NOTE: This is for older devices that use Bluetooth and RF pairing. Our newer devices only use USB.
Each KeyMouse Alpha and KeyMouse Track device has 2 wireless chips on it (both operate using encryption):
- Bluetooth - to send keyboard/mouse data to the computer when in Bluetooth mode - this signal uses encryption as well as channel hopping for high security
- RF - used for communication between left/right hand devices
KeyMouse Alpha has the ability to operate either wirelessly by Bluetooth 3.0 or by USB. When you plug in your KeyMouse devices by USB to the computer, the Bluetooth interface is disabled, and keyboard/mouse data is sent to the computer directly through the USB cable. When you unplug the USB interface, the devices automatically switch to enable Bluetooth mode. The Bluetooth interface can be disabled using a jumper on the Main PCB which will cause it to stay off for added security.
Our Bluetooth & RF signals are encrypted, but you should be aware that nearly any form of wireless transmission can be hacked with sophisticated equipment and software.
Data sent by RF between left/right hand devices (typically non-sensitive data) - regardless of whether devices are in USB or Bluetooth interface to the computer:
1. Which key layer is active. For example, when you press FN Yellow on the left hand, a signal is sent by radio to the right hand to switch to the Yellow layer.
2. Mouse DPI/Speed Setting / Mouse Enable/Disable Setting - to control mouse speed or mouse on/off
3. Backlight settings (not currently available, but will be for some future devices)
4. Modifier keys for Mac - for some reason Mac treats CTRL, ALT, CMD, SHIFT separately per keyboard. For example, if you take 2 typical keyboards and plug them into a Mac computer, pressing Shift on one keyboard, and typing a letter on the other keyboard will not capitalize the letter. To work around this, KeyMouse has the ability to keep left/right hand in sync. By default, when you press one of these modifier keys, a signal is sent to the other hand so that both devices will press the modifier key at the same time. This will cause keys to be capitalized correctly on Mac. You can disable this by programming all modifier keys to not send from "Both" devices.
RF signals operate in channels to avoid interference with other KeyMouse devices. You can pair left/right hand devices to each other using the KeyMouse software in the "Devices", then "RF Channel Pairing".
We currently do not have a way to "disable" firmware updates.