Keyboard & mouse switchers - any experience?

[SoreTween]

I need a USB keyboard & mouse switcher to share same between 2 (or maybe 4) computers.  I don't need video switching, my monitor does that already¹.  I'm not interested in doing it over IP, the two key computers are on separate VLANs & I don't have the spoons right now to learn how to do the routing & open the firewall worm can.  There's options available for £little on big river co and elsewhere.  The main difference seems to be some require a separate power supply & others take power from the hosts.

Any recommendations?  I'll be switching between 'doze & linux if it makes any difference.  I specifically want to avoid annoyances like finding the Num Lock switched off or CAPS LOCK COMING ON.

¹ plus one that does USBC, DisplayPort & HDMI at 3840x1200 is likely to be eye watering

[pcolbeck]

I'm using this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZK36RBJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

to switch between my Linux PC and two work Windows 10 laptops. Switching keyboard, mouse (both use the same USB dongle plugged into the switcher) and USB headset. Works fine and its cheap.
Video switching is done by my monitor.

[rr]

I bought this one, the USB 3 version, if I remember correctly I bought this one because of future proofing and because the cables it comes with were long enough for my set up.
Switches keyboard, mouse, webcam and headset with no issues. Had it nearly 3 years.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292700382867?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=RrR8nY_gStS&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=8WfSFfJzTZK&var=591495504002&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

[Lightning Phil]

I was going to suggest going wireless Logitech unifying usb, but see they don’t say it works with Linux.  Shame as spare usb receivers to plug into spare ports on three computers would come to £33 and you’re sorted with no mess of wires.

[drossall]

I bought a rather more expensive PWay KVM switch because of Covid. I can use my own computer desk, monitor, keyboard and headset, and switch between my desktop and work's Dell laptop (linked to a Dell TB16 dock).

I did find that the dock was being too clever about HDMI signals and whether the monitor was there, and failing to detect it as a result. So, I used an HDMI-VGA adaptor that I had lying around to step back down to VGA input to the TB16, and put it in its place about who was boss. For office work, I don't see any difference in the two standards.

I've been using it since Covid struck. I changed jobs (and got the new laptop and dock) at the beginning of last year. Apart from the HDMI business, and a known tendency for Dell laptops to acquire BIOS settings that muck up the TB16 (neither of which has anything to do with the switch), it's been really good.

[SoreTween]

Cheers all, no horror stories so I've gone for one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B76WR88Q
4x4 ports, direct access buttons and external power not needed in my use case.

Thanks again 

[jiberjaber]

I use a Logitech K780 bluetooth keyboard (switches between 3 machines) and a mouse (only switches between 2 machines).

For my most distant machines which are linux I use WSL with a x-term forwarding SSH and VcXsrv

Simple example: https://seanthegeek.net/234/graphical-linux-applications-bash-ubuntu-windows/amp/

if you use a shared key you can remove the need to manually authenticate on the remote machines as well.

[Kim]

Barakta's got some cheap Amazon thing for her multitude of input devices.  The only issues are that it doesn't telepathically anticipate the right setting and that Grub crashes if you switch it while it's displaying the boot menu (her desktop machine is dual boot, so Grub is set with a long timeout before booting the default option).

[Kim]

For my most distant machines which are linux I use WSL with a x-term forwarding SSH and VcXsrv

While we're going off-topic in this direction (the OP specifically didn't want IP-based solutions), this is a good time to point out that Synergy is now called Barrier.