In my last column, I described how to control two or more PCs with a single set of input devices using software. While these applications can work over wired Ethernet, they more typically use Wi-Fi and can get tripped up in environments with public Wi-Fi like many offices.
Fortunately, a number of USB-based devices can provide a reliable alternative. Some can also work on devices such as Chromebooks, which prevent installing low-level drivers, and allow you to control a computer before it has gotten past the login screen and the software has loaded. However, a few still require a software installation.
First off, many vendors offer simple keyboard-mouse switches that can instantly switch control among multiple PCs using USB connections. KVM switches can also work; just don’t attach other monitors to the switch if they are connected to other PCs.
The trade-off is that these baseline devices can’t do seamless mouse handoffs across computers. On most switches, you must either press a button on the device itself or a remote. (Some use wired remotes while others use infrared). Some higher-end KVM switches allow assigning a hotkey on a keyboard to switch among PCs being controlled.
Going through a wormhole
As for more specialized hardware, perhaps the company with the broadest range of products for traversing multiple PCs is J5Create, which has trademarked the function as Wormhole in nine products, including two docking stations and two hubs.
But the heart of the lineup are four simple cables with USB-A connectors on each end. They range from the $15 JUC100 to the $80 JUC700 which, like the Stardock’s Multiplicity software, can also press one of the PCs into service as a second display.
Curiously, the lowest-end and highest-end product work only with Windows, but the two middle-tier variants can work with MacOS. Regardless, both computers must be running the software that installs from a volume embedded within the cable. The software supports sharing Clipboard content.
The company’s newest and most novel Wormhole product is the Aero Drop CrossLink, a small USB-A device that comes packaged in a small astronaut figure. Once freed from its plastic space suit, it allows a PC-connected keyboard and mouse to control an iPhone, iPad, or Android device over a Bluetooth connection. Unlike the company’s wired products, though, connections to a Mac or even another PC aren’t supported.
Perfect pairings
The next two products came into the market via Kickstarter campaigns. Asuizo Crossys is a bit like the generic keyboard-mouse switching products, but with a few twists.
First, its cables to connect two computers are permanently attached. Second, like the J5Create products, the device includes software that must be installed on the Mac or PC being connected. The Mac version, though, is a faceless app that requires access to the Mac’s accessibility features.
Finally, the LoopMotion device is the only intelligent switch in the lot that requires no software installation, billing itself as the only “location-aware” KM switch. Simply connect a cable to each of its USB ports (labeled L and R) and start seamlessly controlling one with the keyboard of another.
The device is not without its options, though. Pressing a key combination mounts a drive with an HTML page listing more key combinations for modes optimized for gaming and other tasks as well as one that will keep the PC it’s activated awake.
LoopMotion is one of the few options in the class that works out of the box with Linux. However, Chrome OS is a no-go, leaving mechanical switches as about the only option. Another limitation is that, unlike products that use software, Loopsmart won’t allow integrated laptop touchpads to move the cursor between PCs. However, this isn’t all bad, at least as an option, as it can be helpful to keep the cursor contained for some tasks even when two laptops are bridged.
A controlling interest
If you’re looking for the simplest free option, Microsoft’s Mouse without Borders is still the best choice. Although its initial codes are cumbersome and it is limited to four Windows PCs, the software avoids having to enter IP addresses but still provides some extra useful features such as Clipboard sharing and file transfers. Plus, it comes along for the ride if you're into the PowerToys collection.
Stepping up from there, Synergy and its open-source cousin DeskFlow can also bridge Macs and Linux machines. Meanwhile, Multiplicity has the highest degree of customizability and a unique audio-sharing feature If a network-based solution doesn’t work in your environment.
Synergy and Multiplicity offer enterprise configuration and management support, which is particularly appealing for software that stretches across the network. If that’s not an option in your environment, it’s tough to beat the simplicity of Loopmotion. Go with a solution like Crossys, though, if the application demands Clipboard sharing or you’re bridging laptops and don’t want to attach a separate keyboard or mouse.
Read more: We found the best KVM switch deals you can get right now and the best monitors for a dual-screen setup