Usb switch - Linux compatibility

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Recently for my new job position I had the necessity to manage 2 computers from my desk: My Pc (my primary desktop with Linux) and the other with Windows 11 (Work laptop).

For security reasons I can’t connect with RDP, so in the end I managed by connecting second monitor on Laptop with HDMI, and switching keyboard and mouse from one pc to other.

Recently I bought the BENFEI USB 3.0 Switch, which is indicated on the ecommerce “Linux compatible”.
When this device is connected on Windows 11 no problems, keyboard and mouse are working very well.
When it was connected on Linux I had frequently disconnections.

So I tried ask Chat GPT what can I do, he said me I can configure USB ports without the Autosuspend option.
I tried, but it was not working again, I was reciving frequently disconnections as well.

In the end the thing that it finally works it was connecting directly the USB switch on a USB 3.0 port of my desktop motherboard. Before I was connecting the switch on a USB 2.0 port.

So yes, Chat GPT said me the Linux Kernel manage better USB 3.0 ports then the USB 2.0 ports, with a modern xhci_hcd module instead the old and more fragile ehci_hcd module.

TLDR; if in Linux you are reciving some hardware reset take in consideration to switch the hardware on an USB 3.0 port.

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You setup sounds like a good candidate for this:

The GL-RM1 isn’t just a passive USB switch, it’s a network-based KVM (Keyboard-Video-Mouse) over IP device. So it virtualizes the keyboard, mouse, and video input over Ethernet, so instead of physically switching USB between two computers, you can access both machines remotely from a single interface (even with RDP restricted).

Everything runs locally, so there’s no cloud dependency or privacy concern, and latency is almost the same as a physical USB switch.

Of course, it’s not cheap. I could use it in my home lab but can’t see myself spending $100 on something that I won’t use daily.

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Thanks for this explanation, but for now I prefer a simple and cheaper physical USB switch.

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