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Ask HN: Setup for 3 Laptops
At work, I need to work with 3 laptops (3 mac book pros).
My employer is happy to pay for whatever hardware or software to make it easier.
What setup should I go for?
I thought about the following options
1) my current setup
I simply have the 3 laptops sitting on the desk, and 1 screen. I move one laptop to the center of the desk, unplug the hdmi cable to the screen of the other laptop, and plug it in the laptop I want to use.
This is a bit unwieldy, and there's a lot of unplugging/replugging
2) 1 keyboard, 1 trackpad, 1 screen
A better option might be to have 1 external keyboard, 1 external trackpad, 1 screen. Laptops would stay on the side of the desk, and I would have a little hardware box on which I click a button that says which laptop the screen/keyboard/trackpad are linked to.
Does such a box even exist? Does it make sense?
There are probably good options that I am missing. I'd be grateful for any thoughts. Thanks!
- nakrou 5y agoWhat you’re referring to in #2 is called a KVM. Ones with more than two input PCs are kinda uncommon, but here’s the first one I saw on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TESmart-DisplayPort-Switcher-Supports-Devices/dp/B08LHCMW89/ https://www.amazon.com/TESmart-DisplayPort-Switcher-Supports... You’ll need a DP cable and a USB-B cable for every laptop which might be annoying.
- devShark 5y agook, thanks, I will look into that.
- taubek 5y agoI've never had a Mac so I don't know how specific they are when it comes to KVM implementations. Try to see if there is a reason why one would be called Mac compatible, e.g. https://www.kvm-switches-online.com/mac-kvm-switches.html https://www.kvm-switches-online.com/mac-kvm-switches.html
- devShark 5y agoOk, good point. Thank you
- misterioss 5y agoLogitech MX series has buttons to switch between up to 3 different devices. It's not your case but close.
- devShark 5y agoOk, I will look into that. Thank you
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- chunkles 5y agoThe hardware box you probably want is called a KVM switch. It lets you have one keyboard/mouse/monitor and switch between source computers.
- devShark 5y agoThanks
- dcminter 5y agoGiven that you'd already speculated about something similar, sounds like KVMs are the way to go. You could also take a look at https://symless.com/synergy https://symless.com/synergy or something similar (I think there's an open source version too). I assume you've already considered ssh-ing into them from one "master" machine?
- mackatsol 5y agoSynergy or a similar software KVM. Works well.. one of my kids is using that for school, iMac is the main screen and laptop is for video calls. All managed from the iMac.
- hkarthik 5y agoI have 3 machines: 1 work MBP, 1 personal MBP, and a windows desktop for gaming. I tried several solutions but recently purchased a LevelOne Tech KVM. Best solution I've found thus far (albeit a little pricey). https://store.level1techs.com/?category=Hardware https://store.level1techs.com/?category=Hardware Find the 4 port option which works best for you (single or dual display). This thing has been bulletproof so far.
- helloSam43 5y agoupvote for synergy