Ratoc Systems is launching a 4K HDMI KVM switch this September, allowing users to switch between four PCs seamlessly while enhancing workspace efficiency.

<img class="introimage" itemprop="image" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/doom_via_jetkvm.png" style="display: none"/><div> <p>Years ago now, my boss's boss got quite excited: the company had bought him an IP enabled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVM_switch">KVM</a>, allowing him to remotely connect to a machine as if he were stood in the build room in front of it.</p> <p>Ever since then, I've periodically found myself wanting one. Although it would often have made my life a ton easier, they've always been hideously expensive (and I've never needed one enough to be able to expense it in the way that that VP could).</p> <p>Imagine my excitement, then, when I saw Jeff Geerling <a href="https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/jetkvm-tiny-ip-kvm-thats-not-apple-watch">talking about</a> a project aimed at creating a small, inexpensive and <a href="https://github.com/jetkvm/kvm">open source</a> device: <a href="https://jetkvm.com/">JetKVM</a>.</p> <p>I'm normally fairly wary of Kickstarters because many projects never see the light of day. However, this seemed worth a punt.</p> <p>My JetKVM has finally arrived, so this post is aimed primarily at recording my first impressions of it. I'll also play a bit of Doom with it, because... why not.</p> <!-- TEASER_END --> <hr/> <h4 id="boxing-and-packaging">Boxing and Packaging</h4> <p>The device turned up in nice packaging:</p> <p><img alt="Photo of the device in its box, it's essentially a slide out tray" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/jetkvm_in_box.jpg"/></p> <p>The section with the QR code contains a set of cables:</p> <ul> <li>Micro-HDMI to HDMI</li> <li>USB-C splitter (one side data, the other power)</li> <li>USB-C to USB</li> </ul> <p>The only things that I needed to provide were a network cable and a USB power supply.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="connecting">Connecting</h4> <p>The device has 4 ports on the back of it:</p> <p><img alt="Photo of the rear of the device. The top left is a RJ45 ethernet port, with an RJ11 accessories port next to it. Bottom left is mini HDMI and bottom right is USB-C" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/jetkvm_rear.jpg"/></p> <p>The accessories port is a RJ11 connector and allows various control add-ons to be connected. For example, there's an extension which allows the device to plug directly into a system's power supply so that it can be power cycled (the one that I'm excited about, though, allows connection to a serial port).</p> <hr/> <h4 id="connecting_1">Connecting</h4> <p>It's simple to connect</p> <ul> <li>Plug in the ethernet cable</li> <li>Plug the HDMI lead into the back of the KVM and into the HDMI port of the system being connected to</li> <li>Plug the USB-C splitter into the KVM</li> <li>Plug the USB lead into the back of the target system and connect the C end into the data portion of the splitter</li> <li>Plug the USB power supply into the power portion of the splitter</li> </ul> <p>The KVM then boots up, acquires an IP via DHCP and displays it:</p> <p><img alt="Photo of the front of the JetKVM" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/jet_kvm_front.jpg"/></p> <p>The KVM exposes a web interface, so you just browse to the IP.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="web-interface">Web Interface</h4> <p>The first time that you use it, you're greeted by a splash screen</p> <p><img alt="Screenshot of the initial setup screen" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/setup_screen.png"/></p> <p>This then moves on to having you set the KVM up, primarily by deciding whether you want to password protect access or not.</p> <p>Once that's done, you land on a simple interface, containing an area which shows the target system's display output. Keypresses pass straight through to the system.</p> <p>For example, I started running <code>htop</code>:</p> <p><img alt="Running htop via serial console" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/running_htop.png"/></p> <p>The display uses quite a high resolution, so it's a little hard to use the shell in this mode. However, this is easily addressed by hitting <code>Fullscreen</code>.