kvm usb switching is always broken, sometimes subtly, sometimes obvious
I use mechanical USB switches to individually switch USB lines like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I0Y3GEE
one for keyboard, one for mouse
Problems it avoids
- cable speed usb
- no extra latency
- using boot-up hold-key-down sequences on macos works fine
- keyboard doesn't get hung in weird states
- no hotkey conflicts
- no mouse gets in weird state on one system that persists to another
etc etc etc
I have a Dell 2208 monitor with 4 USB-2 ports. If I bought three of these switches, would I be able to share keyboard/mouse/monitor between two machines? My monitor does not have HDMI, just VGA.
I bought two 4x1 switches and stacked them on top of each other.
One was connected to my keyboard and (up to) 4 machines.
The other was connected to my mouse and (up to) 4 machines.
for each machine, I need 2 cables from 2 usb ports on the machine to the switches (one for keyboard, one for mouse)
there no multiplexing, there is no hub, there is just a dedicated cable for each device. It works well though it is a little clunky to throw the mechanical switches.
I don't use the usb ports on the monitor.