Switching between devices

C

Chess

Member
Hope this is the right topic for here.

I'm in the process of buying a PC and would like an easy way to switch between that and my laptop (without unplugging and replugging everything). The challenge I'm having when looking at kvm switches is that they don't have enough usb ports for the number of things I use. Any suggestions?

Devices would be usb: mouse, keyboard, speakers, microphone and camera. Three are currently built into my laptop so it hasn't been a problem until now. I'll be purchasing standalone camera, speakers and microphone.

PC will be under the desk and Laptop on top if that makes a difference on solutions.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Chess said:
Hope this is the right topic for here.

I'm in the process of buying a PC and would like an easy way to switch between that and my laptop (without unplugging and replugging everything). The challenge I'm having when looking at kvm switches is that they don't have enough usb ports for the number of things I use. Any suggestions?

Devices would be usb: mouse, keyboard, speakers, microphone and camera. Three are currently built into my laptop so it hasn't been a problem until now. I'll be purchasing standalone camera, speakers and microphone.

PC will be under the desk and Laptop on top if that makes a difference on solutions.
Click to expand...
A KVM is purely keyboard, monitor and mouse swapability.

If you want port reproduction, then you need a hub and if you want all of it then a dock.

Between each one, you scale up hugely in price up to several hundred for a thunderbolt dock.

What connection are you making from the laptop? USB C or Thunderbolt?
What's your max budget?
 
Last edited:
C

Chess

Member
SpyderTracks said:
A KVM is purely keyboard, monitor and mouse swapability.

If you want port reproduction, then you need a hub and if you want all of it then a dock.

Between each one, you scale up hugely in price up to several hundred for a thunderbolt dock.

What connection are you making from the laptop? USB C or Thunderbolt?
What's your max budget?
Click to expand...
The accessories are usb commenting except for the monitor which is hdmi. Budget I'm not sure of, I think it would depend on how seamless the transition is I.e. I'd want to spend less than £100 if the solution still means crawling under the desk and (un)plugging things each time I switched computer.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Chess said:
The accessories are usb commenting except for the monitor which is hdmi. Budget I'm not sure of, I think it would depend on how seamless the transition is I.e. I'd want to spend less than £100 if the solution still means crawling under the desk and (un)plugging things each time I switched computer.
Click to expand...
what connection to the laptop are you doing? Bear in mind USB C / Thunderbolt and USB are all very different things. I wouldn’t bother with anything less than USB C these days, but most of those will be over £100

For some kind of ballpark for you, the common docks used are dell, belkin, ugreen

For best seamlessness and anything over a 1080p monitor, thunderbolt or USB 4 (if your laptop supports it

Below £100 you’re more limited.

But all depends on what connectors you have available and your monitor resolution?
 
C

Chess

Member
SpyderTracks said:
what connection to the laptop are you doing? Bear in mind USB C / Thunderbolt and USB are all very different things. I wouldn’t bother with anything less than USB C these days, but most of those will be over £100

For some kind of ballpark for you, the common docks used are dell, belkin, ugreen

For best seamlessness and anything over a 1080p monitor, thunderbolt or USB 4 (if your laptop supports it

Below £100 you’re more limited.

But all depends on what connectors you have available and your monitor resolution?
Click to expand...
I'd do thunderbolt (2x thunderbolt, 2x USB 3.2). Monitor will be upgraded at some point but is currently 1080p.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Chess said:
I'd do thunderbolt (2x thunderbolt, 2x USB 3.2). Monitor will be upgraded at some point but is currently 1080p.
Click to expand...
Do you know which thunderbolt version as they’re all quite different? Do you know if your PC will have thunderbolt as well?
 
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