The Hardware Detective editorial team

Every guide, glossary entry and model page on Hardware Detective is written and reviewed by the Hardware Detective editorial team. We’re a small team at Idea Incubator, LLC, the company that builds and runs the site. We write under the team name rather than individual bylines so any guide can be corrected or updated by whoever is best placed to do it.

What we cover

We write about the problems people actually search for when a keyboard, mouse, monitor, controller, microphone, speaker or webcam misbehaves. Each guide starts from the symptom rather than the product and links to the free test that confirms or rules out a cause.

We don’t review or rank products for sale and no manufacturer pays for coverage.

How we research a guide

• We start from what the tools can actually measure. Instructions in a guide use the real behavior of our tests, such as the 50ms double click threshold in the mouse test or the drift bands in the controller test. We explain how those tests are checked separately.
• We say when a browser can’t see something. Mouse DPI, polling rate and a keyboard’s Fn key never reach a web page. When a guide touches on one of those it says so plainly.
• We cite sources for hardware specifics. Model pages list their sources at the bottom. Switch types, stick designs and repair policies come from manufacturer pages, repair guides and reporting we can link to.
• We don’t invent test results. Guides describe what a result means. They never claim we measured something on your hardware.
• We don’t assume the answer is new hardware. Settings, drivers, cables and cleaning come before replacement in every guide where they’re a realistic cause.

Keeping guides current

Each guide shows the date it was last updated. We revise a guide when a tool changes, when an operating system moves a setting or when a reader tells us something is wrong. Small fixes such as a new link don’t change the date. Changes to the advice do.

Corrections

If something on the site is wrong, out of date or unclear, tell us through the contact page. Include the page address and what you think should change. We read every report and correct confirmed mistakes promptly.

Independence

Hardware Detective is funded by advertising. Advertisers have no say over what we write. Hardware names and trademarks belong to their owners and the site isn’t affiliated with any manufacturer. You can read more about why the site exists on the about page.