anyone familiar with external monitor hook ups, need advice

i've got a bit of a complex computer component situation to work out, specifically with a (second or) external monitor that has no usb ports -- but does have two hdmi ports. it's the mouse and keyboard hook ups into the external monitor that i'm working on. i think i've got the mouse/keyboard hook ups for the external monitor figured out, but it's complex and there's the 'not bi-directional' part of the usb to hdmi adapter to make sure i'm getting right (so that the mouse and keyboard are both receiving power and functioning on the external monitor).

let me back up here, or give some basic info first --

the external monitor (an HP) will be used with an imac (new, and located in another room). i've got the imac to external monitor connection handled -- using this http://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...5584e8ac1bf7d7706cd09c6678de1a2c5e46f7b987e88   to plug into the thunderbolt port on the imac and into the vga port on the external monitor.

i've got the two hdmi ports on the back of the external monitor to use for hooking up the keyboard and mouse. i have an external usb hub to use, which the mouse and keyboard can plug into. so after doing some research online, i've come up with what i think will work to ultimately connect my mouse/keyboard to my external monitor's hdmi port. here's the plan:

• hdmi cable from external monitor to this adapter -- note that this adapter is not bi-directional, only operates from usb to hdmi.
• adapter's usb plug end connects to usb hub's (usb) plug end using this 'bridge' --

now, i've talked with apple support about this round about way of connecting the keyboard and mouse to the external monitor, and they say it should work fine -- of course, barring any issues/complications with the adapter since that's not an apple product. and i've emailed the adapter's brand support, running my hook up plan by them -- just emailed them today, so no reply as of yet.

i thought i'd ask some of our tech savvy members here for their opinions on this 'plan' too. so -- @Winchester , @FhiCat -- may i ask for your opinions on this? like i said, i think that plan should work, but i'm wanting second opinions just to make sure i'm not missing something somewhere.

anyone else with any thoughts, ideas, or etc please feel free to reply too!

giving this a bump up......

AbbysMom said:

giving this a bump up......

Click to expand...

thank you!

just yesterday afternoon i gave up the 'fight' with that particular monitor. i decided to return it and buy a monitor that has a usb hub in it.

Now I realize I should have said something yesterday, but I was dead tired and didn't want to make it a crappy low-effort reply...

If I understand correctly, you were planning on connecting the video output like so:

Your iMac's mini-displayport -> displayport to VGA adapter -> external monitor's VGA port

This should work fine (although the picture might be a little fuzzy because it's VGA).

And you wanted to connect the mouse and keyboard like so:

USB keyboard/mouse -> USB to HDMI adapter -> external monitor's HDMI port

This won't work, as you found out. A HDMI port just can't be used for USB devices that way. (You're not the first person to think of that, and really it would have been a good idea to make this possible, but they didn't )

Actually, that USB to HDMI adapter of yours has a different purpose: You're supposed plug it into your computer's USB port, connect a HDMI cable and run it to a TV or external monitor.*

The right way to do USB keyboard and mouse control is to connect them to your iMac's USB ports (yes, this means if your iMac is in the next room you will need a long USB extension cable, available on places like Amazon). In all likelihood, this is what your replacement monitor does-- it has built-in USB ports, but ultimately it connects back to your iMac using a USB cable, so you might need the extension cable I mentioned earlier.

tweedledoh said:

 
Now I realize I should have said something yesterday, but I was dead tired and didn't want to make it a crappy low-effort reply...

If I understand correctly, you were planning on connecting the video output like so:

Your iMac's mini-displayport -> displayport to VGA adapter -> external monitor's VGA port

This should work fine (although the picture might be a little fuzzy because it's VGA).

And you wanted to connect the mouse and keyboard like so:

USB keyboard/mouse -> USB to HDMI adapter -> external monitor's HDMI port

This won't work, as you found out. A HDMI port just can't be used for USB devices that way. (You're not the first person to think of that, and really it would have been a good idea to make this possible, but they didn't

)

Actually, that USB to HDMI adapter of yours has a different purpose: You're supposed plug it into your computer's USB port, connect a HDMI cable and run it to a TV or external monitor.*

The right way to do USB keyboard and mouse control is to connect them to your iMac's USB ports (yes, this means if your iMac is in the next room you will need a long USB extension cable, available on places like Amazon). In all likelihood, this is what your replacement monitor does-- it has built-in USB ports, but ultimately it connects back to your iMac using a USB cable, so you might need the extension cable I mentioned earlier.

