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…