PC Master Race 1 PC, 1 laptop, keyboard / mouse sharing help

[old.user4556]

Comrades,

I am adjusting my working-from-home arrangements so that I now work from my home office - I want to use my standard PC setup essentially 'docked' to my work laptop (thus, use my PC monitor, keyboard and mouse) so that I've got a single place to work in my proper ergonomic chair (I currently work in the dining room off the laptop screen, no good for back / eyes etc.).

The laptop has HDMI out so connects to the monitor via DVI - I can flick between the PC and laptop displays with the input control on my monitor (tested it, works fine). The keyboard and mouse switching is slightly different and needs a switch, so i've been looking at this which does up to the following config:



My only concern here is that my keyboard and mouse are connected to my PC for gaming purposes so they have their own USB port. This switch appears to "hub" the keyboard and mouse together into a single port, and thus will make my keyboard and mouse effectively share a port rather than discrete ports.

Question is: will this be an issue in performance or give me any foreseeable issues?

 

[Hawkwind]

As USB 2.0 bandwidth is 60MBps, typically around 48 MBps in practice I doubt there would be any issue. Presumably it just buffer stacks the inputs and outputs the stack (FIFO). Apart from adding a few mS it should be OK.

Only possible problem I can foresee is if you use Razer Synapse or Steelseries S/W type setups with custom setups and the PC based software may not recongnise the device inputs. Although hopefully it just switches the data through and does not mess with it too much.

 

[Raven]

Can't you just remote desktop?

 

[caLLous]

Either RDP, VNC or have the laptop and desktop monitor side by side and use something like Mouse Without Borders. But if you must use a hardware KVM you won't suffer by putting the keyboard and mouse through 1 port. Oh, that's not a KVM. Why not use a KVM? Then you'd switch monitor, keyboard and mouse between the 2 systems at the touch of a button (or a keyboard shortcut).

 

[old.user4556]

Can't you just remote desktop?

Nah, my work laptop is super locked down and nerfed beyond belief.

Either RDP, VNC or have the laptop and desktop monitor side by side and use something like Mouse Without Borders. But if you must use a hardware KVM you won't suffer by putting the keyboard and mouse through 1 port. Oh, that's not a KVM. Why not use a KVM? Then you'd switch monitor, keyboard and mouse between the 2 systems at the touch of a button (or a keyboard shortcut).

See above, can't install anything on my work's laptop - even if I could it's a disciplinary. I did think about a KVM switch, but my PC is connected via displayport and the laptop via HDMI and I couldn't find a reasonably priced way of doing it. Seemed much more cost effective to just click the input button on the monitor and do it that way.

If you know of a reasonably priced KVM that takes in 1) a displayport connection 2) an HDMI connection 3) outputs a single displayport then let me know.

 

[caLLous]

If you can't install anything then what you're suggesting is the only way. Having said that, I guarantee you'll switch either the monitor or the kb/mouse and not the other and swear more than once.

I have a DisplayPort-only KVM (also made by Aten) but you'd have to twiddle around with DP > HDMI adapters and it wasn't "reasonably priced" (€ 180 iirc).

 

[old.user4556]

If you can't install anything then what you're suggesting is the only way. Having said that, I guarantee you'll switch either the monitor or the kb/mouse and not the other and swear more than once.

I have a DisplayPort-only KVM (also made by Aten) but you'd have to twiddle around with DP > HDMI adapters and it wasn't "reasonably priced" (€ 180 iirc).

Yes I had a quick look at 'HDMI out -> Displayport in' adapters and they're expensive, presumably because they're some sort of voltage faffing? Going the other way from 'Displayport out to HDMI in' is a £5 part.

Edit: worth noting that I don't envisage doing a lot of switching, it just means that the days I work from home I can simply dock my laptop by plugging in a) an HDMI flylead and b) the USB from the switching unit then flick the switch to use the docked laptop. I want minimal cabling and faffing more than anything.