Which KVM Should I Buy?

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Hello! I am looking into buying a LevelOneTechs KVM, but I am a bit confused with exactly how they work. I have the following setup:

  • 2 PCs
  • 3 monitors
  • headphones
  • 2x hid (mouse, keyboard)
  • 2x usb devices: webcam (logitech - usb-a), audio interface (focusrite - usb-a)

I am planning on buying the LevelOneTechs 2x4 KVM (“1.4 Display Port KVM Switch - Quad Monitor - Two Computer”), but I have a few questions about how this would work. From looking at the port descriptions, I understand how the monitor and headphone input/outputs would work. I’m not understanding, however, how the USB device connections work - where would I plug each of my 4 USB devices into this KVM, and how would the signal be routed to each of the PCs? Thanks in advance!

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HID ports on KVM’s act as a listener for specific cmd’s so generally you plug your keyboard/mouse into the KVM HID ports directly.

The other USB ports are on USB switch, and will connect to the PC when you switch from PC to PC.

so any device you plug into these should auto detect when you switch to a PC.

If you plug a USB drive into it, it will mount and disconnect each time you KVM to another PC.

For multiple devices you can just use a USB hub, and it will behave the same way.

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Keyboard, Mouse, Headphones.

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Switched USB (3.x)

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Also Switched USB (3.x)

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Thank you for the quick reply! I guess I am unclear on how the signal is actually sent to the PCs. For example, suppose I plug a keyboard and mouse into the HID ports shown in your photo. Would the actual USB input to the PCs be included in the DisplayPort connections? Similarly for the USB 3.0 devices - I understand where I’m supposed to plug the device into the KVM, but how does that signal then travel to each of the PCs?

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image589×578 43 KB

The USB C ports at the bottom and the Audio plugs go to the PC along with the monitor connections.

Each gets its own cable, but yes all the USB would be combined into that 1 cable going from the KVM to the PC. The HID part only applies to the KVM itself since it needs to know when your giving it a hotkey.

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Ah amazing, thank you! So my plan will be to plug the keyboard and mouse into the HID ports and the audio interface and webcam into the USB 3.0 ports, and then have a single USB-C connection to each of the PCs, and all of these 4 USB devices will be muxed onto the single USB-C connection to whichever PC is currently active with the KVM. Does that sound right? Thanks so much for all the help!

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Yep you got it, plug into the KVM like you would a single PC, and it does the lifting connecting back.

So DP cables, 1 USB, and 1 Analog Audio if required to each PC from the KVM.

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Note that if you have some funky keyboard with macros and stuff, KVM kbd/mouse ports may break keyboard compatibility - in such case you may need to connect funky keyboard to generic usb 2.0 / 3.0 ports

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Generally only required with bad OEM software, with QMK/VIA it will pass.

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Thanks so much for all the help everyone! Do y’all have any suggestions for good USB-C cables to buy? I’ve been seeing that different cables are not equivalent haha

I see that both the levelonetechs one and the Club3D one linked from the official KVM FAQ are out of stock/unavailable.