Customer Reviews

IOGEAR Long Range Media Center Desktop Keyboard and Mouse Combo,2.4GHz Wireless GKM551R (Black)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Had this combo now for 3 months. Battery life is good (2-3 weeks on rechargables) mouse wheel will flash red when I need to recharge. Keyboard is flat, light weight and has quiet keys. Volume, mute buttons are handy, space bar pauses starts video. I use Ctrl +,- and 0 to increase,decrease,normalize screen size alot. My complaint about this board is the occasional pointer stutter that happens. Occasional being the key word here. This happens with full batts, line of sight with receiver and at around 10 feet. Tolerable as it doesn't happen all the time. Keyboard has only lagged behind my typing once. No complaint there. This has made couch surfing on my 32" panel a lot of fun and wouldn't be without it now. Have given up my laptop armrest surfing for this. Would recommend this (already have) to a friend. Great value.

I purchased the IOGear GKM551R for use with a media center PC I built myself. I research products to death before I buy anything, especially electronics. There aren't a lot of choices for mid-range wireless keyboard/laser mouse combos that have the appearance (looking at them online) of good quality, decent specifications, and a fairly reputable manufacturer for a reasonable price. I picked the IOGear based on the mostly positive reviews, the specs, and the technical info and access to support/documentation provided on the manufacturer's web site. I passed on products by several better known manufacturers of wireless keyboard/mouse combos such as Microsoft and Logitech. Comparatively, their products are pricey and have a lot of keyboard extras that I don't need or want. I like my keyboards to be just keyboards--not multimedia control centers with a lot of gaudy buttons, dials, strange ergonomic shapes, etc. The IOGear keyboard and mouse seem to be well manufactured and durable. The appearance is sleek. The mouse is a bit on the light side, but with the batteries installed it's not annoyingly light, and it's a laser mouse which is a huge plus at this price range. When I first connected the keyboard and mouse for about a week it acted kind of erratic with losing connectivity and the mouse being unresponsive or intermittent. However, this was while I was setting the system up and installing software, and I had the keyboard/mouse right in front of the computer case where the USB receiver was plugged in. Since I've moved the PC into an entertainment center and the keyboard/mouse are now on the coffee table about 5' away, it has been working flawlessly. This makes me wonder if the wireless receiver was having issues because it was actually *too* close to the keyboard/mouse when I was first using it. The mouse has an on/off switch on it which is good for preserving battery life. The keyboard can be turned on/off using a key combo of *FN*-*ON/OFF*. I don't care for this because since it's a key combo, the only indicator that the keyboard is actually turning on or off is the caps light flashes once. I don't understand why they didn't just put an actual on/off switch on the keyboard like they did with the mouse. I've been using the IOGear primarily for gaming and Web browsing, and so far I'm very satisfied with it, particularly considering the price compared with the other product options out there.

This keyboard and mouse seems to work pretty well. The range is pretty good, and I have my computer enclosed in an entertainment center with no window. The 2.4ghz signal is robust, although occasionally it will miss a keystroke on the keyboard, and the mouse will take a couple seconds to wake up. The only complaint I can see coming up is a short battery life in the keyboard. It's killed one set of batteries after only 2.5 weeks, but it's hard to say if that was the batteries, or the keyboard. All in all, the keys feel good to the touch, the keyboard and mouse are well made, and the mouse is responsive and comfortable. Hard to beat for $45. Recommended.

When this keyboard arrived, I found it a little difficult to get the box open... though I get the feeling that's something to do with the merchant I bought it from. No biggie, I wanted to get at the product inside... so after digging through and ripping open cardboard barriers and plastic bags, I had a nice, slim, long keyboard on my lap, a TINY receiver in hand, and a mouse that... well, we'll talk about that later.

The receiver is tiny, and I do mean TINY. You have to keep really good track of the thing or you'll never see it again. I mean, drop it on your carpet, blink your eye, and you'll spend the next hour looking for it.

I put in the batteries, turned the keyboard on, and was instantly typing away. There was no hassle - I've had more difficulty making myself a Hot Pocket. This was easy as pie, and performed just as advertised; though I was only sitting 12 feet away or so, it definitely held up.

