TechRadar backs USB switches and cables for multi-PC control

The report said software applications can run over wired Ethernet but more often use Wi-Fi and can fail in public Wi-Fi environments such as many offices. USB devices can also work with Chromebooks, which prevent low-level driver installation, and can control a computer before login and before software has loaded, though some still require software installation.

For basic switching, TechRadar said many vendors sell keyboard-mouse switches that instantly move control among multiple PCs over USB; KVM switches can also be used, provided other monitors connected to other PCs are not attached to the switch. These baseline products cannot perform seamless mouse handoffs across computers, it said. On most switches, users must press a button on the device or a remote, some wired and some infrared, while some higher-end KVM switches allow a keyboard hotkey to switch among controlled PCs.

TechRadar identified J5Create as perhaps offering the broadest range of products for moving across multiple PCs, with its Wormhole function trademarked in nine products including two docking stations and two hubs. The core of the lineup is four cables with USB-A connectors at each end, from the $15 JUC100 to the $80 JUC700, which can also press one PC into service as a second display, like Stardock's Multiplicity software.

The report said the lowest-end and highest-end Wormhole cables work only with Windows, while the two middle-tier variants can work with MacOS. Both computers must run software installed from a volume embedded in the cable, and the software supports Clipboard sharing.

J5Create's newest Wormhole product, the Aero Drop CrossLink, is a small USB-A device packaged in a small astronaut figure. Once removed from its plastic space suit, TechRadar said, it lets a keyboard and mouse connected to a PC control an iPhone, iPad or Android device over Bluetooth; unlike the wired products, it does not support connections to a Mac or another PC.

Two other products came to market through Kickstarter campaigns. Asuizo Crossys resembles generic keyboard-mouse switches but has permanently attached cables for connecting two computers and includes software that must be installed on the Mac or PC, according to TechRadar. The Mac version is a faceless app that requires access to the Mac's accessibility features.

LoopMotion is the only intelligent switch in the group that requires no software installation and describes itself as the only location-aware KM switch, TechRadar reported. Users connect a cable to each of its USB ports, labeled L and R, and can seamlessly control one computer with another's keyboard. 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 keeps the activated PC awake.

The report said LoopMotion works out of the box with Linux, one of few options in its class to do so, but Chrome OS is not supported, leaving mechanical switches as about the only option. Unlike software-based products, it also will not allow integrated laptop touchpads to move the cursor between PCs, though that can help keep the cursor contained for some tasks when two laptops are bridged.

For the simplest free option, TechRadar said Microsoft's Mouse without Borders remains the best choice. Its initial codes are cumbersome and it is limited to four Windows PCs, but it avoids entering IP addresses and offers Clipboard sharing and file transfers, and it is included in the PowerToys collection. Synergy and its open-source cousin DeskFlow can also bridge Macs and Linux machines, while Multiplicity has the highest degree of customizability and a unique audio-sharing feature, according to the report. Synergy and Multiplicity offer enterprise configuration and management support.

TechRadar said if a network-based solution does not work in a given environment, LoopMotion's simplicity is hard to beat.