[ale] Using wireless KB on KVM switch

[Brian Mathis]

On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 9:36 AM, Calvin Harrigan
<charriglists at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> On 11/2/2012 8:27 AM, Jim Lynch wrote:
>> I have no idea if this is a universal situation or not but here goes. My
>> keyboard quit working this morning.  So I grabbed my wireless keyboard
>> that I carry with my netbook when I need to actually do work. It's a
>> Logitech KB and mouse combo, but I was just using the KB.  I replace the
>> KB (usb) by plugging the dongle into the KVM.  It didn't work.  I then
>> decided to test to see if the dongle needed to go in the mouse usb port
>> on the KVM.  Yes.
>>
>> So the bottom line is that if you try to get a wireless KB/mouse combo
>> working try putting the dongle in the mouse port.
>>
>> Jim.
>
> Interesting, I would have thought a keyboard/mouse would be a generic HID.
> Could it be the case where sometimes you plug in a usb peripheral into a
> port and it doesn't work but plugging it into another it does? Try cycling
> power on the KVM with the wireless dongle in the keyboard port.  Not much to
> be gained really, but it would be informative.


I once tried to fake a remote KVM by getting a regular KVM switch and
then attaching a Lantronix Spider Duo to the console port.  The USB
input on the KVM would not accept the Spider output because it was a
composite USB device.  That requires more logic than supporting simple
HID USB devices, which costs more so they don't include it.  I had to
choose using either mouse or keyboard, and wound up switching to a
PS/2 version, though it still didn't work very well.

Not sure the situation in this case, but as usual, things are more
complicated than they appear at first glance...


❧ Brian Mathis