Connecting my Macbook and PC to the same Monitor

Hi all,

Is it possible to connect my Macbook and my PC to the same monitor and switch between which one i want to view?

A friend gave me this to try:

Flip F1DF102P KVM Switch - Belkin International, Inc BLKF1DF102P - Belkin International, Inc KVM Switches

But cannot get it to work at all.

I have tried searching and most seem to be dual PC setup, not PC and Mac. I do not want to use 1 keyboard/mouse for both either, which seems to be an option with all of them.

Anybody know of a simple switch connector with 2 inputs (1 for PC and 1 for Mac) and 1 output (to the monitor)?

I have a mini dvi to VGA connector for the Mac already.

Any help would be much appreciated,

Thanks

Check out this thread:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/other-hardware-peripherals/164655-kvm-advice-needed-pc-mac.html

I use the KVM switch I linked in and works fine between Windows and Mac.

Thanks. That seems very expensive for what i want to do.

I want a simple switch. Not bothered about connecting keyboard & mouse or audio.

Just want to be able to switch between screens.

I used the Belkin KVM wizard and it suggested these:

Belkin : Flip Wireless KVM Switch

Belkin : Flip USB KVM Switch

Belkin : 2-Port USB KVM Switch with Cabling

The middle one above looks very similar to the one i have here (linked to in 1st post), except it is USB for keyboard/mouse and not PS2.

However i cannot get it to work.

Any suggestions

Just found this after looking at your post from yesterday wmprice1240. Someone replied saying they had reviewed the Iogear KVM switch and found it much better than others they had tried.

Iogear MiniView Micro USB PLUS KVM Switch - GCS632U - SVP

Price seems reasonable.

I initially did not want to use one keyboard/mouse for both computers, as i have recently purchased and Apple Wireless Mouse for my laptop.

So, is it possible to use KVM switches purely for monitor use (no mouse/keyboard connected)?

If not, and a mouse/keyboard does need to be connected, can a Apple Wireless mouse be used with a PC?

If a Apple wireless mouse can be used, how would it work with a KVM? A bluetooth adapter in the USB connector?

I use this to switch between my MBP + 22" and my desktop + 22". Works perfectly and actually has 4 input ports so I could add in 2 more inputs if I needed to...

Thanks truebassist.

Im moving more towards the idea of 1 keyboard and mouse to power the macbook & PC.

However, my current mouse is a Apple wireless mouse. So my questions now are:

1 - Will the apple wireless mouse work with a vga switch if a bluetooth adapter is plugged into the USB slot?

2- If the mouse will work wireless with a bluetooth adapter into the vga switch, how will it switch from working on the mac when i want to use it for PC? (as mac has built in bluetooth so will always recognise the mouse???)

3- What about a Wireless keyboard?

Any of the newer monitors have both a VGA and a separate DVI port. There is a switch on the front of the monitor to select between the Analog (VGA) and the Digital (DVI) port.

Get the correct cable for your Mac to hook to the full size DVI input on the monitor, and Bob's Your Uncle.

I use an LG Flatron 20" to switch between my PC desktop and my MacBook Pro. My wife uses an Acer 22" - same deal.

I set my MacBook Pro to extend the desktop to the 20" monitor - so, when I am switched to the PC, I can still see the 20" side in the Spaces "preview" - that give me a clue that I need to switch back to Digital on the monitor.

I use a nice Bluetooth connected mini keyboard & mouse for the MacBook and a LogiTech wireless keyboard & mouse for the PC. Both wireless mice sit on the same mouse pad, the Mac wireless keyboard is on top of the desk, and the full size wireless PC keyboard sits on a keyboard drawer under then desktop. No cables - no problems - super clean.

I like this set up a million times better than a KVM.

You will NEVER find a KVM switch that will do everything you want - especially the Digital Video Interface. Some KVM will support Digital - but not the cheap ones. The cheap ones support Analog Video (VGA) - but once you've gone digital, you'll never want to go back. I've also run into trouble with KVM cables that are cheap - lots of ghosting, fuzziness & jittery display on the monitor.

A KVM works best for the "lowest common denominator" keyboard / mouse / video combinations. PS2 or USB mouses & keyboards - all digital or all analog video - not so good for a mix & match. You can make it all work - but it isn't cheap and it isn't portable.

Thanks.

My current monitor (which i have no need to replace) is vga. It has no DVI input. Ive been using a mini DVI-VGA converter to connect the macbook up to it no problems.

No body seems to be able to answer the question regarding the wireless mouse & KVM switch compatibility. SPecifically with Apple Wireless Mighty mouse.

Even if you plug a bluetooth dongle into the KVM switch, it will not stop your Mac pairing up to the keyboard and mouse so I don't think that will work. I'm not sure of the compatibility between the Apple mouse and other computers as well...