Can anybody post any documentation on how Mac OS X and Apple's Bluetooth keyboard pair up with each other?

I have seen the articles Apple keyboard pairing over Bluetooth and Which wireless keyboard is most secure? but they do not contain any specific details on this, except other users saying "I think" or "It is like this, because I say so".

Should I buy a keyboard with a cable, or are the nifty Bluetooth keyboards secure "enough" these days?

Again, please include sources when you post.

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Well, a keyboard with a cable would be safe against almost ALL electromagnetic radiation detecting, although if your neighbors have very sensitive TEMPEST equipment, they're likely reading your private stuff from the emanations of your monitor anyways. Bluetooth is as secure as Bluetooth is. To reduce the ability of anyone to listen to your equipment (be it, cell phone, computer, TV, Bluetooth or wireless), I'd seriously recommend you line your house with fine mesh chicken wire, possibly covering that over with aluminum foil. see Faraday Cage – telornix Oct 3 '11 at 6:40
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The simple answer is "it's secure enough." The Apple Wireless Keyboard uses bluetooth, which since 2007 has been quite secure.

The pairing process protects you in a number of ways, as outlined on wikipedia. While wireless connections are always subject to sniffing, bluetooth uses public-key cryptography to securely exchange the keys used to encrypt everything else between the keyboard and your computer. Also, your computer will make you enter a code on the keyboard during pairing—this is done to protect against a man-in-the-middle attack.

The Wikipedia article on Bluetooth has an almost obscene amount of relevant information.

Basically: get the wired keyboard if you want a numpad. Get the wireless one otherwise. Only your computer will be able to see your keystrokes.

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