Hey, I’m looking for a good USB switch for a keyboard and mouse. I already own a L1T KVM and that works great, but sometimes I want to switch my keyboard & mouse without switching my displays as well. The setup would be the keyboard & mouse plugged into the USB switch, and the USB switch plugged into the L1T KVM and directly into one computer (which is also plugged into the L1T KVM). I only need to switch between two computers.
I tried a cheap USB switch, but it was flaky (keyboard sometimes didn’t work), had a significant delay when switching, and made Windows think the devices were disconnected when switching. I could keep trying my luck with cheap switches, but I suspect they’re all going to have similar problems.
I’m looking for something similar in quality and behaviour to the L1T KVM, but just to switch a couple HID USB devices, so it’d much simpler (and cheaper). I’ve had my eyes on https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JW6S2H4 but don’t like that shortcuts cannot be disabled and that ports are on the front (without support for plugging in a “remote” button). I’ve also seen a used StarTech SV231DPUA for cheap, and I think it can smoothly switch keyboard & mouse, but I am not sure.
Do you all have any recommendations? Currently, I’m leaning towards trying out the StarTech SV231DPUA.
Thanks, DDM seems to be the thing I need! The UR-12 is more expensive that I was hoping for, but I suppose that’s because it also does video (which I don’t need). Haven’t seen any USB-only switches with DDM.
StartTech SV231DVIUDDM is a bit cheaper but still pricy. Will keep an eye on the used market since it looks like they can go for much cheaper there.
I went with a USB 2.0 switch two years ago. Seems to work well. Got it for less than $10.
I can no longer find it on sale. The closest I can find is this model on aliexpress. They changed Type A socket to Type-C on the side connecting to the computers. Just a mechanical change. Electrically still USB 2.0.
Genuine question. Are there any real benefit from going to USB 3.0 or even USB 3.1? Any difference in terms of impact on efficiency in bandwith sharing on USB 3.0 controller on the host? Any difference in terms of quality of power handling by various chipsets or brands of the end product?
For the last question, I meant such a switch pulls power for its own use from two sources. I often worry some weird and funny quirks could happen if not handled properly.