I can’t find an actual answer anywhere.
I’m trying to declutter my desk and a KVM switch sounds like the right way to go. I have two monitors that I use for work/play, but I’m having trouble figuring out if the output from my work laptop dock would be okay to input into the KVM to then output to dual monitors.
Anyone got a clue or has any experience with this?
Yes. I run my PC and my work laptop dock (ThinkPad) using a KVM switch. The KVM supports dual Display ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. I believe I get a max of 4K at 120Hz for both.
I am doing this with my personal and work laptops. I have two dell docking stations and a KVM to switch between the two.
It will work, probably not well. There is a ton of factors to take into account.
1- When switching the KVM input, depending on the KVM, the screens just get disconnected, meaning that the screens get re-detected each time you switch. Sometime it works well,sometimes not. Your laptop may also enter sleep mode since it is closed without screens attached. You may have to open it and press the keyboard if the USB from the KVM and docks are not re-detected.
2- If you use Displayport MST to connect your screens you have to make sure both the dock and KVM will support it.
3- When switching the KVM USB also gets disconnected and reconnected, it can be problematic with your dock, also see end of point 1
I have both high quality (and too expensive) docks and KVM that I took time to research and it works ok most of the time but still glitches. The docks and multiple screens add complexity to the setup and fail points.
If you go this way you will want to take your time and make sure all the pieces work together, I would steer clear of cheap Amazon stuff also.
- KVM : iogear GCS1964
- Docks : 2 WD19S
- Screens: 3 Dell U2415 connected through HDMi
Yes, I used a hardware KVM with a laptop (Dell with a dock) and a desktop, it makes a lot of wires, but it works. You may need a high end KVM if you want to switch dual-monitor, 4K+ monitor, etc
But having both system at the same time is a must, so at one point I used RDP (windows->linux or linux->windows) from a screen.
But for ~3 years now I’m using a software “KM”, meaning my desktop is connected to a monitor, my laptop is connected to the second monitor, and I share the keyboard/mouse (hence KM) in software using InputLeap (formerly Barrier). It is seriously pretty good, when my mouse exit monitor #1, it enters monitor #2, and whatever you type is entered in the system where your mouse cursor is. It is fantastic, I cannot live without this now.
I’ve done this before with a laptop and KVM switch. It worked fine. YMMV depending on the dock and switch in question though. The only issue I ran into was needing separate cables for the mouse/keyboard and video from the switch to the dock.
This depends. I’ve found that the cheaper KVM solutions are pretty picky when it comes to supported hardware and standards. While the more expensive/industrial ones are more forgiving.
You will probably only see issues if you are using conversion cables, like from HDMI to DP.
I have seen issues with Tripp Lite not detecting video signal on a DP KVM if the device isn’t selected during boot, but the issue is resolved once you hit Windows.
There are software KVMs that should work if you can’t get a hardware solution to work. I can’t imagine any issues with a hardware KVM and your setup as long as the cables and ports are the proper ones for what you have going on. Most KVMs are plug and play.
