Connect Multiple PC’s Using One Keyboard and Mouse

Are you a computer geek like myself? Do you have two, three, or even four desktops PCs? If you do, then one daunting task of having so many computers could be that you have to use one monitor, one keyboard, and one mouse per computer. Now most would tell you, “use a KVM switch”, and they would be somewhat correct. A KVM switch allows us to use just one monitor, keyboard and mouse to control multiple computers. The problem with this solution is that you have to switch between the computers by pushing a numbered button on the KVM. Now what if you wanted to have a monitor for each computer, but eliminate the keyboard and mouse for each one, and just use one set to control multiple machines. In essence, it’s like having one giant desktop across multiple monitors, and multiple computers. I introduce to you Synergy.
Synergy is a free and open source software (FOSS) that allows us to share one keyboard and mouse across multiple monitor/PC environments. All that is needed is the software and a LAN connection via a router or a switch. Most of us have an interior network that our computers are connected to already. If ports are a problem, a switch can be purchased to give the ports needed to achieve our goal. Once we have the LAN set up between the computers the configuration of the software is the next step. This part can be a little tricky, and if you have any problems you can read docs supplied to the end user on the Synergy website. There is even videos with How-tos all over the web, that can be of assistance if your having problems figuring out the setup.

Now that the setup is complete, lets say with three computers and monitors. We’ll lable them A, B, and C. Computer A is on the left, B in the center, and C on the right. So you move your mouse to A on the left, open Word, then copy the open doc. We then scroll over the mouse over to C, and open Word on this one. Now we’ll paste the text into a new document and save it on C. This is a really nice feature of this software. You can’t do this with a KVM, you can copy a file and then browse the network and paste in on C, but not it’s not nearly as robust as the method using Synergy, at least in my opinion.

This software is not like a KVM or VNC, it doesn’t deal with video at all, just keyboard and mouse input. There is no need to push buttons to change which PC screen your looking at, allows you to view each computer on separate monitors, allows you to share the same keyboard and mouse between multiple computers, you can still use multiple monitors on the same PC as well as connect multiple other computers and monitors, and you can lock the mouse to one screen if needed. Can be shared across different Operating Systems. All of this for the low low price of free, now how can you beat that? All of this for the low low price of free, now how can you beat that?

You can find Synergy here at http://synergy-foss.org/