Need advice for dual purpose desk setup

Need a tad more info to give useful recommendations, but you want a KVM.


1) what hookups does the desktop computer have?
2) what hookups does the laptop computer have?
3) what peripherals do each use?
4) do either of them need exclusive use to a specific peripheral?
5) will either/both computers require power from the docking station?

I achieve this with my monitor alone- a Philips 49” ultrawide. It has a DisplayPort in + usb. It also has a “docking” usb-c port that will share the monitor’s usb ports, speakers, Ethernet connection, camera (built into the monitor), mic. The USB ports weren’t enough for the number of peripherals on my desk, so I attached a hub to the monitor to share more ports. I had a few peripherals that only one PC needed, so I attach them directly


Now, I click two buttons to swap from one computer to the other.




Can you describe your two systems a little better, and I (or someone else) can probably recommend a pretty specific product for you.

You could probably get away with something like this. Not sure what display cable leaves your docking station and goes into the monitors, but an HDMI—>DP converter or cable is very cheap ($5-7ish for short runs).
You could bypass the docking station, but it would create an annoying charging situation, as this would not charge your laptop.



From what I’m reading, this one should exactly fit your needs. It’s sponsored by Amazon and does not have reviews. I do not see the power specifications of the charger, but it calls its docking port thunderbolt 3, so there is an implied charging specification that should be in that that should support your laptop I think. This should eliminate the need for the laptop docking station with the exception of not having Ethernet which may/may not benefit your use case. You will not be able to make this one work with your docking station easily.

There are, unfortunately, a million options, none of which are one-size-fits-all, but this should be pretty close to what you seem to need (without Ethernet, if that’s a no go, ignore this). There are options with varying amounts of other ports, HDMI, DP, USB-c/thunderbolt that range from $150-500 but very little down below that $150 mark that’s any nicer than the first one above.


Bluetooth keyboard with no dongle is a somewhat unusual choice for a setup like this. When switching between computers, the main purpose of a KVM is a “one switch” change. When you add that, you will either have a 1/2/3 toggle on the keyboard itself (common on Logitech models especially) or need to actually go and disconnect/reconnect in addition to hitting your KVM switch, because the keyboard will connect directly to the OS, and switching the KVM will not shut off one machine, so you may mistakenly have that one peripheral connected to the wrong machine. A Bluetooth dongle on the KVM does solve this problem. A wired keyboard does, too. It’s also not rocket science to flip two switches instead of 1 or even to disconnect/reconnect a keyboard, but if I were spending $200ish on a “make my life easy” product, I’d probably want it to work simpler than it will in your use case.


Some support “side by side” use if you’re into that (one computer on each screen, same keyboard/mouse. There are software solutions for this as well but that won’t work with your work laptop).


You could also try finding an HDMI switch that allows multiple inputs and outputs and a separate USB switcher, and it’s possible that the two are cheap enough to justify the extra step vs a KVM like above.



Lastly, you can ditch the multi monitor for a Badass ultrawide with multiple computer ins that will simplify it. But you’re not doing it for cheap.