I'm struggling with setting up VirtualHere in my environment and wondering if I'm missing something.
I have three Windows machines: let's call them ServerPC, WorkPC and GamingPC.
I have the server installed on ServerPC, with my USB mouse and KB plugged in. I have clients installed on all three machines, and my goal is to share this single mouse and keyboard with all three, switching on-demand. I want to avoid having to have any other peripherals plugged in to any of them - the end goal is that I can control all three machines with a single mouse\keyboard.
ServerPC should have default control most of the time. However, when I turn on WorkPC at 9am, it should take priority and no other machine needs USB access. When I shut WorkPC off at 5pm, control should revert back to ServerPC.
Outside of that 9-5 window, I want to be able to switch control between ServerPC and GamingPC, ideally with a hotkey. ServerPC and GamingPC are on 24/7.
For some reason, the built-in release and control hotkeys haven't worked for me (and I guess because I'm running clients in service mode with the -a and -i switches, the hotkey options no longer show up when I open the UI anyway). I have tried setting auto-use options but they don't persist across reboots - maybe there are conflicts due to machines fighting for auto-use priority?
I've figured out that I can run vhui64.exe -t "STOP USING,<deviceaddress>" and vhui64.exe -t "USE,<deviceaddress>" from any client machine, and incorporate those into AHK scripts - but if the client machine doesn't have control of the mouse\KB, then I need a secondary peripheral attached to be able to run this hotkey script. I don't see any way to SEND control from the machine currently in control over to the machine I want to have control.
What am I doing wrong? Is this not a valid use case for VirtualHere?
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This is sort of like a KVM switch (I sell something similar)
It can be done via software for your setup but will be a bit convoluted. You basically need to use the mouse/keyboard on the PC that needs it at that time. I don't recommend using auto-use for any of this, then whenever the other two machines are not using the key/mouse it will go back to server control.
Regarding hotkeys, the hotkey is pressed on the machine that wants to use the device now. However if you have no keyboard/mouse connected already then it wont work :) You cant type the hotkeys.
(Hotkeys only work in Windows. The hotkeys still work in service mode they just cant be set there for technical reasons. If you need to set them just uninstall the client service (Right click USB Servers->Uninstall Service i the client) then run the client again and that option will be there.)
If you use the latest virtualhere client 5.8.0+ then there is now a Disconnect from User menu without needed the -a argument anymore. Its on now by default. So you can kick yourself off the other machine if you need access on the new one.
Im thinking of adding a "Send to" option to send a device to another client, i have it for my new device client but not for general clients yet. This is sort of what you need. To send the keyboard/mouse to another client without having to actually go to that client and click Use