The biggest hassle I ran into when setting up my new M1 MacBook Pro was that the keyboard / mouse did not connect when the JideTech KVM cable was plugged in. Only the video worked. The same KVM cable (looped through a 9-in-1 Ikling USB-C hub) worked a-okay when plugged into my Asus Chromebook so I assumed there was some sort of compatibility issue between JideTech and MacOS.
I got around that by ordering a Faracent 3.3ft USB-C extension cable. Using the cable would allow me to place the MacBook on my extension tray and use its built-in keyboard and trackpad alongside my Samsung 27” monitor.
The USB-C extension cable arrived on Friday. The MacBook Pro was a little big for the extension tray, but it was manageable. With the laptop in place, I began installing all the necessary software for work (i.e. Microsoft Teams, IntelliJ, Oracle JDK).
Things seemed to be dandy, but not for long. Less than an hour after I plugged in all the cables, the monitor went blank. This time around, the Asus Chromebook refused to connect as well. My first thought was to blame the JideTech; luckily I tested out the Ikling first. When I swapped the Ikling for an Aukey 12-in-1 hub, everything worked even better than before. In addition to the video, the keyboard / mouse also connected to the MacBook.
Once I was 99.99% sure that the Aukey + JideTech worked, I started the return process for the Faracent. I briefly considered keeping the Faracent and leaving the MacBook on my extension tray (that way, I would be able to keep using its touchpad, which could be nicer on my wrist compared to a mouse), but I didn’t follow through.
