Looking for an easy way to set up two laptops with dual monitors and your own mouse/keyboard?
Looking for an easy way to set up two laptops with dual monitors and your own mouse/keyboard?
The family members have a workspace with a desk designed to make it convenient to switch between two laptops, each using its own mouse and keyboard. There are also two monitors, and the connected laptop must be able to connect to both. They might also need a printer, though it's not clear yet—probably USB-A is acceptable at this stage, but it shouldn't be a major concern. Their goal is a straightforward setup: avoid dealing with monitor buttons for switching HDMI inputs and keep cable usage minimal, ideally just one cable, similar to what someone currently uses. They need something simple so the process doesn’t become complicated.
They’re looking for an easy method to change between monitors without fuss, and preferably only a few cables. One of them isn’t very tech-savvy, so the solution must be extremely user-friendly. An HDMI switch with a button that lets you toggle between the two laptops would be perfect. They’re open to suggestions and want something practical and affordable—ideally under $250 USD.
They’ve tried a Dell laptop connected to a WD15 docking station (uses USB-C) linked to two monitors, which is working now but has recently been upgraded with another PC. The ASUS Vivobook 16X (M1603QA-DH71-CA) has an issue: the USB-C port doesn’t support display or charging, so the dock won’t work. It only has one HDMI port and no other display output, requiring a splitter to handle multiple signals. The ASUS user is not very familiar with technology, so the setup needs to be super simple.
I’m thinking of an HDMI splitter for the ASUS plus an HDMI switch, but then the ASUS user would have to connect a splitter along with keyboard and mouse, and control the switch as needed. I believe they can manage that, but I’m not sure if it’s the best option.
Another idea I considered was skipping the splitter altogether and using a universal USB-A dock for the ASUS, which would hold the keyboard and mouse, and connect to an HDMI switch. This might work since some docks let you extend your desktop over USB-A, unlike the USB-C dock. But I’m not entirely confident.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The aim is the simplest possible solution—keeping costs in mind and minimizing complexity.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Docks are your allies here, not opponents. You might want to check out options like this:
Ugreen 9-in-1 USB C Docking Station
Essential: Install Displaylink software for proper media display and network RJ45 use.
www.ugreen.com
or consider the Ugreen USB C Triple Display Docking Station (12-in-1):
Features an 8K crystal-clear streaming dock with HDMI2 support, delivering up to 8K@30Hz on Windows and 4K@60Hz on Mac OS. Connect all three simultaneously for seamless crystal-clear streaming or mirroring across three displays. Includes UGREEN Docking Station Expansion Mode and Mirror Mode.
www.ugreen.com
Thank you for your response. I agree with you about the docking situation, but it’s important to note that the ASUS laptop doesn’t support display or charging via USB-C, so a USB-C dock won’t work (this was confirmed when using the Dell WD15 dock). The main issue is seeking the easiest solution, given they already have their own mouse and keyboard. I assume they’d need separate docks, which is acceptable. However, they also need a way to switch between active docks on the monitor. They really prefer not to use the monitor buttons because they’re difficult to manage, so I was considering an HDMI switch combined with two docks. I’m curious if anyone can verify whether the ASUS laptop can still use HDMI through a dock when the dock connects via USB-A instead of USB-C, and what potential drawbacks might exist.
So here’s what I’m thinking about for them:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07CRSH25X
They should connect to the same dock, with both keyboard and mouse pairs linked together. I’ve already told them to avoid accidentally bumping each other, which removes the need for an HDMI switch.
This also means they won’t be able to charge via the USB-C connector on this dock, which is okay.
Do you know of any reason this setup might fail? Also, I understand the ASUS laptop doesn’t support a "display" port, but I think that would be necessary on other docks. I believe this model has its own display driver and isn’t actually relying on the laptops’ GPUs.
Thanks for your help!