The Amazon Basics Mouse is very cost-effective and provides very good performance for the price.
However it does have some issues. In this post we cover solutions to common problems. Follow our troubleshooting tips to get your mouse up and running again.
Contents
Quick Checks
As a first step, make sure that the ON-OFF switch under the mouse is turned to the On position. This is a very basic check but a worthwhile one. Many people turn their mouse Off to conserve battery life and then forget to turn it back on.
Reboot your laptop
Power down your laptop. Take the dongle out of the USB slot. Wait for a minute and then plug it back in. Then power your laptop back On. Did this resolve the issue? If not then let’s move to the next step.
Wireless Dongle
For the mouse to work, the wireless dongle has to be plugged into the USB port of your laptop or PC.
If this is the first time using the mouse, there’s a compartment under the mouse that holds a USB dongle. This dongle allows the mouse to communicate with the PC. The mouse will not work if the dongle is not inserted properly.
A few things to note about this wireless receiver
Compatibility
Although it is called a nano receiver, it is not compatible with Logitech receiver dongles or any other dongles from other mouse manufacturers. Amazon has its own proprietary protocols that it uses and they are incompatible with other wireless mice.
USB Port
Plug the dongle into a front-facing USB port of your laptop or PC. Do not plug it into a USB hub. As well, if you’re having issues with connectivity, plug it into a USB 2.0 port instead of a USB 3.0 port.
You can tell a USB 3 port by its blue color.
Wireless Interference
Your mouse might be disconnecting at random because there are other wireless devices in the vicinity that are operating at the same time. These devices will interfere with the smooth operation of the mouse.
Examples of such devices are Wi-Fi routers, Microwave Ovens and even your cell phone. Here is a more detailed post on how to solve interference issues.
The Amazon basics mouse has a very simple wireless connectivity system. It is not as sophisticated as the one designed into Logitech receivers. Logitech has a better pairing mechanism. The Amazon mouse will simply connect to the receiver it ‘sees’ first.
As a result, if you and your co-worker are both using Amazon Basics Mice or Keyboard products, your mouse could connect to your co-worker’s USB receiver and hence their laptop. Make sure there are no other Amazon Basics receivers or mice nearby! Or else you could experience a loss of connectivity.
Range
Make sure that the mouse is close to the USB receiver. If not then try getting a USB extender cable, or have a clearer line of sight between the dongle and the mouse. It’s better to insert the dongle into a front-facing USB port rather than one behind the PC, for instance.
Check the battery
This particular mouse uses one AAA battery. Some other Amazon mice use two AAA batteries. As a first step make sure the batteries are inserted in the proper direction as indicated by the positive (+) and negative (-) markings in the battery compartment.
If it does not light up, you know there’s an issue with the battery and in that case, try the following: with the batteries in the compartment, put your finger on the battery and ‘roll it’ a few times.
This is done to dislodge the corrosion that might build up and result in high impedance. You can also try taking the batteries out of the compartment for a bit and then putting them back in.
If the mouse still doesn’t work, it might be time to replace the battery.
Reconnect the Mouse
Although the mouse should connect automatically to the laptop via the dongle sometimes it’s necessary to reconnect.
The red light on top blinks when it’s unable to connect.
To reconnect press and hold the scroll wheel and right button.
If that doesn’t work,
- Unplug the dongle, reinsert it into the USB port
- Turn the mouse off and on
- Bring the mouse close to the dongle
- Press and hold the scroll wheel and right button
That should get the mouse up and running again
Summary
In this post we presented tips and tricks on how to get your Amazon Basics Mouse up and running again. The main issues have to do with
- Battery
- Connectivity
Fortunately the Amazon mouse does not have any sophisticated drivers or software that complicates things so it’s pretty easy to resolve any issues.