As a digital guy, there are two things that I strive for as much as I humanly can. I like being paperless, and I love being wireless. The reason I like being wireless is that (if at all possible) I don’t like carrying around spools of wires to charge different things. The less I can pack in my briefcase (which admittedly is a knapsack) the better. What I like is that generally, this is something that is entirely doable. Like everything else, there are three things that you have to consider when you are going wireless
1) You need to change/recharge batteries – Yes you do need to charge the batteries for your devices or devices before you do. Typically what I do is put them on the charger(s) the night before and that way they will be 100% by the time that I leave for the morning. The Added benefit of this is that depending on the usage of the device in question you may not have to charge it every single night. What I like is that most of the keyboards and other ancillary devices don’t need to be charged every single day. Things like my kindle and Headphones don’t need charging all the time which makes it so much easier to be wireless. The problem is that it can be easy to forget to charge them. You do have to remember to charge them because if you don’t, you will lose power at the weirdest time. I remember a couple of times where I was walking around with my headphones in, and my music would just cut out, as I’d forgotten to charge them the night before. I should also mention that if the wireless device runs on traditional batteries, it’s equally important to change out the batteries when they go flat.
2) You need to keep software up to date – Some wireless devices come with their own software to work correctly with the devices that they are connected to. Because the companies that sell these devices want to be able o improve their efficiency, they will (on occasion) send software patches to improve the efficiency and or add features. The issue is that if you don’t keep up with the updates, then it will eventually make it so that the device doesn’t work. The important thing then is to make sure to keep up on your updates so that everything keeps working correctly. This is also true of any apps that you happen to be using, but I felt like I should mention it for your Bluetooth devices all the same.
3) Keep the dongle clean (the Nintendo Method) – I’ve talked about the Nintendo method before, but I feel like I should mention it again. One of the issues that I have discovered is that when people are using Wireless devices with a receiver that you plug into your computer (or dongle) can get some dust into it. If you remove the dongle, blow on the bit, you stick into your computer (no, I’m not kidding) and then reinsert it will help make sure that the device works correctly.
I like being wireless because it makes it so that your desk and your devices look cleaner and speaker. I get that traditionally going the wired route can be a bit more reliable, but I do like the fact that we have the option to be wireless and it is just as stable now. In full disclosure when it comes to keyboards and mice, I use both methods. I have wired in my home office and wireless in my work office. The reason for that is partially a functionality issue, but also because the keyboard and mouse that I wanted for my home office are not available in the wireless form, so I was in a bit of a corner there. That being said I have many wireless devices that I thoroughly enjoy using and will continue to use. It is always important to think about the usage of the wireless devices because when you do plan on using them, making sure that they are adequately maintained is entirely up to the user….which would be you.
Do you use wireless devices?
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