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Multi-screen Docking Station / KVM Switch / Display Output options

Discussion in 'KVM' started by tonkatruckjk, Aug 18, 2019.

  1. tonkatruckjk

    tonkatruckjk Guest

    Good day, and my apologies for the nature of this post (yeah, even before I start).

    I've got something working now, and it's functional, but I really don't want to keep throwing money at it until I find something that works fully the way I need it to.

    I need to connect two different laptops to the same dual monitors/mouse/keyboard/speakers quickly and easily.

    The laptops in question are:

    1). Microsoft Surface

    • Proprietary surface output to display

    • I bought a docking station for this laptop, but the docking station has the proprietary surface display connection attached. Not good for anything else.

    • I also bought a surface proprietary output --> USB-C converter
    2). Dell XPS (tiny)

    • Believe this was a custom build, specific for lightweight / size constraints

    • Only feasible display output is USB-C (Thunderbolt?)

    • Currently connected with a Thunderbolt --> VGA to a single monitor (terrible solution, but I had this connector already in hand from a previous old monitor that ONLY had VGA connection)
    If cost were not an issue, what would be the best way to get these two laptops connected to the same pool of dual monitors/mouse/keyboard/speakers? I've googled and searched and tried to research and my head is spinning with all the if/then, what-if scenarios.

    Normally, I like problem-solving, and troubleshooting, but I'm hesitant to spend any more money (and don't have access to a GOOD electronics store (like fry's in AZ) where I could go look and talk to someone knowledgeable. Best option locally is best buy, which is a joke.



    Let me know if you need any more information (would pictures help?) or if you know how to solve my problem. Thanks in advance!
     
    tonkatruckjk, Aug 18, 2019
    #1 + Quote Reply
  2. KVMGalore Expert

    KVMGalore Expert Staff Member

    Hello Daniel,

    Thank you for reaching out on our HelpCenter. We will try to address your requirement (and issues related to it) one by one:

    Conceptually, each one of your laptops (or docking stations) must have two video outputs (not USB) in order to accomplish this. If they don't - you can create them by using external USB video adapters.

    Choose a USB video adapter based on:
    a) Type of available USB connectors on your laptop;
    b) Type of video that will be compatible with the dual-screen KVM switch you ultimately select (see below).

    To the best of our knowledge, Surface has Mini-DisplayPort video connector - doesn't your Surface have one?

    Finally, choose a 2-port, dual-video-head KVM switch with audio support. As you can see - these KVMs support DisplayPort or DVI or VGA video interface. Choose a model supporting a video-interface that matches the one for the video ports you've created for you laptops (via the USB video adapters - see above). To expand your offering you may want to set KVMGFilter to show KVM switches supporting 4 ports instead of only two.

    Hope this helps!
    We welcome your questions - please come back and ask us anything, anytime.

    Important note: To continue this discussion - please respond via KVMGalore HelpCenter thread, NOT via e-mail.
     
    KVMGalore Expert, Aug 19, 2019
    #2 + Quote Reply
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