[rcarmo]

They are also a major proprietary hassle, whereas with Bluetooth and a Logitech K380 keyboard, which is cheap, readily available everywhere and reliable as heck I can switch between three machines at the press of a button.

I use that and an M720 Bluetooth mouse to switch between two work machines and a personal one on the same desktop, which is something you just can't do with the Logitech Logi Bolt dongle - even if you buy multiple ones.

Also, I've been using this setup with Macs for ages (that's one of the machines above), and never ran into the same problem.

[goosedragons]

Pros and cons? With the Logitech (and others) dongles you can also just plug them into a KVM and swap that way which isn't an option with Bluetooth, the device specifically has to support multiple devices.

[rcarmo]

But to use a KVM you have to have some form of commonality between devices (one of mine only has USB-C ports), plus you have to have all the cabling. And most consumer KVMs only take 2 outputs.

I'll take Bluetooth _any day_ over having another mess of cables, another box, and what boils down to less ease of use.

[goosedragons]

I use a USB C hub with my KVM for my laptop. The hub takes the KVM USB A cable and the DP cable. One cable connects the laptop and I can switch PCs with a touch of a single button. I don't like switching inputs on my monitor manually through the OSD. You can get KVMs that do 3 or 4 computers with multiple monitors, although granted they do cost more. Again, pros and cons! I find it pretty slick though.

[MayeulC]

I added a small udev rule to send a "change input" dcc command to the monitor when my USB switch connects or disconnects. The monitor has a USB-C input, and I connect the USB ports it provides to my USB switch.

Cheaper than a KVM, though it only works if the computer that has the rules is turned on (that monitor accepts commands from inactive sources).

If somebody knows a ready-made "reverse dock" (USB-C dock connector -> USB-PD out + DP in + USB device), I'm all ears!