Dell KM636 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Combo (5WH32)

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[Orignal Review 10-31-18] I only bought this for the keyboard to replace the Magnesium alloy keyboard (Microsoft surface keyboard). I set it up on 10-29-18. It was weird at first. it wouldn’t connect to the computer through the dongle. So I saw the quick start guide says to connect the mouse first, so I did that, and then the keyboard started working. but not all the keys... I restarted the keyboard and the computer and that allowed me to get numlock working. It was almost like the keys had never been pressed before (no quality control?). I also had some delays when I would press a key. Anyway, midway through the day, I wasnt having any more issues. its working fine now. Comparison to the Microsoft Surface keyboard. 1. I love that this is not just Bluetooth. The Surface is Bluetooth only and would have quite the delay after not using it for a few minutes even though I had power savings features turned on for my Bluetooth dongle. 2. The keys are more clicky - harder to press, I cant be as light on the strokes, but its more satisfying, you really know that youve hit the key before you bottom out. These keys are also curved just a bit. Logitechs solar keyboard are more curved and I like that, but Microsofts were totally flat, and that meant I would hit the edge of a key more often and not know it, and not register the key. 3. The keys are slightly smaller, have a little more gap, and have less wobble. One thing I never knew I cared about until I had the MS keyboard, was that the arrow keys on that one were evenly spaced, and when I reached my hand to them I wouldn’t know if I was hitting the arrows or the num pad because there was no gap between the arrows and the num pad. It looked nice and symmetrical, but I much prefer the extra gap this, and most keyboard have. There’s a small gap between the arrow keys themselves and a large gap between the arrow key and a non-arrow key. 4. The materials. The MS keyboard is simply better. I have the surface pro 3, and I’m a huge fan of the magnesium alloy Microsoft has. I think all electronics should use it. It feels good to touch, it’s sturdy and light. This Dell keyboard has a darker look to it, which is nice, but it doesn’t feel as nice, and there is some bend. Also, the aluminum is only on the top and sides, under side is plastic, which I wouldn’t car about if it didn’t bed, but it does, but the bend is not noticeable when typing, so I’m okay with it over all. The keys on the MS are also nicer. It feels more matte, and the keys on the Dell are more like the plastic from Logitech, it’s more of a sticky plastic, rather than a smooth matte. 5. Overall, I think this Dell is nicer. Fi you are coming from Logitech, especially he Logitech solar and want something a little more premium, this is a good choice. If you like a really light stroke on the keys, then the MS might be worth it. But I had a lot of missing letters on that one, and then the left Ctrl stopped working. I dated this review, so I will update it alter with more dates so I (and others) know how long it’s been.

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I was looking for a wireless keyboard for work and passed on another keyboard that was on my wishlist. The reason why I opted for this one is because the picture shown on the description looked just like my wired keyboard complete with cap and num lock lights. I figured I was already used to my keyboard so why not stick with what I know. The keyboard that arrived didnt have any lights whichwas a great disappointment. I dont understand why this isnt a standard feature especially since its so often intertwined and desired in a wireless keyboard, but I digress. It does come with instructions on downloading onscreen notification of the cap lock but you only see it at the time you are locking or unlocking. To me if Ive been on calls, pulled stray or have just come back from a meeting and have to type to see if the cap lock is on whats the point of my downloading the program? Ive made it work. On a high point there isnt a num lock which for me is very convenient. Sometimes I would overeach thereby turning the function off but wouldnt realize until after i looked at the screen. Now I dont have to deal with that frustration. Add for the most I want sure about it because I had another I had for years and liked. I notice the difference in the two but it isnt major enough to be a concern. I noticed a number of complaints over the mouse so I will say this, the u.s. since drag vs smooth movement with the mouse wheel. Its something you will notice if your current mouse isnt like that but just takes getting used to. I can only see this being an true inconvenience if this is your main function with your mouse and do a lot of scrolling. I admit originally i was very disappointed with my purchase. I took my time selecting a new wireless keyboard and did a lot of research before ordering. I was so disappointed the features i wanted went included included and kept putting the keyboard back in the box ready to return it but would take it back out again. This happened 3 times before I finally decided enough was enough and kept the shipping materials on my desk to give the keyboard/ mouse a trial period for a week before making a final decision. I came to realize it really wasnt all that bad a product once I got over my initial disappointment and realized my little world wouldnt implode without a cap lock light especially since I no longer have num lock frustration. Alls well that ends well!

