Best Keyboard / Mouse control software

Tue, 07/15/2008 - 16:18 — StormMaker

Sharing a mouse and a keyboard between multiple (networked) computers without the need for additional hardware.

The need for speed:

As the price of workstation PCs and monitors continues to drop, many designers and productivity overachievers have opted for more than one PC at their desk. They made their decision based on the following information:

A multi-monitor system will make you work with more productivity, but it doesn't increase your actual computing power. If you have system-demanding applications running concurrently, you'll notice a slowdown. Multiple processors in one computer doesn't double the system speed, it just makes some multi-cpu compatible applications go faster or makes for faster multitasking. Neither alternative will fully substitute for using two computers.

Real estate convenience:

You taken the plunge and now have 2 (or more) networked PC's running at your work desk. You've arranged the monitors (hopefully flat panels) for that panoramic view you've always wanted, but now your desk surface is cluttered with keyboards and mice. You're either lucky enough to have a custom built working area with the appropriate bells and whistles, or you need to cut down on the I/O peripherals.

Methods:

Mechanical KVM (Keyboard-Video-Mouse) switches are a good option, but since you have multiple monitors, they don't always offer the total solution. Different models and types of KVMs may not play well with specific mice or work without the video plugged in. Bottom line: You may have to test several types before you find the perfect setup.

Software KVM of KM switches allow a smooth keyboard transition from one PC to another using your LAN connection. You can move the mouse cursor to the edge of your monitor (or mult-monitors) screen and it will automatically transfer control to the other PC. If you prefer to use the keyboard, there's the alternative of pressing a set of (programmable) hot keys. The overall effect is having single, multi-monitor system even though you're using more than one PC.

Here's a graphic to show the basic functions:

Keyboard / Mouse function

As you can see, it has some pretty cool capabilities. One of the exceptions is that ypu can't move programs or windows from one PC to the other, but most of the applications I reviewed allowed the copy/paste functions between PC's.

Where to get the free applications:

Input Director: www.inputdirector.com/index.html#about

This is my favorite of the two. Mostly because it's the simplest to use. The drawback is that it's only engineered for Microsoft products. Since I only use Vista and XP for productivity, that isn't an issue with me.

Synergy: synergy2.sourceforge.net/

Synergy is a little more complicated to install, but it does have the advantage of being cross-platform with Unix and Mac OS X capabilities.

I hope this helps the budding ubergeek with a few less miles of spinning in his chair looking for the right keyboard.

StormMaker

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