</p> <p>There's also a <code>Virtual Keyboard</code> option, which I <em>hoped</em> was a sign that it was accessible via mobile too. Unfortunately, it's not <em>really</em> usable in Firefox Mobile:</p> <p><img alt="Screenshot of accessing in Firefox mobile. The virtual keyboard takes up most of the screen, and the console output is too small to be readable" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/jetkvm_firefox_mobile.png"/></p> <p>That's a pity, but definitely not the end of the world and I suspect it'll work fine on my tablet.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="ssh-access">SSH Access</h4> <p>SSH access is not enabled by default (there's a section in Settings in the UI), but it's possible to upload a public key so that you can SSH onto the KVM, landing in a Busybox session.</p> <p>The docs don't seem to mention the username that you need, but it's <code>root</code>.</p> <p>It's doesn't appear to be possible to use remote control from a shell (maybe the serial stuff will support it?), but SSH access <em>does</em> mean that you <strong>can</strong> use the KVM as a pivot point to reach other parts of the network:</p> <pre><code class="language-sh">ssh \ -o proxyCommand="ssh root@192.168.3.112 nc 192.168.11.5 22" \ ben@192.168.11.5 </code></pre> <p>It also allows arbitrary port forwarding</p> <pre><code class="language-sh">ssh -L 8091:192.168.5.5:80 root@192.168.3.112 </code></pre> <p>Both are potentially pretty handy if remoting in over a connection which doesn't provide broader routing.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="latency">Latency</h4> <p>A common complaint with any kind of system control-over-IP is that it tends to involve some level of latency.</p> <p>It <strong>seemed</strong> pretty responsive, so I decided that I'd test it by hooking the JetKVM up to a Nintendo Switch and playing Doom (unfortunately, the keyboard passthrough <em>doesn't</em> work with the Switch, so I used a <strong>really</strong> long USB extender and a wired controller to play from another room).</p> <p><img alt="A nintendo switch with the KVM plugged into it" src="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/switch_and_kvm_pic_sm.jpg"/></p> <p>There was no audio, but other than that, the game was definitely playable:</p> <video controls="" preload="metadata"><source src="https://videos.bentasker.co.uk/2025/20250128_doom_via_jetkvm/doom_via_jetkvm.mp4" type="video/mp4"> There should be a video here, you may need to visit in a browser </source></video><p>Side note: now I know how my littlun feels when parental controls kick him in in the evening.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="other-bits-and-pieces">Other Bits and Pieces</h4> <p>There are a few other bits that seem worth noting</p> <ul> <li>The interface exposes some interesting additions under <a href="https://www.bentasker.co.uk/images/BlogItems/jetKVM/jetkvm_settings.png">Settings</a>, including "Jiggle Mode" (periodically wiggles the mouse to keep the system from going to sleep)</li> <li>It's possible to mount media remotely, allowing things like OS reinstalls to be performed</li> <li>It's reassuringly heavy</li> <li>I haven't tried it yet, but there is a <a href="https://github.com/tutman96/jetkvm-plugin-tailscale">plugin to add a JetKVM to a tailnet</a> </li> <li>The display is very smudge happy. There's no practical impact to this unless you're trying to take pictures for a blog post though</li> </ul> <p>I had no luck connecting it to a NUC using a Displayport to HDMI adapter. I <em>think</em> though, that this is a shortcoming of the NUC (I've had problems with it before) rather than the KVM.</p> <hr/> <h4 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h4> <p>I'm pretty pleased with it, it's a nice little device. </p> <p>It should only get more useful once the addons become available. In particular, being able to plug a serial cable in should mean that it can be used with <strong>huge</strong> range of devices, whether that's connecting to a Raspberry Pi or a Solar Battery.</p> <p>If I had to pick a fault: Although it's the result of space constraints, I don't love the fact that it needs a USB-C splitter, because I'm fairly sure that I'll lose or break it quite quickly.</p> <p>I'm certain that someone will get around to using the JetKVM's display to actually play Doom <strong>on</strong> it, but it's more than responsive enough to play Doom over it (it's just a pity the Switch doesn't recognise it's keyboard).</p> <p>Until I find a "proper" use for it, I'll probably see whether something like my Megadrive mini will accept the keyboard passthrough.</p> </div>

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