Mouse Jiggler
A comparison of a Mouse Jiggler vs Keyboard Jiggler
History
1946
In 1946 a British Electrical Engineer in the Royal Navy invented one of the predecessors to what we now think of as the computer mouse. [Controls motion of a pointer on a computer screen.]
1970s
It took a further 30 years until Personal Computer's were introduced to some people's homes.
Along with the computer came a keyboard and the mechanical mouse (later to become an optical mouse) which helped us control the various apps on the screen.
1983
Finding solutions to automatically keep the computer awake focused initially on solving the problem of burned-in characters on the display screen. The original monitors were'nt LCD screens so they left a ghost mark if the image on the screen remained static for too long. This is where we see the introduction of the Screen Saver by IBM & Apple in 1983. It was the Apple Lisa that first allowed users to change the activating time for the screen saver.
...in the year 2000
The earliest reference to a mouse jiggler we could find was in 2010 although we expect to find that such solutions may have been created decades erlier. The solution offered software that simulated activity for the purpose of keeping a users computer awake while they watched a movie or downloaded software.
Not until the launch of Skype in 2005 would there be signs of a privacy problem that could be solved by using a mouse jiggler.
Mouse Jiggler : Present Day
Today there are 4 main offerings in the "mouse jiggler" market place:
1. Software
2. Mouse USB
3. Mechanical Mouse Mover
4. Keyboard Clip
Why use a Mouse Jiggler?
Each of the 4 types of mouse jiggler's aim to deliver the same result, which is to simulate activity on the computer in order to prevent the computer from shutting down, prevent the screen saver turning on or allow a worker to control the activity status on collaborative work platforms like Slack or Teams.
What is a Keyboard Jiggler?
Ever since the screen saver came out in 1983 users have been tapping keys on a keyboard to wake up their computer and keep it active.
A Keyboard Jiggler is the term coined by Anthony Sorrell to describe a keyboard clip designed to use the repeating key feature of many modern operating systems. The device itself does not use motion or any electronics which makes it stand out from the other 3 mouse jiggler solutions available on the market.
Caps N Lock® is the first commercial keyboard jiggler ever developed. Launched in 2022 on Amazon the product has been purchased by user's in the USA, UK and Europe.
For years before the 2019 Covid pandemic workers using Skype were asking colleagues and housemates to tap a key on their work keyboard while they popped out for an early lunch, or bought some more coffee from the shop down road.
Slack users have been asking for solutions to the automated status problem many years prior to the launch of Teams however with the rapid uptake of Microsoft Teams to companies large and small and the emergence of lock down forcing employees to work from home, there has been great demand for low cost, universally accessible solutions that solve this problem. Enter the Keyboard Jiggler.
