6
votes
3840x2160 120 Hz KVM
Can someone recommend a KVM that works? I've been looking for a couple of years now.
Requirements:
- 2-port, 1-monitor, DisplayPort 1.4 KVM
- Has a wired push button switch (and cable can be extended if needed)
- Runs at 3840x2160 @ 120 Hz (or 60 Hz)
- Works with HP docking station (HP USB-C Dock G5 for business)
- Works with Classic 101 Black Buckling Spring USB keyboard
- Works with Logitech TrackMan Marble Trackball
- Works with HP laptop and custom desktop build (NVIDIA T1000 GPU)
Anti-requirements:
- Does not intercept keystrokes (or can be disabled)
- Does not intercept mouse scrolling (or can be disabled)
- Does not randomly repeat keys
- Does not block certain keystrokes (e.g., ctrl+shift+t)
- Does not let Windows laptop go to sleep
- Does not require manually re-waking Windows laptop by pushing power button
- Does not require switching back-and-forth to re-establish connectivity to both computers
- Does not take more than 3 seconds to switch between computers
- Does not randomly blank the screen for 1 second
- Does not require unplugging and re-plugging the USB keyboard
Here's the setup showing both computers and the push button switch:
I have tried:
- IOGEAR GCS62DP (almost perfect; kills keyboard after 60 swaps; RMA'd)
- DiamondTiger KVM Switch EDID 8K@60Hz, 4K@144Hz, DP 1.4 (repeats keys, blanks screen, has screen tearing, and many other issues)
- CanadaComputers iCAN HDMI USB KVM Switch 2x1 with Switch Extension 4K 60Hz (completely blocks certain keystrokes)
Wendell's Level1Techs Store offers a highly recommended KVM, yet lacks a wired toggle button.
What other KVM switches are available that "just work" and have a wired push button for switching?
The next KVM I'm thinking about trying:
ATEN also has a switch, which is on par with the IOGEAR (4K @ 60 Hz, no EDID):
Level 1 techs kvm's are some of the best on the market. I've looked closely at them but haven't pulled the trigger. I think you'll struggle to find anything that meets all your requirements. Largepanda might have the right idea.
Or email level1 techs on their store and see if a remote mode is possible?
Yes, I've done this twice now.
Wendell replied today:
https://i.ibb.co/Ph5rb1z/level1-kvm.jpg
I wouldn't even know where to begin to create that. I couldn't find anything on the forums.
If a macro keyboard works you could use a single key keyboard like this one.
That's brilliant, thank you!
Ooh, add that to the celebrity email collection!
Will do. I'll save it alongside my emails from Barack Obama, Alan Kay, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Andy Weir, Wil Wheaton, Brian Kernighan, and Dennis Ritchie.
Awesome!
So far I've got:
kahan and steele never returned my emails, alas, but knuth sent me a cheque for my troubles, so i can't complain
Yeah to be fair Ragusea never responded. But his video 2 weeks later featured the product I told him to check out. So I count it!
What bug did you find?
a horrifying typo in the section on sorting algorithms
Though it'd be a bit of work, you could likely add your own external toggle button to the Level1Techs KVM pretty easily: just open it up and wire a button to the physical button on the front of the case.
I'd probably do it by drilling a small hole in the back of the chassis and wiring the button to a mono 3.5" jack, then wiring the button on the other end to bridge those pins.
I prefer not to modify manufacturer hardware, in case I have to RMA it. Besides, I don't have the equipment on hand to make the modifications, and buying the equipment feels like something better spent on a KVM that meets my requirements without modification. ;-)
I know you’ve said you want a remote button, you don’t want a KVM to intercept keyboard commands, and you’ve already looked at the Level1Tech DP 1.4 KVM. However the Level1Tech KVM does intercept a few key commands and one of those is to switch inputs without touching the KVM itself which I have found much more useful than the remote on the USB switch I was using before this KVM.
Would that be enough ‘remote’ switching functionality for your use case or is the fact that it’s going through the keyboard a fundamental problem? If that is the case I definitely second the recommendation that you consider adding a remote yourself to one of their KVMs or emailing Wendell to see if they’d be willing to work with you as I imagine there might be others that might be interested in that functionality.
I use the scroll lock key in the text editor I've written. In the bottom-right corner of one of the tutorials, you can see a lock icon. Pressing scroll lock locks the scrollbar. Intercepting keystrokes, especially with a hard-coded hot key, tends to interfere with my workflow.
I went through the same fight 15 years ago with a bunch of KVMs, some PS2, some USB. I came to the conclusion that none of them are perfect. I used some higher end Raritan business ones that were pretty good, but still not perfect. In the end I decided to use a monitor with multiple inputs and a mechanical USB switch from Amazon. I have push the USB button and then change inputs on the monitor, but it works flawlessly even if a little cumbersome.
I went through a similar thing, with multiple iterations of usb/thunderbolt docks and KVMs, but I was never happy with my setup. I also felt like no solution was perfect, until I realized that it's my requirements that were not perfect. Once I flipped my thinking around, I went out and found things that work well, then built my workflow around that. Now I spend way less time tinkering, and I don't really think about how happy I am with my setup because it just works.
I can't speak to the HP docking station specifically, but I do have a separate USB hub that runs through this KVM, which is a similar use case. Also, it has a wireless remote instead of a hard-wired switch, which I personally find more convenient - I have it double-sided taped under my desk.
I use this to swap my keyboard, mouse, mic, webcam, dac, and 1440p 144hz monitor between my desktop and work laptop. I've had it for over a year and trigger the swap ~4x/day and have never had issues with it. Perhaps it'll work for you.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098TVP9ZL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Nice! Thank you. Without a wired push button switch, it won't work for me. Hopefully it'll help others who may have differing requirements.