HDMI switch

[jtr63]

I am trying to set up my home office with 2 monitors using either my work laptop, through a docking station, or my home desktop as the input. Does a “2 in, 2 out” switch exist. The ones I can see on the web appear to be 1 in, multiple out. Is what I am trying to achieve possible ?

TIA
John

[Itsallaguess]

I am trying to set up my home office with 2 monitors using either my work laptop, through a docking station, or my home desktop as the input.

Does a “2 in, 2 out” switch exist? The ones I can see on the web appear to be 1 in, multiple out.

Is what I am trying to achieve possible ?

I think you're perhaps overcomplicating things, and even if what you're proposing above is available cheaply, you'd be considerably limiting your options by heading down this 'single-switch' route.

Anyway, I think what you're actually describing above isn't really a '2 in, 2 out' switch, but a '4 in, 2 out' 'paired' switch, where a dual-monitor display can be achieved using either your laptop or your desktop using a single button to swap between the two devices, but I think you'd be struggling to get many options to be honest..

But...

An alternative, cheap, 'off-the-shelf' solution, which would then open up your choices considerably, would be to just use two separate '2 in, 1 out' HDMI switches, and take a single HDMI output from each device to each switch, and then simply switch both HDMI switches at the same time, whenever you're wanting to swap input-devices...

I can't recommend one, but having just taken a quick look on Amazon, the link below shown an example of the above alternative solution. You'd need two of course, but at a tenner each and with good Amazon user-reviews, it will hopefully give you something to think about if you can't find a good 'one-switch' solution -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HDMI-Switch-Bidirectional-Splitter-Supports/dp/B076VJ7XZV

Edit - Just found an example of what I think would be your ideal solution, and my suspicions regarding cost have been confirmed - £140 for the '4-in, 2-out' HDMI switch below -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GHT-Dual-Monitor-HDMI-Switch/dp/B083VZBRRC

At that price for a single-switch solution, I think I'd be putting up with spending £20 and pressing a button on two boxes instead...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[servodude]

Another alternative might be to use DisplayPort/VDI for one and HDMI for the other, depending on the monitor's ports

I do this with a PI that's attached to my second monitor via HDMI

- sd

[DrFfybes]

We looked at this for similar reasons, then realised using different types of inputs helped.

Plugging in VGA or Dport from the desktop and then HDMI from the laptop, and toggling the laptop "external monitor" setting. When activated, the monitor saw ithe HDMI input appear and switched to it, turning it off on the laptop (F10 key?) meant the signal stopped and the monitor went back to showing the VGA input. You have to toggle the power on the monitor sometimes (no idea why) to go back to the desktop but it takes 4 or 5 seconds compared to faffing with wires.

Paul

[elkay]

Another alternative might be to use DisplayPort/VDI for one and HDMI for the other, depending on the monitor's ports

I do this with a PI that's attached to my second monitor via HDMI

- sd

Multiple inputs on the monitors works for me too.