Connectivity
Wired, wireless, or the best of both.
Connectivity affects desk tidiness, latency and which controller and firmware you can use. Wired (USB-C) is the simplest and has zero latency. Bluetooth is convenient and multi-device but adds a little latency. A 2.4GHz dongle gives near-wired latency for gaming. Tri-mode boards do all three. Crucially, going wireless steers your controller and firmware choices (toward nRF + ZMK).
Plug in and go. No batteries, no latency, no pairing — and you can use the popular QMK/VIA firmware. The simplest, most reliable option.
A clean desk and easy switching between laptop, tablet and phone. Slight latency (fine for typing), needs charging, and points you toward an nRF52840 controller running ZMK firmware.
A USB dongle giving near-wired latency — the gamer's wireless. Often combined with Bluetooth.
Wired + Bluetooth + 2.4GHz in one board. The most flexible and most common on modern premium wireless kits.
Every choice you'll see for this decision in the builder.
The simplest and most reliable choice, and it unlocks the hugely popular QMK/VIA firmware. No batteries to manage.
- Zero latency
- No charging ever
- Works with QMK/VIA
- A cable on the desk
- Tied to one device at a time
Switch between laptop, tablet and phone with a keypress. Points you toward an nRF52840 controller and ZMK firmware.
- No cable, tidy desk
- Multi-device switching
- Portable
- Needs charging
- Slight latency
- Steers controller/firmware choice
The gamer's wireless: a small USB receiver delivers latency close to wired, without a cable to the board.
- Near-wired latency
- No cable to the board
- Great for gaming
- Uses a USB port for the dongle
- Still needs charging
The most flexible option and common on modern premium wireless kits — wired when docked, Bluetooth for travel, 2.4GHz for gaming.
- Total flexibility
- Wired fallback always available
- Best of every mode
- Most expensive
- More to configure