mouse has moved positions. They are not similar in function.

Carol · Answer

The world of difference! lol

SamZ · Answer

Bluetooth is how the mouse is connected to your device. Optical laser is how the mouse detects movement of the mouse. A laser is more precie than the old 'ball' that mice used to use.

“Blue tooth mouse What is the difference between a blue tooth and a digital optical mouse?”

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