KVM not working w/ TinyPilot
first of all, Merry Christmas @michael and @cghague
I know you're busy building a successful business and all the likes, and there are multiple use cases for a TinyPilot - one of them that seems most common is expanding the use of it to multiple devices. I have tried KVMs recommended on the Wiki (MT-VIKI HK401) and on YouTube (AXIOM) and they both either are not 100% compatible or the Wiki is wrong. There is a mixup somewhere and at this point I will not be able to admin multiple machines during my upcoming holiday trip.
- I have a TinyPilot Voyager w/ The Latest TPPro
- I have the 4-Port HDMI KVM - MT-VIKI HK401 said to have full compatibility on the Wiki
this is the best setup and everything works flawlessly.....except for the Hotkey Switching. I don't know where the mixup is, but long story short. Can someone please just drop me an Amazon link for a KVM that is guaranteed able to work with this thing?
I also sent a message to MT-VIKI with context surrounding the product IDs on Amazon. ccing here for visibility
Sent to User _______________________________________________________________________________
This item works flawlessly with my TinyPilot IP-KVM (https://tinypilotkvm.com/) ...except for one thing. It doesn't have HotKey Switching. The only way to switch is to physically push the button, which defeats the purpose of my IP-KVM. On the TinyPilot GitHub Wiki (https://github.com/tiny-pilot/tinypilot/wiki/KVM-compatibility) , it states that the model (MT-VIKI HK410) is fully compatible with the TinyPilot and includes Hotkey switching.
When you search Amazon for “MT-VIKI HK410” (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=MT-VIKI+HK410) , this is the only product that comes up (https://www.amazon.com/MT-VIKI-Switcher-Selector-Computers-Keyboard/dp/B08DR3CLJ9), product ID of “B08DR3CLJ9”. I purchased this product – everything works except Hotkey switching.
When I found this out, and looked through the Amazon Q&As, I see a response indicating that there is ANOTHER MODEL instead that is identical, but has Hotkey functionality, with the product ID of “B0871YHZ8V”?
When I search for “B0871YHZ8V”, the only thing that comes in Google historically are product reviews (https://www.amazon.com/MT-VIKI-Desktop-Control-HDMI2-0-Switching/product-reviews/B0871YHZ8V) and a link to this item (https://www.amazon.com/MT-VIKI-Desktop-Control-HDMI2-0-Switching/dp/B0871YHZ8V) which are unavailable. Could I please get some help regarding where the mixup is?
Again, I have purchased the B08DR3CLJ9 under the guise that it is (4-Port HDMI KVM - MT-VIKI HK401) as stated on the TinyPilot wiki. Everything works except for Hotkey Switching via Home + Home + [n]. I cannot find a B0871YHZ8V for sale anywhere. Please help, this is needed for my business.
David @david2022-12-19 19:46:11.682Z2022-12-19 20:01:35.870ZHi @consultingcompany, sorry that you're running into this KVM compatibility issue.
Firstly, thanks for the well-wishes! And Merry Christmas to you on behalf of the TinyPilot team!
I completely understand that buying a KVM based on the wiki information - only for it to not work as expected - is incredibly frustrating. I'll try and help figure out what went wrong, and answer your questions.
Could I please get some help regarding where the mixup is?
For some context - the KVM wiki page is a collection of information from other TinyPilot users. Generally, the TinyPilot team doesn't do any independent verification of KVMs, and if we have, the info is in the table on the wiki. In this specific case, the thread you linked to has all of the information we know about that particular model of KVM.
The Amazon link in the original post that you shared leads to this HK401 KVM, which appears as 'Currently unavailable' on Amazon. However, the link you shared to the model you purchased points to this HK04 model, which looks like a different model with different functionality.
The numbers you are referencing (B08DR3CLJ9 and B0871YHZ8V) are referred to as ASINs (Amazon Standard Identification Numbers) - and are unique identifiers for products on Amazon. These ASINs are assigned by Amazon, rather than the seller / manufacturer, and they don't reflect the model numbers for products.
I think the mixup is due to Amazon's search. It tends not to display 'currently unavailable' items, and instead shows similar (though not exact) items. So when you searched for the HK401, it displayed the HK04 that you purchased.
Can someone please just drop me an Amazon link for a KVM that is guaranteed able to work with this thing?
Unfortunately, I can't point to anything that isn't on the wiki page and guarantee that it works. However, I took a look at other models sold by the same company, and found this 8 port model that advertises hotkey switching. But I'll emphasise that I don't know whether it will work with your TinyPilot. And I cannot guarantee anything. It's definitely worth reaching out to the seller to return the KVM that doesn't work for your use case, and to look into the other available options.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or queries.
EDIT: I originally linked to a 4 port KVM, but its output was display port. It looks like that particular manufacturer / seller is not currently selling 4-port HDMI KVMs with hotkey switching. I changed the link to the only HDMI KVM that advertises hotkey switching they have for sale.