Easy KVM

About Easy KVM

Easy KVM is a Wi-Fi enabled hybrid KVM. It acts a an USB sharing switch and VESA DDC/CI switcher. It does not touch the video signal which eliminates a lot of issues found with standard KVMs.

Features

• Single USB 2.0 high speed capable port to be used with an external USB hub
• Wi-Fi control
• HDMI passthrough
• USB keyboard for macros and port switching
• Control monitor power state
• Integrated with Home Assistant

External Requirements

• USB macro keypad e.g. Amazon AliExpress
• USB 2.0 high speed hub e.g. Amazon
• Monitor with an HDMI port that supports VESA DDC/CI

Port Setup

1. Connect source HDMI cable from video card to either one of the HDMI ports
2. Connect other HDMI port to monitor
3. Connect J1 Micro USB (top left) to PC1 USB
4. Connect J2 Micro USB (top right) to PC2 USB
5. Connect J6 Micro USB (bottom renter) to macro keypad
6. Connect J7 USB (bottom right) to USB hub
7. Connect J4 Micro USB (Center right) to either USB power or PC (for programming and serial monitoring)

Wi-Fi Setup

Wi-Fi network selection is done through bluetooth.

1. Download nRF Connect and connect to KVM
2. Open the client services tab and click Write Value the (up arrow) on the characteristic ending with an UUID of 29.
   
3. Click the UTF-8 tab and enter the network SSID and click Write.
4. Click Write Value on the characteristic ending in 01. This is the Wi-Fi password. After clicking Write, the KVM should connect to the network.

WebServer End Points

URL	Method	Function	Payload
/config	GET	Open configuration page
/monitor	GET	Return monitor state	{ "on": true }
/monitor	POST	Set monitor state	{ "on": true }
/kvm	GET	Return selected KVM port	{ "kvm": 1 }
/kvm/1	GET	Select KVM port 1
/kvm/2	GET	Select KVM port 2

Home Assistant

The KVM needs a Long-Lived Access Token to interact with home assistant. Create one from the home assistant profile page and save it for later (e.g. notepad)

Monitor Switch

Copy code below into the home assistant switches.yaml file. This will create a switch in home assistant that can be used to turn the connected monitor on and off.

- platform: rest
  name: "Office Monitor"
  unique_id: 08a5830e-3309-4998-9d17-7ea7ecf154fd
  resource: http://<<KVM_HOST_NAME_OR_IP>>/monitor
  timeout: 30
  body_on: '{"on": true}'
  body_off: '{"on": false}'
  is_on_template: "{{ value_json.on }}"
  headers:
    Content-Type: application/json

Configuration

1. Determine the IP of the KVM either from router UI or connecting the KVM to a computer and viewing the serial output.
2. Navigate to http://KVM_IP/config
3. Select the desired source and RGB led color for each input
4. Enter home assistant URL and previously created access token
5. Configure the macro keypad functions
6. Click save

Note clipboard import/export only work if you have the KVM behind an https proxy

Usage

Once properly configured, the inputs can be switched using the configured macro keypad button or through the web server end points