Input Director – Control multiple computers with one keyboard/mouse

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For people who use multiple computers (the most common combination is laptop + desktop PC) at the same time, you have to change to use a different mouse and keyboard every time you switch from one computer to another, which makes work very inefficient and people feel tired! In this case, in addition to paid software like Synergy can solve the problem, there is also free (for non-commercial use only) application like Input Director can help you.

Input Director allows you to control multiple computers (for Windows only) with a single pair of keyboard and mouse, thus greatly increasing your efficiency in using the computer while reducing the device expenses and freeing up the desktop space. It works in a pattern similar to Synergy. Both of them divide computers into Master (control end) and Slave (controlled end) these two parts. The user only needs to install Input Director on each machine, then set one as Master and the other as Slave. Of course, the premise is that all computers need to be on the same LAN.

Input Director also provides some other useful features, such as support for sharing clipboards between multiple computers, support for custom macros and key bindings, support for multiple monitors, support for data transmission encryption, support for simultaneous transmission of keyboard and mouse actions to multiple computers, support for opening native files on other computers, and so on. Unfortunately, it does not support drag & drop file transfer, only allows to copy/paste files that are already shared on the LAN.

// Key Features //

Easy to Use
  • Easy to follow installation and usage guides – setup only takes a few minutes
  • Tell Input Director how your monitors are positioned simply by dragging them to the correct spot on the monitor grid
  • Multi-monitor support
  • Shared Clipboard – copy and paste between computers (including files!)
  • Compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7
  • Only Input Director ensures the cursor remains visible and correct if the mouse is disconnected on a Windows 10 system
  • Transitioning control to another computer is as simple as moving your cursor off the screen on one computer for it to jump to the other
  • Able to control a computer without needing to login to it first
  • Supports Windows fast user switching
  • Compatible with Windows User Account Control pop-ups
Manage all your computers at once
  • Simultaneously lock all computers
  • Import/Export Input Director configuration and apply configuration updates from the command line
  • Synchronize screensavers across your computers
  • Synchronize shutdown of your system (or individually configure whether a computer goes to standby, hibernate or shuts down)
  • Wake systems over the network
Security
  • Encrypt network data between Input Director controlled computers
  • Lock down the Input Director configuration so that only System Administrators may make changes
  • Systems can limit which systems can control them by host name, ip address or network subnet
Transition Features
  • Ripples surround the cursor for a few seconds after transitioning to help the eye follow the cursor from one computer to another:
  • Transitioning using the mouse can be setup to occur:
    • Immediately when the cursor hits the edge of the screen
    • If the screen edge is double tapped by the cursor
    • If the cursor momentarily pauses at the edge of the screen
  • Can be configured to limit transitions near the corners of computer monitors to avoid accidental slippage between systems
  • Can also set a key (or keys) that must be held down to permit transitions between systems
  • Hotkeys can be setup to switch control to a specific computer or move to the next computer to the left or right
Keyboard and Mouse Features
  • Choose to use your mouse (speed, button order) preferences when directing another system
  • Supports different keyboard layouts
  • The keyboard LEDs (Caps Lock, Scroll Lock and Num Lock) reflect the status of the computer being controlled
  • Mirror input – Broadcast mouse gestures and/or keyboard input to all computers simultaneously
  • Keyboard macros – record a sequence of keystrokes that can then be run by hotkey. Macros can be broadcast to all computers, played on the system being controlled, or tied to a particular computer
  • Key bindings – permanently bind a key to another key on a specified system
More features…
  • A semi-transparent information window can be overlaid on any (or all) systems, pointing to the system currently being controlled.
  • With the click of a check box a system can temporarily be skipped
  • On startup a system will inform other Input Director systems that they are available
  • Systems inform related Input Director systems when they’re about to be shutdown or rebooted and the Director system will automatically skip them when navigating between computers

// Fan Made Demo Video //

// Related Links //

// Download URLs //

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