Maxim Devaev Launches the PiKVM V4, Now Powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4
Designed to capture 1200p60 video and stream it over a network with full USB keyboard and mouse control, the new PiKVM is a big upgrade.
Maxim Devaev and colleagues are back on the crowdfunding circuit with a next-generation version of PiKVM, a network-streaming keyboard-video-mouse switch powered by a Raspberry Pi single-board computer: the PiKVM V4.
"'New version' may seem like a bit of an understatement, but we believe that the improvements implemented in PiKVM V4 are bigger than those in V3," Davaev writes of the next-generation hardware, which now comes in two variants: PiKVM V4 Mini and PiKVM V4 Plus. "Listening to the extensive feedback from customers and supporters, we have combined your suggestions with our ideas and ever-ambitious dreams."
We covered the third-generation PiKVM a year ago, when its creators launched the crowdfunding campaign — a campaign that proved staggeringly successful with over 3,500 backers pledging a total of nearly $800,000, well above the crowdfunder's $45,000 goal. Despite a few delays, the last of the devices were shipped at the end of 2021 — though a handful of backers report not having received the hardware, which the campaign organizers blamed on a failure to fill out the backer survey.
Where the third-generation PiKVM was based on a Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) accessory for the full-size Raspberry Pi family of single-board computers, the new fourth-generation models are designed as standalone products — though they're still Raspberry Pi powered, only this time moving to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4) system-on-module (SOM). "All PiKVM V4 devices come as a complete product," Devaev promises, "equipped with all you need out of the box; a power supply, USB & Ethernet cables, and even PCI brackets to install the ATX board into an ATX or mini ITX computer/server cases."
The PiKVM V4 crowdfunding campaign is live lier versions did: capture video from a connected computer's HDMI output and stream it over a network, allowing for full remote control including USB keyboard and mouse interaction. The PiKVM V4 Mini. the cheaper of the two, offers 1920×1200 capture at 60Hz, provides connections for optional remote reset and power-button toggling of the connected computer, and a fanless design. It does, however, lose the USB Host port of its predecessor.
The larger PiKVM V4 Plus, meanwhile, includes a mini-PCI Express (mPCIe) connector for an optional cellular modem, allowing for SMS alerts and connectivity even in the event of a network outage. There's also a USB 3.0 port internally, designed for a flash drive — offering the option to quickly reinstall a faulty operation system, for example — along with a second HDMI output, custom heatsink with radial speed-controlled fan, and both a Kensington-compatible locking point and a hidden microSD slot to prevent easy data theft.
The PiKVM V4 crowdfunding campaign is now live on Kickstarter, with physical rewards set at $225 for the PiKVM V4 Mini and $315 for the PiKVM V4 Plus. Devaev claims to have enough Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 SOMs on-hand to deliver a certain number of units by March 2023, though admits that orders in excess of this may be delayed while additional SOMs are acquired.