There is a KVM from Epiphan Systems that connects your laptop to the monitor/keyboard/mouse of another system using a USB based VGA framebuffer. At $399 the price may be a bit steep though. Use servers with “lights out” modules. This way network is all you need and your notebook will be a nice terminal. Show
Can I use my laptop as a monitor and keyboard for a desktop?To use your laptop as a second monitor, you need KVM software. You install the software on your desktop and your laptop, and the local network creates a bridge between both devices. You can control your desktop and laptop from a single keyboard and mouse, turning your laptop into a second monitor. How do I connect my CPU to a laptop and use the laptop as a monitor?Follow these steps to connect the laptop to the CPU as a second monitor.
Can you use a laptop as a keyboard for another computer?The only way to use a laptop as a display/keyboard for a PC located elsewhere is to use remote desktop software of some sort, which means incurring video encoding and decoding latency. If you want to avoid that, your other option would be to use a KVM range extender which cost anywhere from $100 to $1500. Can I use my laptop as a monitor with HDMI?The HDMI port (or VGA, or DVI, or DisplayPort) that comes on your laptop will only work for outputting its display and it will not work as a video input for another device. However, you cannot connect your laptop to your PC with a cable to get your laptop to display what your PC is outputting. How can I use my laptop as a monitor with cable?5 Easy Ways to Connect a Laptop to a Monitor
How do I use my laptop as a monitor with HDMI?Follow the steps below to connect your switch console to your laptop. Step 1: Locate the HDMI output port on the Nintendo Switch Dock and hook it up to one of the ends of the HDMI Cable. Step 2: Next, take the opposite end of the HDMI cable and connect it to the HDMI in port on the Elgato Game Capture Card. Do you plug keyboard into monitor or PC?Yes, you can plug a USB mouse and keyboard into the monitor as long as a USB cable is connected from the monitor to the computer. How can I use my computer without a keyboard?Go to Start , then select Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, and turn on the toggle under Use the On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard that can be used to move around the screen and enter text will appear on the screen. The keyboard will remain on the screen until you close it. How can I use my laptop as a monitor?Go to the desktop or laptop you want to use as your main device and press Windows Key+P. Select how you want the screen to be displayed. Choose “Extend” if you want your laptop to act as a true second monitor that gives you additional screen space for the productivity uses mentioned above. Is it possible to use a laptop as a monitor and keyboard?If all you will be using the computer is for storage, get it setup, note the IP it has, disconnect monitor, keyboard, mouse from it, and use the laptop to remote into the computer as needed to check on things. What do I need to set up my laptop as a desktop?Specifically, you will require a monitor (whatever size you want) with an HDMI port, an HDMI cable, USB keyboard and mouse (wired or wireless.) To start setting up your laptop as a desktop, set the monitor on your desk. Plug the monitor in and connect the HDMI cable to the port in the back and turn it on. How to use laptop as keyboard and screen for a headless server?Check out KVM2USB 3.0, our next-generation portable KVM console over USB. Connect to VGA, DVI and HDMI sources, over a faster USB 3.0 connection in full HD! This instruction explains how to use a laptop as the keyboard and screen for a headless a server using the KVM2USB solution. Can a laptop be used as a keyboard and mouse?You’re now able to use your laptop as the keyboard, mouse, and monitor for your remote target computer. Try it with a variety of different targets, and you’ll find that KVM2USB 3.0 is always ready to lend you a hand.
 If you’re looking to extend your desktop’s display and use your laptop as a second or third monitor for your PC, in this guide, we’re going to show you how to do so. While it might seem like a simple process where all you have to do is connect your laptop to your desktop with an HDMI cable (or other video input cable), the reality is that it doesn’t work like that. The HDMI port (or VGA, or DVI, or DisplayPort) that comes on your laptop will only work for outputting its display and it will not work as a video input for another device. That means that if you want to display your laptop’s screen on a larger display (TV, monitor, projector, etc.) or connect it to another display to extend your laptop’s display, you can do so by simply connecting the additional display to your laptop. However, you cannot connect your laptop to your PC with a cable to get your laptop to display what your PC is outputting. So, in order to get your laptop’s display to function as a monitor for another device, you must either use built-in features on Windows or use third-party software in order to get the two devices working together correctly. And, in this guide, we’ll show you the different options you have for setting up your laptop as either a second display for your PC or as its primary display. How to Use A Laptop As A Second Monitor to Extend the Display of Your PC1. Using Miracast on Windows SystemsThe first option is to use the Miracast feature that can be found on Windows devices. To set this up you need to do the following. On the Laptop You Wish to Use As A Secondary Display
*NOTE: If you’re getting a red error message that reads “Projecting to this PC. We are still trying to determine the feature capabilities” check out this thread on the Microsoft Help forums for a possible fix. I had to go into my Device Manager and uninstall and reinstall the Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter in order to get this error message to go away and give me the option to set up “Projecting to this PC” On the Main PC That You Want to Use Your Laptop’s Display as Secondary Display For
Some Compatibility Issues With MiracastNot everyone will be able to use Miracast. I had trouble getting my laptop to connect using Miracast because it requires the use of Intel HD graphics and since my system has a dedicated graphics card in it, I couldn’t get it to work. Your desktop PC will also need to utilize a wireless connection to connect to the laptop. Since I use an ethernet connection and don’t have onboard Wi-Fi, I would have to use a wireless adapter in order to utilize my laptop as an additional display. 2. Using A Third-Party Program Like Space DeskA much better option that isn’t restricted by some of the compatibility issues that plagues Miracast is to use a third-party program like Space Desk. In order to use Space Desk, you just need to download the Space Desk Drive program on your main system and the Space Desk Viewer program on the laptop that you wish to use as an extended display for your main system. Rather than give you a step-by-step list of how to set Space Desk up, you can watch this video on how to do so from YouTube channel Pear Crew: Using Space Desk I was able to get my laptop working as an extended display much quicker and easier than trying to use Miracast. Remotely Connecting to Your Desktop from Your LaptopAnother option you might prefer is to use your laptop’s display (and its keyboard, mouse, trackpad) to control another computer. Obviously, this is a little bit different of an option than using your laptop as a monitor, as instead, you’ll be using your laptop to have complete control over your main PC. And, if you’re looking for a way to use your more mobile laptop to gain access to your main desktop system, this is the way to go. Connecting remotely to your desktop from your laptop is a pretty simple process that can be accomplished with a variety of third-party programs. I use TeamViewer as it is a fairly straight-forward process: How to Use Your Laptop to Remotely Control Your Desktop PC
Streaming Games to Your Laptop from Your Desktop Using Steam In-Home StreamingFor gaming-specific purposes, you can also use your laptop to play Steam games from your desktop using Steam’s In-Home Streaming option. I use this feature quite a bit if I want to play games in my bed, or somewhere other than my office (where my desktop is located.) This is also advantageous because if your laptop isn’t strong enough to play more demanding games and your desktop is, you can still play those more demanding games on your laptop by streaming them from your gaming desktop. So, for instance, I have a ~5-year old laptop with a pretty weak GPU in it and I can still play games like The Witcher 3 on it if I stream it from my desktop. The downsides are that you can see a drop in latency in your games, which can make playing competitive games through In-Home Streaming much more difficult. But, if you want to try out In-Home Streaming from your desktop to your laptop, here’s how you set it up…
Your laptop will now start streaming the game from your desktop and you can use a controller our your laptop’s keyboard and a mouse to play the game. |
