Have you heard of a Mouse Jiggler? Some companies penalise their staff if they aren’t working at their desks and if the mouse stops moving, applications like Skype assume you are away from the keyboard. There are other uses, in some situations a monitor is hooked on a server and you need to see diagnostic information, but the screen automatically goes blank after a short while, and then logs out from lack of use.
What is a Mouse Jiggler?
A mouse is a device that sends a stream of information to the computer whenever it is moved or a button is pressed.
When mice were first created, they used a dedicated connector on the computer, but with the introduction of USB, they could be plugged into any USB port as a HID (Human Interface Device)
Computers can work with multiple HID devices (multiple keyboards and mice) which for a home user isn’t that practical but for business, barcode scanners and security devices use HID.
The early mouse jigglers used a light source to fake the actual mouse movements on a surface, which works for computers on the older PS/2 interface (the round green connector at the back)
Modern mouse jigglers use USB and contain a microchip that pretends to be a mouse, sending micro-movements periodically.
These used to be expensive, but you can now pick them up for £9.99 from Amazon.
