Hello fellow lemmings!
I am in need of some advice on how to expand/coordinate my workstation.
I currently have 2 monitors and 2 laptops with 1 docking station that I switch back and forth between (I do have a second Bluetooth mouse that I connect to the laptop that is not currently connected to the docking station, if I need to).
I would like to have 4 monitors by the upcoming tax season. Also, I would like the option to expand to a total of 3 laptops within a couple years.
I have looked into KVM switches and the only one that I can find for 4 monitors and 2 computers is upwards of $800. Is there a KVM switch out there for 4 monitors and 3 computers, or is this just a pipedream?
What other solutions should I consider? When I expand to 3 computers in the upcoming years, would having 2 workstations be cheaper/more efficient?
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I gave up on KVMs.
Each of my screens has more than one input, my mouse & keeb can each pair with 3 PCs and there’s a button on to toggle between.
Sure, it’s a few more button presses, but it doesn’t cost me a dime for functionality that’s baked in already.
One large monitor, one dock. Use windowing instead of separate monitors.
You’ll avoid the headache of multi-monitor kvm and docks.
More than just 1 display and KVMs start getting expensive fast. Especially at higher resolutions.
Honestly a good multi display dock will do wonders. You could even try an eGPU if you want a LOT of displays off of one USB C port. But most high end docks will do 3 displays. My Thinkpad thunderbolt 4 dock will do 4 displays off of a single connection.
Wendell designs and sells all kinds of KVMs. Pricy, but up to 4x4 does exist. https://www.store.level1techs.com/products/hardware
Try Synergy!
This software allows you to use one keyboard and one mouse across multiple Windows, Mac and Linux systems with ease. I am in IT and use it between three desktops and laptops with different operating systems.
I bought Synergy when it was a kickstarter and I believe you can download and try it for free before you buy.
Worth a try, sincerely.
edit: Reddit has a few reviews on it just in case you want to ensure it’s a real thing and it’s not malware from an Internet stranger:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/11vu5k7/does_anyone_here_have_experience_with_symless/
Also consider a free open source equivalent. I use it on my Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
Be aware, barrier is dead.
Input leap is the successor, though they still haven’t made a full release and recommend the last barrier version. Which is 3 years old.
For what it’s worth even though it’s old, for me it still works well. Are you using something else I should switch to?
I wish I had a solid answer for that, I actually made a post about this recently.
Deskflow (synergy upstream) seems to be working well at the moment. Bear in mind they just moved all the repos, but Synergy v2 had a bunch of issues, it was dropped for v3, which is just deskflow packaged up all pretty. Input leap is from the people who were maintaining barrier and forked it a few years ago. Lan-mouse is its own thing, and it works, though its a bit clunky to use.
Right now I’m doing some testing to figure out what I want to use, my concern around barrier is that no updates makes for a security risk, and (for me) it also won’t work with Wayland.
With Synergy going back to the open base, I don’t really mind throwing them some cash, but its not available yet with Wayland support as a packaged project, so I built it and will be testing more for all of them once I move some things around on my desk to restructure - the whole reason I was looking for something in the first place actually. That won’t happen until a free weekend though, so hopefully this weekend, but maybe the following.
