Logitech K400 Plus

amazon Logitech K400 Plus reviews

The Logitech K400 Plus is an inexpensive wireless keyboard that’s a good choice for anyone looking for a great value wireless keyboard for media use in the living room.

Computers are now becoming part of our living rooms, and it’s the best time for wire cutters or die-hard PC gamers to enjoy content on the big screen. Home entertainment software has been excellent, with many TVs now supporting games and seamless control via remote or gamepad.

Even so, the keyboard hasn’t evolved much yet. It’s still bulky and big, some even tag along the wired clutter, and some wireless keyboards aren’t very useful either.

Now, the Logitech K400 Plus seems to be what we’ve always wanted in a wireless keyboard for home use. Small, responsive wireless keyboard with built-in trackpad and dedicated multimedia keys. This is one of those keyboards that is large enough for casual productivity use, yet small enough to be used on a sofa or sitting in a room.

It’s the perfect choice if you’ve always wanted a wireless keyboard that lets you play music through your living room PC or large connected monitor, as many of its function buttons are programmed precisely for that. Plus, you don’t need to have a mouse on your side, the built-in trackpad is enough for that.

Design Reviews

The K400 Plus is thin and light, measuring 0.9 x 14 x 5.5 inches (HWD) and weighing 0.6 pounds. The keyboard earned its all-in-one moniker by replacing the 10-key numeric keypad (found in full-size keyboards) with a large trackpad.

The result is a wireless keyboard that has a fully clickable keyboard, thus eliminating the need for a wireless mouse. As someone who both stuffs a lot of wireless mice on the couch and tries to create a flat surface for accurate pointing, I think this is the most noticeable improvement.

The chiclet-style keys are located close together, with no separating frames, as you’ll find on a typical chiclet-style keyboard. The keyboard looks a bit cramped, though not as severely. The number keys are right behind the function keys, and they’re a bit closer to the letter keys than you’ll find on most wireless keyboards.

Also, the keys aren’t backlit, which isn’t surprising for the price you’re paying. The Logitech TK830 keyboard is the best wireless keyboard I’ve tested, with soft, well-spaced keys and a full-size trackpad.

On the right side of the keyboard is the trackpad, which measures about 3 x 1.8 inches (WD), which is quite a bit smaller than the trackpads you find on most laptops. It’s big enough to be useful, however, sometimes it accidentally picks up a one-time gesture. Above it are the volume buttons (Mute/Down/Up) and below it, separated by a yellow line, are the left and right buttons.

Wireless Connectivity and Integration

This keyboard uses a wireless receiver that plugs into the TV/PC’s USB port and facilitates direct connection to the K400 Plus and other compatible devices. When not in use, the dongle can be placed in the keyboard’s battery compartment, and the keyboard comes with two pre-installed AA batteries.

The battery compartment can be used as a lift, allowing you to tilt the keyboard slightly forward when using it on a flat surface. It has a power on/off button, which is now the standard button in wireless keyboards. There’s also a wireless extender that you can use while away, but I didn’t find it much use, the standard dongle range is 33 feet, which is plenty.

The K400 Plus uses Logitech’s Unifying wireless technology, uses the 2.4GHz band, and can support up to six compatible Logitech devices including mice, keyboards, and trackpads. This keyboard is compatible with most versions of Windows back to Windows XP, although it is optimized for Windows 10 gestures.

Feature

Setting up the Logitech K400 Plus is very simple. It’s a matter of plugging the dongle into an available USB port and voila! It will automatically install the necessary software and you are ready to go. I tested the keyboard on laptops running Windows 7 and Windows 10, and the response was very accurate.

At the top left of the keyboard is a button with a mouse icon that acts as a left mouse button, however, you will mostly use the much larger left mouse button on the trackpad. Many of the function keys in the upper row (F1 to F12) are programmed for media-related actions, which means you can play, pause, forward, or skip media from the keyboard.

If necessary, you can reprogram the function keys using the free SetPoint software provided for all versions of Windows. The trackpad supports gestures, just like any laptop trackpad including Left Click, Right Click, Move Cursor, Zoom, Scroll, and Show Charms Bar. The typing feeling is solid, and the keys are a bit cramped, but the experience is quite smooth.

Conclusion

The Logitech K400 Plus is an inexpensive wireless keyboard that’s a good choice for anyone looking for a great value wireless keyboard for media use in the living room. It has a built-in trackpad, something you don’t get in most cheap wireless keyboards, as most come in the form of a wireless combo (mouse + keyboard + dongle). Its keys are spaced closer together than those of the TK830 Wireless All-in-One, and the K400 Plus touchpad is much smaller.

where can you get a Logitech K400 Plus online

Logitech K400 Plus Wireless Touch Keyboard: Buy it now

Logitech K400 Plus Keyboard, France Wireless Touch, Black, 920-007129 (Wireless Touch, Black): Buy it now