Right now I have my MythTV box connected with a standard ps2 keyboard with two extensions so I can sit on the couch. I've not really found a IR remote/receiver combo that seems to make sense yet and is affordable.

I just saw an add from Buy.com for a $30 Logitech LX 300 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse. I was wondering if anyone has had success with this wireless keyboard or could recommend another one that is around the $30 price point (+/- $15).

Thanks

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AMD Athlon 64 3000+ on MSI K8T Neo
FX5200
pcHD3000
Firewire to Comcast cable box
PVR-250
R6

http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/btc-9019urf-wireless-multimedia-keyboard-wdual-mode-joystick/cName/keyboards-and-mice

this is the BOMB of a keyboard.. RF instead of IR and totally plug-in-play. Been using it for ~3 months without any problems

What steps are needed to get this working? Is it really just plug it in, disconnect my ps/2 keyboard and mouse and enjoy?[/quote]

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AMD Athlon 64 3000+ on MSI K8T Neo
FX5200
pcHD3000
Firewire to Comcast cable box
PVR-250
R6

Looks like a nice keyboard. Too bad about the RF tho. I like to use an IR keyboard and teach a learning remote to emulate the keys needed to control Myth. That way I don't have to futz around with lirc.

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Do you code to live, or live to code?
Search LinHES forum through Google

I just picked up a Solidtek ACK-571.

http://store.yahoo.com/pctekonline/acwikemoco.html

It was recommended in the Knoppmythwiki for Wireless Keyboards. The above link is for the cheapest site I could find it, and is where I ordered it from. It's about $25 + $8 to ship.

Anyway, I've had it a week now and so far, so good. It has a built in pointer device which controls the mouse. It takes a little bit of getting used to, and I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on heavy use of the mouse, but I find it sufficient for Myth...as I only need the mouse feature when I go back to the desktop and launch an app or something. I wouldn't use the pointer for fast action games or anything, but it's good enough to get around the desktop here and there. You use your right thumb to angle the pointer in basically 8 directions. It feels kind of like a cross key on a video game console control pad, but it doesn't click into the up/down/left/right and corners...it moves a little free-er. (if that is a word)

The keyboard is infared and works off of two AA batteries. IR keyboards have excellent battery life...better than RF, I'll probably get a few years out of this one set of batteries. As LIV2COD pointed out, you definitely can "learn" the keyboard presses with a universal remote. I might do that so I don't have to use the flaky PVR150 IR receiver with LIRC any more.

Anyway, the keyboard comes in black or white and has two PS/2 ports on the receiver end that you plug into your keyboard and mouse PS/2 ports. PS/2 is more Myth-friendly than USB (so I've heard). All I had to do was turn off my Myth, plug it in, and power it back on and I was up and running. The Keyboard has two IR transmitters and the receiver has some LEDs that flash when you are hitting a key or using the mouse, which is good so you know if it is properly receiving the commands. (or if you unknowingly just sat on your keyboard.) It is slim, small, and light, like a standard-sized laptop keyboard, which is nice, because I can conveniently slide it under my couch when I'm not using it.

Another nicety is that it doesn't conflict with my wired USB mouse. With a USB mouse also plugged into your machine, you can jump between the pointer device and mouse as fast as you can let go of one and grab the other. (Like when you have a pointer device built in a laptop, but still have a real mouse connected.) So if I decide I need to do some heavy mouse usage, I have the option of getting up and just grabbing my old mouse.

I've been using the keyboard on my lap while sitting on the couch about 10 feet from the IR receiver. The IR signal spreads out enough so that it is not overly picky about the angle that you are aiming the keyboard at. (Much less picky than my remote.) This is nice, as the key presses do not cut out if the keyboard is shaken or angled a little. It also makes it feel a little more convenient, like an RF keyboard, as the directional constriction isn't overly restrictive.

Overall, I like this thing for the price and it is a great backup for when I do something stupid and break my LIRC config.

