Comment by belthesar
5 days ago
For use cases like attaching to an SBC or really any other computer, I'm sure this is great, but there are also USB crash cart consoles that can be gotten pretty cheaply like the NanoKVM-USB[0] or Cytrence's KIWI[1]. This gets you both video, keyboard and mouse.
[0] https://wiki.sipeed.com/hardware/en/kvm/NanoKVM_USB/introduc...
Openterface Mini-KVM also works great [1]
[1] - https://openterface.com/
This is my current pick - simple, works exactly as expected, very small. Only thing I ever fight with is remembering to accept Mac OS's warning about connecting a USB device.
For just video (or w/ separate keyboard/mouse), the Genki Shadowcast devices work really well.
Is there anywhere I can buy a NanoKVM-USB? The page you linked has a 'preorder' page linked, but I'm not sure how long I'd have to wait and whether it's an actual product that people have successfully used.
I see them on Amazon, sold by WayPonDEV. I've bought several NanoKVM brand devices from them and haven't had any problems (yet).
GLI Comet is much better from my experience.
Can GLI Comet allow my laptop to control a device without needing a network connection?
That seems to be what NanoKVM-USB does. But GLI Comet seems to be KVM-over-IP?
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Different use-cases. The Sipeed product comparable to the GL-RM1 is the NanoKVM Cube. Comparable to the GL-RM10 is the NanoKVM Pro (Desk).
(Of course you could use the Cube on a crash cart, too. Just like you can use the butt of a screwdriver to hammer a nail.)
Aliexpress has them
I use a Cytrence Kiwi myself, really handy bit of kit, I just wish it could do higher resolution, even if it meant dropping the frame rate.
I also have a PiKVM with the switch for network level access which works really well too.
Is there a VGA "story" for these devices? Most of the Dell and HP servers I'm physically proximate to don't have HDMI video. VGA connectors abound on the gear I work with.
worst case a VGA-to-HDMI adapter, they are less than 20 bucks but extra box/cables of course.
I've had poor luck with the couple of VGA-to-HDMI I've ever used over the years (latency, poor video quality) so I guess my question was more "Are there any known-working good adapters for VGA for these?"
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Those both look very nice, but I am disappointed that neither lists support for DP alt-mode as an input despite having a type-c port on the input side. If I were to buy such a device, I'd want it be future-proof while also supporting legacy video input like HDMI, but these are legacy-only. Good for my old raspberry pis and my ancient sandybridge NAS, but these days I only buy computers capable of single-cable operation (with exceptions for power cables for power-hungry devices like desktops).
I feel like this is kind of looking a gift horse in the mouth, especially for the cost of these units. Certainly not impossible to add, but an increase in the BOM vs. the loads of off-the-shelf super cheap HDMI capture chips available, and questionable compatibility (DP Alt Mode is getting better, but plenty of devices still have interesting quirks with it depending on implementation). These devices aren't made with daily driving a system in mind so much as for installation and recovery of a system.
Would it be handy to have this all in one cable on both ends? Sure, absolutely, that'd be killer. I personally don't think it's too big of an ask to use two cables in an installation or recovery case though, and if your devices only have USB-C ports for video out, an active USB-C to HDMI via DP-Alt cable can be had to meet that need.
Came here to endorse the NanoKVM USB. It's a great little device. Wendell made a video[0] on it. The web interface is super handy.
I keep one in my tool bag and I've been meaning to buy a second one for a dedicated crash cart.
I can't speak to the Kiwi or the Openterface as I haven't tried those.
0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAbyQcpR-yQ