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Mouse Polling Rate Stability Test

This mouse polling rate stability test shows the full distribution of report intervals, not just one Hz number. Click to start the capture, then move the mouse quickly and continuously, the same view desktop MouseTester gives.

Interval capture

Five seconds of continuous movement

0 samples

Time left 5.0 s

Click to start a 5 second capture, then move the mouse fast

Interval histogram (0 to 10 ms)

Capture a sample for a stability verdict.

Distribution

Dominant interval
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Nominal rate
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Within ±15 %
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Jitter
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Live mouse

Read the histogram

  1. 1. Capture while moving fast

    Slow movement produces merged reports and a smeared histogram.

  2. 2. Look for one tall spike

    A stable 1000 Hz mouse shows a single bar at 1 ms. Side bars at 2 and 3 ms are dropped reports.

  3. 3. Compare USB ports

    Capture on a front port and a rear port; the tighter histogram is the better port.

Why a histogram beats a single number

Shows drops

A second bar at double the interval means every other report is being lost.

Shows jitter

Width of the main bar is timing noise in the USB or wireless link.

Tolerance share

Percentage of reports within 15 percent of nominal: your stability score.

Standard rates detected

The dominant interval is matched to 125 through 8000 Hz.

Stability terms

Report interval
Gap between consecutive mouse reports; 1 ms at 1000 Hz.
Histogram
A bar chart of how often each interval occurred.
Jitter
Standard deviation of the intervals, in milliseconds.
Dropped report
A report that never arrived, visible as a bar at twice the nominal interval.

Stability questions

My histogram has two spikes. What does that mean?

Reports alternating between two intervals, often a wireless mouse switching power modes or USB contention.

Is 90 percent within tolerance good?

Yes. Above 90 percent is excellent for wireless; wired should reach 95 or more.

Why are there samples above 10 ms?

Pauses in your movement. They are excluded from the chart.

Tighten the histogram

Wide main bar

USB timing noise. Avoid hubs and try a rear motherboard port.

Bar at double interval

Dropped reports. Charge the battery and move the receiver closer.

Random scatter

Background CPU load. Close other applications and retest.