How I use my Gaming Setup to Work from Home
There’s something so nice about sitting down at a desk that was made to be used for hours on end… The sleek keys, frictionless mice… There’s even something about the monitor and its intentional crispness. I love my home gaming setup, and while my actual gaming skills leave something to be desired, my desk is the opposite. Its perfect (for me).
Because of this, when I heard that we were going to be working from home for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was pretty excited to be able to use my home set-up for work purposes. What I didn’t expect was how frustrating moving between computers was going to be.
Every time I needed to work I had to unplug and replug my HDMI cable, keyboard, mouse, and video cam into my work computer; and after every work day I would go through the same steps so that I could play my games. Repeating this ritual upwards of twice a day eventually got me thinking on how I could make this whole process easier.
After some Googling, forum searching, and online shopping, I finally found a system that works so well for me now. At the flick of a switch, I can now jump between my home-computer and my work-computer without so much as a cable-move. Here’s what I did to solve my problem, and hopefully it can help you too.
Here are the main items you’ll need to turn your home gaming-setup to a great work-setup
A KVM Switch
The purpose of a KVM switch is to connect your Keyboard, Video, and Mouse to multiple computers. This little device does most of the heavy lifting needed to prevent you from unplugging and replugging in all of your devices.
To set it up you’ll first have to connect your monitor’s HDMI cable, video cam, mouse, and keyboard (or any other input devices you use) into your KVM switch’s Input Slots. After that is set up, you’ll need to connect your work laptop and gaming computer into the respective Output Slots with HDMI cables and USB-b cables. The HDMI cable is to connect each of the computer’s displays to your monitor, whereas the USB-b cable is used to power the switch itself so it can perform the task of switching when you need.
After everything is plugged in you should see one of your computer’s desktop on your monitor, and your mouse and keyboard should be functioning on-screen. To switch to your other computer, all you need to do is click the button on the KVM Switch and it will switch your Input Devices from one computer to another, easily allowing you to switch from your Work Desktop to your Gaming Desktop without unplugging anything.
There are lots of KVM Switches out there to choose from, but here is a link to the item I purchased off amazon that fits my exact needs. I chose this device due to its 2-output capacity and its 4k Video quality; it also has just enough USB ports for all of my input devices. Should you need to switch between more than just two computers, or more input ports, there are KVM switches out there that can suit your needs — they just get a little pricier.
This device takes care of all of our physical input abilities, but what about our audio? For that issue, we’ll need another device.
An Audio Switcher
As you expect, an Audio Switcher does exactly what our KVM switch does, except only with your audio. To set this device up, you’ll need your headset or desktop speaker’s auxiliary cable as well as two additional auxiliary cables to connect your work and home computers.
By plugging your headset into the singular aux port side, and your computers to the dual-aux port side, you’ll be able to click a button and switch between listening to your home computer and your work computer. I chose this device specifically because it was cheap and got what I needed done. It also had some additional features like a mute button and volume control, which could prove beneficial in the future when switching devices.
To note, when you’re setting up your Audio Switcher you may want to have channel 1 coincide with the device used for channel 1 on your KVM switch. That way you can quickly glance at your switches to make sure they’re using the same device.
With this taken care of, now all you have to do is clear off your desk of any miscellaneous wires and set up your switches in an easy-to-press location. And just like that, you’re free of the unplugging madness.
After I got both of my switches set up, I went online and bought a really cheap wall-mounted file holder and use it to house my work laptop. Now my PC is on the ground under my desk and my work laptop is beside it hanging on the wall. I also mounted my switches to the side of my desk so they’re easy to reach but also out of sight.
With this set up, everything feels so clean and manageable. No more tangled wires, mix-and-match dongles, or frustrating cable hunts. With the click of a button, I’m ready to switch gears at a moments notice. I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me. We’re all in this work-from-home grind together! Let’s make sure we’re working smarter, not harder.
Do you have any home-and-work setup suggestions? Leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
Jenna Palmer
My Shopping List
If you’re wanting to mirror my setup, here is the shopping list you can use. I’m not an affiliate of any of these businesses, just a fan of budgeting and knowing what to expect.
In total, the switches themselves cost me $50; $30 for the KVM Switch, and $20 for the Audio Switch. The extra wires and mounts cost another $20, but only because I had some extra cables around my home I could use.
Keep this cost in mind as you go searching for your own switches and cables. As long as the item gets the job done, you’re set:
- KVM Switch — GREATHTEK’s KVM Switch
- USB-B to USB-C — CableCreation’s USB Printer Cable to USB-c (used to power KVM switch via my work Macbook)
- USB-B to USB 2.0 — USGREEN USB 2.0 to USB Printer Cable (used to power KVM switch via my Gaming PC)
- HDMI Cables (x2) — AmazonBasic’s HDMI Cable (connects work and gaming laptop display to KVM Switch)
- Wall Mount for Audio and KVM Switch — Mount Plus Store’s Streaming Device Mount
- Audio Switch — Diginex’s 3.5mm Audio Switcher
- Aux Cable (x2) — OldboyTech’s Aux Cables 3ft (to connect work and gaming computer audio)
- Aux Cable Splitter — UGREEN Headphone Splitter (used on my Gaming PC since there’s a separate port for both input and output)
- Wall Mount for File — Officemate Unbreakable Verticle File Holder (used to hold my work Macbook so its not on my desk)