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Currently running: R5.5, HD5000 x 2, PVR150, Athlon 64 3000+, Chaintech VNF4, 1GB RAM, 2 x 250GB in LVM, MSI NX6200TC -> AA 9A60 -> HDTV

I have it too - from the same store. It's very nice. Definitely a good value.
I've got a minor irritation with the battery door - it pops off easily. And I tried to get my SONY RM-AV3000 remote to "learn" it, and it seems to, but it's not working. i.e. I program "1" into my remote, play it back, and it doesn't type a "1". But I seem to recall, irw saw them both the same when I was playing with that. No biggie, I'm going to get my streamzap working one of these days, after I upgrade to 0.19

Anyway, to the OP: Yes, this just plugs and plays. There is a receiver (see the pic) that sits near the PC, and has cords that plug into both the mouse and keyboard ports on the PC. No USB to worry about. Just plug and play on any PC that uses PS/2 ports. I'm still on my first set of batteries after 3 months.
Tip: Print out Myth and Xine key assignments, laminate, and tape to underside of keyboard. I didn't, and lost a few WAF points unnecessarily.

Amazing what you can find on the wiki...
http://www.knoppmythwiki.org/index.php?page=WirelessKeyboards

I bought a Logitech LX 300 keyboard and its fab. Plugged it in to the PS2 slots and it worked....
Had a look at the link EvilTwin posted, how can a RF keyboard be a security risk if the range is only 6-10ft? 6-10ft is in my garden in one direction and in the other is the my living room.

Range is very dependant on your antenna and your reciever/transmitter. If they're low power made as cheaply as possible and omnidirectional at both ends then the working range is low, but add a snoop with a directional antenna and a sensitive reciever and that range quickly goes up by orders of magnitude. Mobile phone handsets take advantage of this same kind of asymetrical setup.

I wouldn't say it is a high risk, but remember...a wireless signal is only as weak as the antenna receiving it. For more on the subject, search "cantenna" in Google and you'll see how for less than $20, you can build an antenna out of a Pringle can that'll pick up a wireless network from over 1000 ft away (or more). People have built similar items to snoop on bluetooth, which probably has a range similar to the wireless keyboard.

Again, these are risks that are unlikely to be exploited, but they are there.

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Currently running: R5.5, HD5000 x 2, PVR150, Athlon 64 3000+, Chaintech VNF4, 1GB RAM, 2 x 250GB in LVM, MSI NX6200TC -> AA 9A60 -> HDTV

Coo... a can of worms it seems.
To keep this going, how much damage cou,d someone do, i suspect they could .sh a reformat or something, but could they get to anything sensitive, such as my key for the wireless network? I suppose you could 'instruct' the Mythbox to output information to a specified port or something. Bluetooth I think would be a different matter.
Perhaps I can encypt the signal from the keyboard to the reciever.
Mind you the most saboutage I've noticed is the cat standing on the keyboard when it's left on the sofa/floor. But that's problem occurs with remote controls too.

How much damage could I do if I was allowed to sit down in front of your computer with an active root/admin session? Now imagine that I install a key logger and a packet sniffer on every machine on your local LAN while I'm at it.

Doing your taxes on one of those computers this year? Maybe ordering some hardware on line with your credit card? Paying your bills or renewing your drivers license on-line? Scheduling service on your Saab? Pretty soon the script kiddie down the street has ordered replacements for your "lost" credit/ATM cards and car keys, copies of your ID cards and drivers license (there's a hot market in those for illegals trying to get jobs) and has gone on a high speed cross country vacation in your car with your credit cards and he's giving the cops who stop him your drivers license. Oh and BTW there's a illegal in Brighton who has the documentation to prove that he's you.

Trousers down, tackle out, bring out the cleaver!

Just recieved my Solidtek ACK-571 3 days ago. Same size as the smallest laptop keyboard i've ever used. I've hit a bunch of wrong keys, but i'm gonna attribute that to the learning curve. Other than that, I'm very pleased right now.

A Shirtload. BUT - remember that a wireless keyboard doesn't have any access to your network, whether wireless or wired. The only security risk with an RF kbd as far as I can see is if someone else came along with an identical wireless keyboard. Maybe if they sat across the street and got good line of sight with your screen through your window and had some sort of signal booster on their keyboard and used binoculars so they could see what they were typing on your screen...

This is the "I don't know how to do it so it must be impossible or at least hard" fallacy. Maybe I deal with too many MIT "Core 6" (EE and CS program) types here on the edge of Cambridge, and computer security folks over the course of my carreer. Not only do I have a pretty darn good idea of how to go about it (and it's not really very hard), but I know guys would think it was fun. Seriously, if you can capture a digital signal you can duplicate it, and if you can type a couple commands blind, then you can have a remote console on a network connected box inside of 5 minutes.