Video conferencing is an integral part of work and school in 2024 and can sometimes become very cumbersome. People forget that they are muted, cannot find the button to mute or unmute their audio or video files, and have difficulty sharing their screen. Last year, Dell came up with the idea of improving the video calling and virtual meeting experience with a great keyboard with macros designed specifically for this purpose. But this peripheral, the Dell Premier Collaboration Keyboard, costs $130.
Now Dell has a collaboration keyboard for the masses. It's the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard, which combines the look and feel of the KM555 I recently tested with the video calling hotkeys of the Premier Collaboration Keyboard. It's not perfect, but if you use Microsoft Teams or Zoom a lot, it'll be hard not to like this $35 wired board.
About this review: For this test, Dell provided a wired collaboration keyboard. The company had no influence on this article and did not see its contents before publication.
Cheap collaboration keyboard
Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard
Ideal for people who need macros for video calls
Dell's Wired Collaboration Keyboard includes four macros that give you hotkeys during your video calls. It's similar to the premium Premier Collaboration Keyboard, but unlike that model, the wired variant costs a fraction of the price. Aside from the collaboration features, this keyboard feels like most Dell workstation keyboards, for better or worse. It's familiar and reliable, but the key switches leave a lot to be desired.
- The collaboration buttons work well and are useful in Teams and Zoom
- Quiet buttons ensure particularly quiet operation
- The price is definitely right for this affordable keyboard
- Pressing the buttons requires some force
- Backlighting is only available for the four collaboration buttons
- Collaboration features only work with Windows 10 and 11 and Teams/Zoom
Prices, specifications and availability
Dell's Wired Collaboration Keyboard was recently launched and is available for $35 on the company's website. The connection is via an integrated USB-C cable, but a USB-A adapter is connected and included in the delivery. The keyboard is made of plastic and is available in black. It supports a variety of operating systems, including versions of Windows, macOS and Linux, but only Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can use the collaboration buttons.
What I like
Highlights include quiet keys, useful macros and an excellent price
While the Dell Premier Collaboration Keyboard feels like a premium input device that rivals the Logitech MX series, this wired variant resembles your average Dell office keyboard. There's nothing innovative about the design – it's just a simple black plastic office keyboard that you'd expect to find in a box with a pre-built system or a workstation system. That's not always a bad thing, as the Wired Collaboration Keyboard feels familiar and reliable.
Of course, this keyboard seems typical until you take a look at the four keys above the number pad. These are standard multi-color backlit hotkeys that allow you to quickly make changes during video calls. They remain disabled until you start a Microsoft Teams or Zoom call using the Windows 10 or 11 apps and then turn white. Then the buttons are red when the camera or microphone is muted.
Anyone who spends a lot of time on video calls or meetings will find these types of hotkeys to be invaluable. The ability to mute or unmute your camera feed, mute or unmute your microphone, share your screen, or open chat during a video call with the touch of a button is extremely useful. More importantly, you can tell at a glance if your microphone is hot.
Anyone who spends a lot of time on video calls or meetings will find these types of hotkeys to be invaluable.
These features appear to be plug-and-play, but that depends on your exact hardware and use case. For example, collaboration keys require the Dell Peripheral Manager app, which only works on Windows 10 and 11. Additionally, you will need the Microsoft Teams app (for work or school) or Zoom. If your work, school, or organization restricts third-party APIs, collaboration keys may not work at all. I didn't need any setup at all to use the hotkeys with Zoom, but it took about 20 minutes of troubleshooting to get it working in Teams.
It's hard for me to say exactly whether the hotkeys will work with your workflow without knowing for sure and, moreover, without knowing your organization's management practices. This is the biggest problem with the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard. Overall, the keyboard and companion app are solid, allowing you to change up to 15 programmable keys to increase productivity.
Which I don't like
Backlit keys would have been nice and the switches could be more satisfying
If you look at the Wired Collaboration Keyboard as a regular keyboard, there are certainly a few flaws. It's like a wider (and wired) version of the Dell KM555 keyboard I recently tested. There are pros and cons to this – if you're coming from another Dell office keyboard, it should be easy to customize; If this is not the case, the ride feel and travel may not be at the same level.
The wired Dell Collaboration keyboard (top) next to the Dell KM555 (bottom).
The biggest problem is that the Wired Collaboration Keyboard uses membrane switches with a lot of travel and resistance. It doesn't feel as good as a great mechanical keyboard, or even as good as the best low-profile scissor-switch keyboards. I have found that the keyboard causes a bit of fatigue and pain due to the high resistance. It wasn't unusable, but it wasn't great either.
The biggest problem is that the Wired Collaboration Keyboard uses membrane switches with a lot of travel and resistance.
The silver lining here is that all of these unflattering features contribute to making it one of the quietest keyboards I've ever used (along with the KM555). This will be appreciated by those who do not want to disturb the people around them in large offices and work areas. By the way, I find it strange that only the four collaboration buttons are illuminated. I would have liked full-surface backlighting here, even if that would have increased the price slightly.
Should you buy the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard?
You should buy the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard if:
- You frequently use Microsoft Teams or Zoom and would benefit from dedicated hotkeys
- You want to map your function keys and more hotkeys of your choice
- You need a reliable office keyboard on a budget
You should NOT purchase the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard if:
- You're using macOS or Linux, or a video conferencing app or site that isn't Teams or Zoom
- You need a keyboard with features like wireless operation and backlighting
- They don't like membrane keyboards and would hate keys with a lot of resistance
From a hardware perspective, the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard isn't the most exciting keyboard on the market. It uses a USB-C cable for wired-only operation, has membrane switches with a bit too much resistance, and lacks key features like backlighting. Still, it's a solid option for work as the keys are nearly silent despite offering good travel.
The collaboration buttons aren't a gimmick – they're actually useful when you use Teams (work or school) or Zoom on Windows. At $35, it's hard to get too worked up about the Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard's minor flaws.
Cheap collaboration keyboard
Dell Wired Collaboration Keyboard
Ideal for people who need macros for video calls
If you need a simple office keyboard and frequently use Microsoft Teams or Zoom, Dell's wired collaboration keyboard could make your life easier at a very affordable price.