WTB Cheap USB switch or KVM to use same keyboard/mouse on two PCs

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fullysharpened said:
Have you considered a software solution like Barrier instead? It's free.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I was aware about Synergy but didn't know the open source reimplementation Barrier existed.

If I take upon the idea of this I have 2 concerns:
1) Latency issue if any. Since it'll be connected over local network (I think) it shouldn't be much of an issue.
2) What if I want to turn off either machine and if that machine has the hardware connected I would have to reconnect it to the other running machine which is not what I want.

This is why I was preferring a physical switch device.
 
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enthusiast29 said:
Thanks, I was aware about Synergy but didn't know the open source reimplementation Barrier existed.

If I take upon the idea of this I have 2 concerns:
1) Latency issue if any. Since it'll be connected over local network (I think) it shouldn't be much of an issue.
2) What if I want to turn off either machine and if that machine has the hardware connected I would have to reconnect it to the other running machine which is not what I want.

This is why I was preferring a physical switch device.
Click to expand...
I used MouseWithoutBorders, Synergy and Input Director for years and none have performed consistently well over wireless. When they work, they're acceptable, but sometimes the software goes into sleep and it takes a while for the slave PC to respond. Sometimes the software crashes (especially ID) and Master / slave gets mixed up. But I kept at it. There are no issues with your second concern btw- its automated and the software hands over admin rights to the next PC (depending over how've you have set it up). The nice thing about any of those is the copy paste functionality.

No multi-device mouse-keyboard combo (like Logitechs) are also perfect- they run bluetooth and the performance is very device dependent.

Cheaper KVM switches like the ones you linked to are very prone to dying quickly for some weird reason. I've owned a few of the cheaper types, and none of them lasted over a year.
Just a mouse, keyboard and graphic tablet was connected. Your mileage may vary and you might get lucky. Sometimes one port gets disconnected. Sometimes all the peripherals need to be re-plugged. Sometimes the button needs to be tapped twice. Sometimes it freezes up.

I'd advise going for a more expensive and well built switch like this one (Ugreen switch). I've been using this since a couple months and its great- the switch is about 2-3 seconds, all ports get enabled simultaneously. The cables provided are of good quality and the button also isn't delicate. If you switch between PCs a lot, you can also look at a model that comes with a remote but the good ones get pretty expensive.
 
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