How to control up to three devices wirelessly with a single keyboard and mouse

When it comes to operating multiple systems with a single keyboard and mouse, things used to be clunky and messy “back in the day”. Plenty of wires running all over with some form of hub in the mix that switched between everything with a switchable button or dial. It worked, but it was a mess and it was expensive.

Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case any longer thanks to modern products and technologies that can get the job done with a fraction of the space. In fact, all you need is the keyboard and mouse (depending on what model you purchase).

For the purposes of this tutorial, we have selected the ProtoArc XKM01 Foldable Keyboard and Mouse. It has the capability of controlling up to three devices wirelessly with no other wires or accessories needed (unless you need a Bluetooth dongle, which we will get to in a moment).

So let’s consider that you have three different devices that could make use of a keyboard and mouse. They could all be in the same room, or spread about your home or office. Now let’s say that some of these devices are “set-and-forget”, small servers, home-brew NAS solutions, and the sort. So you may not want to waste buying multiple keyboard/mouse sets for each one. Why not walk around with a single set?

Another situation where this could be useful is where you have multiple devices plugged into the same monitor or TV. You have only one screen to switch between them all, so why not use the same keyboard and mouse as well?

I could go into detail about setting up remote desktops using various third-party tools like RealVNC, but not everyone is ready to ingest that. Instead, we will focus on a simple solution that anyone could take advantage of. And that is where this keyboard and mouse combo comes into play. There are others out there as well, but we chose this one since it checked many useful boxes, like battery life, latency, mobility, and more.

The benefit of this one is that it comes with a semi-hardshell case, allowing it to be easily carried around between locations or around a building or home. Making this one a versatile option for those who use it with devices spread about or at different locations.

Like many of the other multi-device kits, it supports one connection via its USB dongle, and then one or two Bluetooth devices. So like any other wireless keyboard, one of your devices will be making use of a small dongle (stored away inside of the mouse when not in use). It is best used for devices/systems that don’t support Bluetooth so you can reserve the two Bluetooth buttons for those devices that do.

The bottom of the mouse has a button to switch between the three devices you have it paired to. So you press that until the right input is lit up and it will begin controlling that device.

The keyboard has three buttons representing three inputs. Some models simply will label them one, two, and three. In this case, it is labeled by icons showing 2.4 GHz (dongle), and two for Bluetooth. You simply press the button for the device you want the keyboard to work with. So you have to switch both the mouse and keyboard separately each time, which is normal. They are sold as a set, but it is the same as buying them separately when it comes to connectivity.

Also, both the keyboard and mouse have to be synced via Bluetooth for the two Bluetooth connections to work (for the same reason).

In our case, we used the USB adapter with a mini PC (Azulle) with Windows 11 loaded, and for the two Bluetooth devices, we chose a mini PC (Geekom) with Ubuntu Linux and a Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi OS loaded). All three of these small solutions support Bluetooth, so we could have ordered this however we wanted.

So we have three solutions plugged into the back of a TV. The main focus (device one) is the Windows PC that is used as a terminal for various things. From time to time, we may want to switch inputs on the TV to one of the other two that are being used for various tasks from time to time (usually testing various software and services like Plex, Docker, Node-Red, and other applications used for tieing into other content we publish on).

So the overall footprint is small since we have one TV, one mouse, and one keyboard. The three connected devices are hidden behind the TV. No wires or added accessories are needed, except for if one or both of your Bluetooth-connected devices do not support Bluetooth natively (as mentioned earlier). In this case, you may need to acquire a small Bluetooth dongle for them if they support that.

You can use this kind of configuration with computers, gaming consoles, TVs (models that support keyboard input), streaming devices (ie, Roku, Fire TV Stick, etc), or anything else that supports a keyboard and mouse. It’s a great way of making sure you aren’t overspending while keeping the space around you neat.

The only thing you have to watch out for is things like latency. At times, you may run into a model that suffers from a certain level of latency when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth (usually) just isn’t the best for gaming, but is great for workstations, navigating menus, and other similar needs. However, some models suffer from a level of latency that makes most activities difficult. Thankfully, brands like ProtoArc and Logitech typically provide a much better experience. In this case, we could barely detect any noticeable latency over Bluetooth. Nothing that would ever get in the way of normal productivity usage.

The model/combo we used for this scenario is available in multiple colors, and can be found on Amazon, as well as via places like Newegg, Walmart, or even AliExpress. It can also be found on the company’s website where they are running a discount if you use the code “PNW15“.

Additional Images (ProtoArc):