Multiple Monitors / One Keyboard + Mouse

[dclamp]

Each workstation at my company has 6 computers with 7 monitors on a large monitor rack.

We were looking at Software KVMs that allows us to move the keyboard/mouse from one monitor to the next as if it was one machine, however we didn't like the idea that it depended on the network. The footprint on the network would have been really small but our IT was not fond of the idea.

I did some research and found this device which connects via USB to each computer and then the mouse/keyboard. This device is ideal for what we want, but at a price tag of $500+ per device, it was a little pricey.

I have not been able to find anything similar to that device, does anyone know what this type of device would be called or have any suggestions?

[techgnome]

It's a KVM Switch... the reason it's so expensive is due to the auto switching via mouse when you move it from one monitor to the next (how that works, not sure. Sounds cool but for people like me, would be a problem.) More traditional KVM switches aren't all that expensive. Ones that have a hot-key combination fall somewhere between the two.

-tg

[dclamp]

I am familiar with the term KVM, however using that term to try to find this type of device is not helping.

Plus this is not technically KVM since its not switching V, just KM.

[Steve R Jones]

I think this is the app I played with a while back:
http://www.synergy-project.org/

[passel]

Yes, but synergy requires using the network.
Looking for a non-network solution is going to be much more restrictive.
You can still usually use a KVM, just don't hook the video up, although I do think in one KVM we used, we had to split a video source to provide dummy inputs because the KVM was looking for the Video to decide whether to allow switching to the computer.
Not as convenient as synergy for the most part.
On the other hand, if the machine that is running the synergy server is off-line, you can't get to any of your machines.
And if you want to make a BIOS change, or do something else during the startup of any of the "remote" machines, you can't since the synergy service is a Windows service.