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I would have given this 5 Stars if I wasnt already having to change the battery in the Mouse after only about a week of using it. The product description says long extended battery life but it isnt. However to be fair I also thought that may have meant that it is like so many other mice these days that come with a built in "Sleep Mode" where the mouse goes to sleep after a period of inactivity to really prolong the battery life. Aside from that the mouse and keyboard are well designed and comfortable to use. The keyboard is on the smaller side but it is still a full + 10 key keyboard and fits nicely in my laptop bag. I would still recommend this but would remind people to always turn the devices off when not in use. EDIT March 2019 The battery life thing must have just been an issue with the batteries that came with it being old. However I am removing one star from my review as after many months of using the keyboard and mouse I have run into several other issue. Keyboard: - There will occasionally be a delay in typing something before it appears on the screen - From time to time pressing a key a single time will result in multiply entries being registered. This includes doing such things as Control-V to paste where what you are wanting to paste into whatever you are working on appears multiple times - Occasionally it wont register a key press at all so you need to do it multiple times Mouse: The buttons do not always register being clicked but on the flip side sometimes register being clicked multiple times The cursor tends to jump around the screen a lot while using it These issues, while annoying, would be bearable if you only wanted to use this combo for light work. But if you are looking for a higher quality wireless mouse / keyboard combo for gaming or the such look elsewhere.

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Garbage. I have just lost all what I paid for this keyboard and mouse. Keeps disconnecting. Completely unreliable and uncomfortable experience. I hated Dell because of their poor quality computers. Peripherals were the only products of dell I could get my hands on. Now, even those are black-listed. The mouse has only a good look. Else it is crap. It has a weird drift when used, and sensor is the top front of the mouse, so when you need to make fine motion with the mouse, it is quite difficult to control its motion on screen, as te rear of the mouse would drift while the sensor placed in the front will not move because of the weird shape and unbalance it has. To make it worse, it has noticeable latency. Something youd never consider for gaming or image processing. You better pay the premium and get your self stuff from Logitech. Absolute fail from Dell. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29th Sept 2018 Update: I have searched only for a solution, and found something ineteresting. Someone suggested uninstalling all the USB drivers on the machine, which I did, and used a PS/2 keyboard to control my device (not an ideal case for a product supposed to be plug-&-play). However, things became a little bit more under control when using the dongle. . However, the catch came to the surface when I have tried to use this combo between my Desktop and laptop. It the connection fails when switching between the bluetooth connectivity and the dongle, which is another failure added to the list. I thought it is a bluetooth issue with one of my machines, when I switched the dongle between them back and forth, when no fruitful results. The problem is still there. I tried a couple of laptops + my desktop. This indicates that it is a problem with the keyboard & mouse combo itself. . You might get a better performance from a cheaper wireless combo, which leaves the elegance and good looks of this combo as the only superior point.