The mouse is another story. It's... well, I guess it's alright, if you have big hands. I however am a tiny girl, and subsequently have tiny hands; this mouse is HUGE to me. I like the way the buttons feel when clicked, but the design just feels weird to me - see that grey plastic stripe in the middle, as pictured at the top of the page? For some reason, the black buttons on either side are recessed into the mouse, so all you feel on your palm is a thin plastic strip. Wtf?

That aside, all I was really looking for was the keyboard, and it performs spectacularly. As someone with back problems (but is an avid gamer), I was looking for a way to continue to enjoy my hobbies without ending up hunched over in pain. Said hobbies require me to be at my PC or on a console - most recently the PS3 - and this keyboard has been the instrument of my salvation.

Instead of sitting all doubled over in my computer chair, trying to type, mash keys for skills in a game, or generally wander around the internet... I am now seated in my bed, with my computer hooked up to my television as a monitor. Seated comfortably like this, I no longer have to take a "break" every half hour (which several guildmates appreciate, of course).

As for the PS3, I've yet to encounter an actual game requiring a keyboard, but I spend a lot of time sending messages over the PSN to friends and often just called them up on the phone - despite long distance charges - rather than agitating myself trying to use the onscreen keyboard. I plugged the receiver into the USB ports, turned the keyboard on, and was typing away. Perfecto.

I'd recommend it to anyone else in a heartbeat, as the company is also very good with replacing any defective merchandise, as seen on the Newegg reviews.


EDIT: Be very, very careful with this thing. It's generally not a good idea to go dropping your keyboard all over the place, but if it slips off your bed a few times you're going to find that it gets a little moody and works only when it wants to. I'm sure that goes without saying - you hit something enough times and you'll probably break it - but I want to make sure I warn anyone out there who, like myself, is prone to dropping things. A year after buying this, I had to spring for a new keyboard, if only because of my own clumsiness.

This combo replaces IOGear's GKM541RA and is a major downgrade in several ways. The original used rechargeable batteries and came with a charging stand, this one has a tiny USB transmitter stick. The ergonomics are weird on this one, it might look cool but it feels weird compared to any other "normal" mouse that I've used. It's a tool, it should work and feel normal. The keyboard is now made like a laptop keyboard, they're tiny plastic scissor hinges under the keys which tend to break more, and if you break them they're broken permanently. The previous model (GKM541RA) had removable keys the could be easily pulled out and cleaned. IOGear should be ashamed of themselves. I'm on Amazon right now searching for the old version.

I just got this about 2 weeks ago and it is great so far. Set up was very fast and easy. The keyboard is light and the mouse is standard size but works great. The mouse even works on the carpet and sofa cusion, but obviously works best on a flat surface, so i use a hard cover book while sitting on the couch. I've tested it at about 30ft from the TV and it still works fine, i had one jump of the mouse across the screen. I've got it hooked up to my HP desktop computer, which in turn is hooked up to my 46" Samsung LCD TV. I would recommend this to people looking for a long range wireless keyboard to do some sofa web surfing.

I've had this unit for about a month now, and I use it 4 - 5 times a week. It's wonderful. I'd tried another brand of wireless keyboard, but it only had a range of a couple of feet. This unit has a real long range. I only needed about 7 feet, but it's good for way beyond that. The keyboard is very sturdy. I've not experienced any problems typing. The mouse works fine on just about any surface I've tried it on (couch, TV tray, book cover, magazine, ...). I had no problem setting it up. Just followed the instructions and everything worked without a hitch. I'm very impressed with this wireless keyboard and mouse. I'd recommend it to anyone that needs more range than slew of other wireless keyboards out there will give you.

Works at 25 feet with no connectivity loss, and the battery auto shuts off so no battery loss.. great buy!!

It works well but don't lose the IR Receiver! I did and contacted Iogear for a replacement. Guess what? They don't sell them! They said take it back to where you bought it. W T F ? That ain't gonna work. So, I'm up the creek unless I find the IR Receiver!

Keyboard is compact, solid, and very reliable. Pressing keys gives a good feeling and allows for really fast typing.

Mouse on the other hand is so and so. Buttons rather unreliable, often forces to re-click cause the first click gets ignored. I actually have 2 of these, first mouse was much better. Second I'm rather disappointed with.

All in all, a great keyboard paired with a mouse that doesn't cut it and sort of ruins this combo.