JetKVM is much like nanoKVM but a slightly polised version.
What is JetKVM?
JetKVM is a high-performance, open-source KVM over IP (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) solution designed for efficient remote management of computers, servers, and workstations. Whether you’re dealing with boot failures, installing a new operating system, adjusting BIOS settings, or simply taking control of a machine from afar, JetKVM provides the tools to get it done effectively.
As far as I know, these Jets are not available for retail yet, but can be bought via their kickstarter.
Link to the source code: https://github.com/jetkvm/kvm
Link to their website: https://jetkvm.com/
Link to their kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jetkvm/
Picture of a JetKVM mounted in a homelab, credits to Jeff Gerling.
Yeah, a bit suspicious.
They sent out a lot of review samples to different serious tech youtubers like wendal at level1 and jeff geerling. They were all big fans.
Honestly I’ve always found the cost of KVM equipment to be super suspicious.
You need to be able to capture HDMI/VGA at very low resolution and refresh, become a USB HID host and provide this data via VNC. It’s not like we need an Elgato 8k stream coming off the hardware.
Last time I went IP KVM shopping for a small server room the prices started at around 10 grand.
There’s not much competition, so yeah prices are a bit artificially high. But how big of a server room are we talking? Because brand-name servers already have IPMI (idrac, ilo), and if you can get vPro on Intel boards then you have that built in too (but I’ve only met one or two people online who said they’ve deployed it, none IRL).
Not very big, otherwise 10k wouldn’t have been an issue :)
A few nodes were ordered without DRAC options, as well as a couple of pis and some desktop/laptop test/build machines. (I also would have liked to snag the output off a media server) I basically just wanted to get everything in one management console without paying 10k, I already had guac tying all the RDP/VNC together, but I really wanted pre-boot on everything and thought that sounded like a reasonable request. Was expecting 1k for a controller and a $100-$150 per box. Licensing was INSANE.
You can get HDMI cap now for $20 on adafruit. you’d think USB HID host would be either software or super cheap.
What do you mean by “suspicious”? What are your worries?
Price, too good, to be true.
Similar device the PiKVM, starting at 139.09 USD e.g. PiKVM v3.3 HAT.
Plus cost of Raspberry PI 4.
I’ve got two JetKVM units on the way.
TinyPilot and PiKVM are just way too expensive in Australia. Buying two would cost me about $1000 AUD, but two JetKVMs are only $260 AUD.
Ouch I’ll just stick with the Nanos for now. Not in Australia but country probably has similar costs.
Sipeed nanokvm is around 50$
Edit: you can use this https://github.com/jacobbar/fruity-pikvm to use orange banana pi instead
Around same price as nonokvm. Don’t know if I should replace mine with these.
Prices vary but there’s also BliKVM where the V3 version is essentially a clone of the PiKVM (and goes for around 90 USD) and they have their own Allwinner chipset version that I have seen even cheaper than that (although not currently). So not too out of the ordinary.
That’s not too surprising since it’s Pi based, and that stuff is really expensive. The PCBs in those 2 links also look to use a lot of through hole parts, and are not optimized for low cost mass production.
The JetKVM looks to use a cheaper SBC probably with a custom PCB actually designed to be cheap to produce, so it doesn’t have the Pi premium slapped on it.
Price to performance and (software) support.
According to the Kickstarter schedule, they’re shipping units right now.
The last time this was posted I brought up pricing and schedule as being suspicious.