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LOVE this keyboard. Very solid, premium feel. I like DELLs keyboards imprinted fonts, which are modern but discreet. The typing feel is perfect and the keyboard elevation is comfortable. I really like the compact layout, but still having the full numerical keypad. You still get a PgUp, PgDown, Home, End, Insert, Delete and Print Screen keys, along with the full F1-F12 keys, but in a very nice compact layout, that is still spacious enough for a very comfortable typing experience. The main keys spacing is pretty stardard, the space saving only take place in the F1-F12 keys, which are half size and more compactly spaced. Same going for the Insert, Delete, PrtScreen, PgUp, PgDown, Home and End keys, which remain conveniently located. I use the PgUp and PgDown keys a LOT, and this layout still pleases me. Also notice that the keyboard has no logo imprinting at the top, so it will look great with the rest of you computer regardless whether it is from DELL. Also note that this is a LOGITECH manufactured product. It comes with the Logitech Unifying USB wireless connector and works with the Logitech drivers. If you have other Logitech products (ie, a mouse - I use the MX Master), then you only need one driver and one single connector for both devices. The mouse is cheap. Not on the same level as the keyboard. You can use it but I suggest getting something else. At this price the mouse is for free in this bundle. The only complaint is that there isnt a caps lock key on the keyboard, and the driver does not signal on the screen when you switch the caps lock on and off. The only way to know if your caps lock is on or off is by typing something on the screen (which might not help if you are typing a password...). I think this is a driver issue as my older logitech keyboards would signal on the display when I switched the Caps Lock On or Off.

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I have had this keyboard & mouse on my office computer for well over a year now, and I am very happy with it. The keyboard is solid, and very compact. I have a stand-up desk so I appreciate the small keyboard footprint. I have only one complaint: with every other wireless keyboard I have owned, when the batteries wear down it just stops working. You replace the batteries and it starts again. But with this one, when the batteries start to wear down it begins to make typos. For example, when you tap the "p" key you might get 8 ps, or you might not get any ps at all. You end up with some pretty strange text if you are not paying attention. This begins to happen long before the batteries actually wear out. In fact, in over a year of daily use I have never kept the batteries in the keyboard long enough to wear out because I get irritated with all the typos long before this happens. If you can live with this strange feature, you will probably like the keyboard just fine. Ive learned to deal with it.

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Update on Mouse Bluetooth issues You might want to look up the mouse (Dell WM527) and see all the problems other people are having with it since the keyboard hasnt had any problems so far. The mouse for some reason goes to a standby mode after 20 seconds and changes status from Connected to Paired. So if you stop using your mouse after 20 seconds, next time you try to move it or click on something, you have to move it around for at least 2-5 seconds to wake it up and reestablish the connection. This can get really really really annoying and frustrating when youre trying get some work done. Im digging into this issue and will update as soon as I speak to Dell. --------------------------------------------------- Original Review This is a very classy, minimalist and attractive combo. I chose this over other options so I could toggle back and fort between my laptops and use the Bluetooth mouse with my laptop when I travel to avoid carrying USB C dongles for traditional wireless receivers. Who wants to go around and ask Hey Bro Can I Borrow Your Dongle? Im trying really really really hard here to love this combo and as much as the keyboard is growing on me, at this price point, I may have to return it because of how bad and frequently the mouse is either freezing or losing bluetooth connection. I read on some other reviews that the work around people found for this issue was using the dongle but why pay extra to have a bluetooth combo and then end up using a dongle? And the dongle can only handle 1 PC and the other two connections have to be through bluetooth. I might be better off finding one of my old beat up keyboards and mouse combos and just purchase a KVM switch and settle for the track pad on the go. Pros Looks classy Good key travel Lights on Num and Caps Very light to carry around if you ever had to Cons The mouse constantly freezes up and/or loses Bluetooth connection The keys have lost their high profile but because the spacing between has stayed the same, it may take sometime for you to get used to tying on it

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This is a great wireless combo for normal everyday use. My new Dell came with a wired keyboard and mouse so I wanted to upgrade to a wireless. The keyboard and mouse look indenitcal To the ones that came with my PC. Great value. Would recommend. Update 2/2. Well it seems like I’m now having the issues that a lot of people are having. The keyboard cut out a LOT. Also the mouse occasionally cuts out but comes back to life quickly. The mouse issue would be ok but the keyboard is unusable. I had to try typing in an 8 digit password 5 times because it kept missing my keystrokes. Going back to Amazon. Hopefully I can find a more reliable wireless keyboard that won’t cost a ton of money.

