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All replies
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Helpful answers
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Dec 29, 2011 12:04 PM in response to 1 Open Loopby X423424X,I think the following will do what you want for the mini-displayport/usb kvm:
Atlona 2x1 Mini DisplayPort KVM Switch
Using a single BT mouse on two machines is another story. Don't think that is possible. You can only pair a BT device with one machine at a time. So you would end up having to unpair and re-pair on each switch. Stick with a wired usb mouse going through your kvm or use two mice, i.e., one on each machine that of course doesn't go through the kvm.
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Dec 30, 2011 4:27 AM in response to X423424Xby 1 Open Loop,That product appears to be discontinued.
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Dec 30, 2011 4:28 AM in response to Kujakoby 1 Open Loop,Do you have a Bluetooth mouse? I was wondering how that would be handled with a KVM switch.
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Dec 30, 2011 10:30 AM in response to 1 Open Loopby Kujako,You simply cant use a Bluetooth mouse with a KVM switch. Bluetooth doesn't allow that. You have to bind the mouse to one specific computer.
Beyond that, I would still recomend looking at the Gefen 2x1 switch. Gefen products are expensive, but you can find used ones cheap on eBay and they last forever in most cases.
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Dec 31, 2011 6:30 AM in response to Kujakoby 1 Open Loop,That's what I though. I guess I could simply get a second Magical Mouse and turn it on/off as needed. I was thinking of buying Magical Mice anyway. I have this fear that Apple will eventually kill off the mouse for the pad. I tried the pad and gave it to my son. I've been using a mouse for too long.
I was looking at the gefen products. Sounds like good advice, I'll think I go with that.
One question, do you run multiple monitors on either of the computers connected to the switch? The reason I asked is I tried out a DVI switch a few years back. As I recall, my Mac Pro had an issue when I switched to the Mini. I think the Mac Pro thought the one monitor was now gone, or something like that. Either way, it wasn't a clean method to simply switch back and forth.
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Dec 31, 2011 10:52 AM in response to 1 Open Loopby Kujako,★HelpfulWell what I use is a 4x4 DVIKVM matrix switch.
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5312
That lets you switch between any four computers and any four keyboards, monitors, audio and mice. I currently only use two monitors, but I can choose which video port on which computer connects to which monitor on the fly.
One thing to keep in mind, some video cards and systems dont like their video to be disconnected. You may find you need a monitor emulator inline between the KVM and the computer.
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Jan 2, 2012 6:18 AM in response to Kujakoby 1 Open Loop,I never heard of a monitor emulator. Sounds like something that was necessary the last time I tried a KVM switch. It appears that the graphics card thought the monitor was unplugged when I switched sources. If that's the case, shouldn't a good KVM switch provide that emulation? Keep the sources under the impression that everything is still connected?
Also, I was wondering if I used a USB Bluetooth adapter in the USB port for the mouse. If that would work, I could use my Bluetooth Magical Mouse and have it switch between computers. Although I wonder if you can use a Magical Mouse via a Bluetooth adapter? Is the mouse Magical enough?
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Jan 2, 2012 8:51 AM in response to 1 Open Loopby Kujako,I know of no KVM that includes the monitor emulator built in as they are not inexpensive devices and not all video cards / computers need them.
As for putting a blue-tooth adaptor in the USB port of the switch, I doubt that would work but it may. However I would expect it to be a little slow to switch between systems if it where to work at all.
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Jan 2, 2012 9:22 AM in response to Kujakoby Kujako,Just for clairifcation, in my case my Mac Pro does not need a monitor emulator but my PC does.
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Jan 3, 2012 6:09 AM in response to Kujakoby 1 Open Loop,Which graphics card are you using? I have a 5770.
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Jan 3, 2012 9:07 AM in response to 1 Open Loopby Kujako,NVidia 8800 in the Mac Pro and ATI 6950 in the PC.
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Jan 4, 2012 8:04 AM in response to Kujakoby 1 Open Loop,That's good to know. I believe when I last tried a KVM switch, I had the 8800 card in my system and I was having issues with that particular KVM switch. So it must have been the switch.
Also, I came across another KVM switch. I got a response from their tech support on the topic of emulation. Here's their response.
The EDIDs from the display port are emulated so the Mac will see a display permanently connected. Some of the MAC led displays require DDC/CI support. This is disabled by default on the switch so will require enabling if required by the display.
http://us.adder.com/products/adderview-4-pro-displayport
Also, it appears you can connect two of these together and switch two monitors between two systems which support two monitors.
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Jan 4, 2012 9:06 AM in response to 1 Open Loopby Kujako,Expensive for a four port KVM, but the Addreview looks like a nice unit in terms of specifications. The USB emulation is a nice feature, but it does limit what you can plug into the switched USB ports.
