This user’s workflow was not typical.
In his setup, the monitor needed to remain fixed on PC 1, while the keyboard and mouse were frequently switched to operate another computer. In other words, the displayed content and the controlled system were not always the same device.
On the existing HKS401-M24, this workflow quickly exposed a limitation.
As a single-monitor KVM, it followed a clear and consistent switching model:
whenever the user switched to a computer, both the video output and keyboard-mouse control moved together.
For most environments, this behavior is predictable, simple, and reliable.
But in this user’s case, that fixed linkage became a constraint.
When Display and Control Are Locked Together
The issue was not stability—it. It was control granularity.
He needed to temporarily move keyboard and mouse control to another computer without interrupting the screen that remained on PC 1.
Under the existing logic, any control switch immediately triggered a video switch as well.
When the engineering team reproduced this scenario, it became clear that this was not a missing feature at the surface level.
Display and USB control were handled as a single combined switching unit within the system architecture, and they could not be separated.
Supporting this workflow would require redefining how control focus was managed.
A Firmware-Level Change to the Control Model
After evaluating the system architecture, the team implemented a firmware update designed to extend the existing behavior without disrupting it.
With this update:
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The monitor can remain fixed on PC 1
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Keyboard and mouse control can independently switch to PC 2
This change did not alter the default switching logic.
Instead, it introduced an additional control option that users can enable when needed, while preserving the original experience for existing workflows.
User Feedback After the Update
After using the updated firmware, the user shared the following feedback:
“BTW - your product regardless of this issue is FANTASTIC! Works like a charm and anything your team does here is a bonus, not one that makes the product ineffective.”
What changed was not just a feature—it was the device’s ability to align with his actual workflow.
Expanding the Product’s Operational Flexibility
This was not a common request, and it was not part of the original product assumptions.
But it reflected a real-world use case.
With this update, the HKS401-M24 expanded from a strictly synchronized switching model to one where display and control can operate independently when needed.
This allows the device to support more complex multi-system workflows while maintaining its original simplicity and reliability.