Click to expand...

thank you for your reply! no problem -- i got to the point where i knew that 'USB keyboard/mouse -> USB to HDMI adapter -> external monitor's HDMI port' wasn't going to work.

i have a 25 ft usb extension cable. i also have a usb hub hooked up to the end of that extension cable and on my desk where the external monitor will be.

okay, but am i going to be able to use one mouse/keyboard for the external monitor and a second set of mouse/keyboard for the imac itself? or am i going to need to have only one mouse/keyboard hooked up and in use at a time? i mean, that's not really a big deal necessarily for me, because i have a second usb hub that i can leave set up with the imac itself which would have a usb mouse/keyboard hooked up to that -- so i'd simply unplug one hub then plug in the other hub (that's using the usb extension). it would just be ideal to be able to switch from external monitor location over to imac location without needing to do any unplugging/plugging in for mouse/keyboards. and there may be times that i'd like to be using both the external and the imac for different things but at the same time.

bearing in mind that i've never actually used an external monitor(s) set up -- so am i correct  in assuming that since many people set up dual or multiple monitors to use in one location, only one mouse/keyboard is needed for them?

another thing i'm not sure about is whether adding to 'iMac's mini-displayport -> displayport to VGA adapter ->'  with a 25 ft vga cable and using a vga to dvi adapter that plugs into the external will work.

there may be times that i'd like to be using both the external and the imac for different things but at the same time.

Click to expand...

You can't have 2 people "actively" use their own mouse and keyboard to make the same iMac do 2 different tasks at once. But what you can have is one person working while another watches a movie. It's like having 2 windows open side-by-side.

i have a second usb hub that i can leave set up with the imac itself which would have a usb mouse/keyboard hooked up to that -- so i'd simply unplug one hub then plug in the other hub (that's using the usb extension). it would just be ideal to be able to switch from external monitor location over to imac location without needing to do any unplugging/plugging in for mouse/keyboards.

Click to expand...

What you're looking for is a "USB switch" (it might be also called a "KM switch" which is short for Keyboard/Mouse switch, but make sure it's still USB). So you can attach 2 sets of mice/keyboards, then press a button to switch between using one set or the other. It's basically the same as lugging your keyboard and mouse from one room to another, but faster! (Disclaimer: I've never used one myself)

(If you don't feel like getting a USB switch, you can actually plug 2 mice and 2 keyboards into the same computer. Try it! And prepare for confusion if you try to use 2 mice or 2 keyboards at once...)

P.S. You might already know this, but there are 2 ways (that I know of) to set up dual monitors. One is to have the 2nd monitor show the same exact thing the first one shows. The other way is to make it like 2 separate screens side-by-side, meaning you can drag a window from one screen to the other.

tweedledoh said:

 
You can't have 2 people "actively" use their own mouse and keyboard to make the same iMac do 2 different tasks at once. But what you can have is one person working while another watches a movie. It's like having 2 windows open side-by-side.

What you're looking for is a "USB switch" (it might be also called a "KM switch" which is short for Keyboard/Mouse switch, but make sure it's still USB). So you can attach 2 sets of mice/keyboards, then press a button to switch between using one set or the other. It's basically the same as lugging your keyboard and mouse from one room to another, but faster! (Disclaimer: I've never used one myself)

(If you don't feel like getting a USB switch, you can actually plug 2 mice and 2 keyboards into the same computer. Try it! And prepare for confusion if you try to use 2 mice or 2 keyboards at once...)

P.S. You might already know this, but there are 2 ways (that I know of) to set up dual monitors. One is to have the 2nd monitor show the same exact thing the first one shows. The other way is to make it like 2 separate screens side-by-side, meaning you can drag a window from one screen to the other.

Click to expand...

yes, that makes sense. but now, since it's just me here, i could leave two mice/keyboards hooked up -- because i (being one person) could never be using them both at the same time with them being in different rooms.

i'd looked into a usb switch. i think i'll try the two mice/keyboards hooked up -- one set for the imac, and the other set for the external. then if i find a usb switch would work better for me, i'll go ahead and get that set up.

yes -- 'mirror' vs 'extend' for external monitors. i've considered setting up two (say, 24 inch screen) externals in one room, and the imac in the other room. the imac is able to support 2 external monitors. with that set up i could drag a window from one screen to the other, of the externals. but i'm thinking that since i can also 'split' one external's screen to have more than one window open then move between those open windows as i want to, i'd rather just have one 27 inch external.

thank you for sharing your knowledge!