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Wow... for what it is and the price, Im seriously impressed. I havent been a fan of previous Dell wireless keyboard and mice, but this is nice, when considering the the price. Im usually a Logitech person. Especially for wireless devices from other major manufacturers, which I get connectivity issues when they go to sleep and have to click or something to wake them up. The combo basically looks like the wired combo that came with a dell optiplex system that was purchased previously for work. The keyboard has good bounce, low noise, and good key travel. The mouse has good weight (not light), good for medium size hands, and scroll wheel has rubber so its got grip. If it has the side buttons for going back and forward at this price, my mind wouldve been blown away~ Overall, Im very satifisied and highly recommended.

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Can not say enough about this keyboard Looking at my purchase history from Amazon I averaged a keyboard every 15 months up until I bought this one the DELL KM117m, and looking at the order so I could get the model I didnt see what I was sure was there when I was shopping for keyboards, about it being able to withstand spills, I did not see it anywhere. But I can verify that is indeed exactly what this board can do. Spill and keep using it NO, after a Rinse and Dry (covered later) YES, Absolutely Yesterday in my effort to hold the door for my wife my oxygen hose grabbed my fresh cup of coffee knocking it over onto my keyboard and then all went to the floor and of course the keyboard landed right side up so the remainder of the cup could puddle on it. This would have made the 3rd time I would have replaced it but instead I am using it to write this review after my routine keyboards Rinse and Dry. The title describes what I actually do but here is the procedure I use to restore it back to use. UTMOST IMPORTENT: Pull those batteries as quick as possible. Once opened and looking at it, below will make sense. 1. Once the batteries are out towel dry it to work on it. 2. Lay the board face down on the towel and locate and remove the 14 screws from the back. 3. A little tricky but remove the base a plastic snap together you pop up one spot then work your finger around it to release the whole thing and set it aside. 4. This will reveal a rubbery sheet Ill call KSP key spring pad that can go only one way because of where the cut out is placed for the harness connection, screw hole cutouts, and little holes where it is attached to keep it from moving around with little peg sort of things that will go through the KSP that are mostly around the perimeter, a couple near the middle. That is all that will separate from the keypad what is there now is three sheets of plastic that are fastened together and separated very little. 5. If the spill was just water go to 6, if not you need to rinse everything you just took apart. Im guessing some would say use deionized water but I used tap and havent had a problem. Rinse it well enough to be sure all the sticky is gone. 6. Now drying. I start with pat drying all surfaces with a clean towel. Be more concerned about how dry it is and not how long it is taking just be sure it is dry 100%, use a hair dryer for all of it on high heat and fan. I start with the base on top and underneath and between the 3 sheets of plastic this is the heart of the board any water here and shes fried, so be sure everything is dry here. Next the KSP can be pressed between your hands covered by the towel then the hair dryer, and this usually doesnt take very long. Last is the keyboard I body slam it into the towel held by my other hand a few times on both sides to get as much out as possible and then the hair dryer and you should see the keys flutter up and down when blown from the backside when held in a normal position. This should cover the drying out then reassemble the board with the base on a table make sure the plastic sheet are dry then place the KSP over it the cut out upper tight and with your finger push the KSP locater holes down over the little pegs sticking up and then very carefully set the keyboard over the top of the base and once in place you can pinch together and you will hear a plastic click and do that all the way around, youll know when it is all the way home free. Nothing left but to replace all 14 of the screws in the back of the board and install the batteries and proceed with where you where when you tried to drowned your keyboard. The good: Batteries last a long time with low battery light Range is good Rubber pads on the bottom work really, really good that look like they cant come off Spills/immersion is only a problem not a death sentence It can take a lickin and keep ticking The Bad None I have found yet

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