A smart KVM monitor's feature list reads shorter than most spec sheets, which makes it easy to skim past without realising each line item changes something specific about how a two-computer desk actually behaves. None of these settings live in software on either machine; every one of them sits in the monitor's own menu.

Quick Answer

Four settings decide how a KVM monitor feels in daily use: which USB input the peripherals follow, whether switching happens automatically or manually, where audio routes, and whether a hotkey shortcut is available. On the R7,999 CU34E4CW, all four live in the on-screen menu rather than in any driver or app, and getting them right takes one short setup pass rather than ongoing adjustment.

🔗 USB input following: automatic versus fixed

This is the setting that decides whether the KVM actually behaves like a KVM at all.

Set to automatic, the monitor hands your keyboard and mouse to whichever computer's video input is currently displayed, switching both together whenever you change the input. Set to fixed or manual, some panels let you pin the keyboard and mouse to one specific computer regardless of which picture is on screen, useful for typing a note on one machine while watching a long process finish on the other's display. Confirm which mode is active before assuming the KVM has stopped working; a fixed setting left on from a previous session is a common cause of a keyboard that seems stuck on the wrong computer.

This distinction matters most right after buying a second-hand monitor or inheriting a desk setup someone else configured. A previous owner who preferred fixed routing, perhaps to keep a keyboard locked to a media PC while glancing at a second source, leaves that setting active by default, and the new owner sees a keyboard that appears to ignore video switching entirely. Checking this one setting first, before assuming a cable or the KVM circuit itself has failed, resolves the great majority of "it just stopped working" reports on a desk that used to function correctly.

🔊 Where the sound goes when you switch

Audio routing is the setting people are least likely to check before a problem shows up, and it varies more between models than the USB setting does.

Some monitors route this panel's pair of built-in 5W speakers, or a connected headset, along with the active video input automatically, meaning sound follows the same switch as your USB-A keyboard and mouse. Others keep audio fixed to whichever source connected first, or offer a completely separate menu setting for audio source independent of video input. If sound keeps playing from the wrong computer after switching, this setting, not the KVM itself, is almost always the cause.

This is worth testing deliberately rather than discovering it mid-call. Switch inputs while music or a video is playing on one machine and watch whether the sound follows the picture or keeps coming from the original source. Doing this once during setup, rather than during an actual video call where the wrong audio source suddenly matters, turns a potential embarrassment into a two-minute menu adjustment instead.

⏱️ Hotkeys and how fast the handover actually is

A physical menu button works, but a keyboard shortcut is faster once you have used it a handful of times.

Many monitors with a built-in KVM support a configurable key combination, often a specific key held for a couple of seconds, to switch inputs without opening the on-screen menu at all. Triggering it, by whichever of those three routes, typically completes the handover within a second or two, covering both the video input change and the USB reassignment together rather than one after the other.

Over a full working day, this difference adds up more than it first appears to. Opening a menu, navigating to the input selection, and confirming the change takes perhaps ten seconds each time, where a configured hotkey collapses that to a single keypress. Someone switching between two machines a dozen times a day saves a genuinely noticeable few minutes, purely from setting this up once rather than repeating the slower menu route every single time.

🖥️ Reading the menu correctly the first time

Every setting above lives somewhere specific in the monitor's on-screen display, and knowing roughly where to look saves a lot of scrolling through unrelated picture settings.

KVM, USB Selection and audio routing settings are typically grouped under a Setup, Extra, or occasionally a dedicated Input menu, separate from picture adjustments like brightness or colour. Running through this menu once during initial setup, confirming each of the four settings above matches how you actually want the desk to behave, avoids most of the "it stopped working" moments that are really just a setting from a previous configuration, and takes considerably less time than troubleshooting each symptom separately after the fact.

For the peripherals this kind of desk depends on, the gaming mouse range and the cheapest gaming keyboards range both stock wired options suited to a two-computer setup on any panel from the office monitor range worth considering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does audio always switch along with the KVM?

Not always. Some monitors route audio with the active video input automatically, while others keep it fixed to one source or offer a completely separate setting for it. Test this directly by switching inputs while sound is playing, rather than assuming either behaviour.

Is there a way to pin peripherals to one machine even after I switch the display?

On many panels, yes, through a manual or fixed USB routing mode buried in the same menu, useful for working on one machine while keeping an eye on the other's screen without your input jumping across every time the picture does.

How fast does a KVM switch between computers?

Typically a second or two, covering both the video input change and the keyboard and mouse reassignment together, no matter which of the three trigger methods you use to start it.

Where do I find KVM settings in the monitor menu?

Usually under a Setup, Extra, or dedicated Input section, separate from picture settings like brightness and colour.

Is a hotkey faster than switching through the menu?

Yes, once configured. A key combination avoids navigating the on-screen menu each time, which adds up over a working day of frequent switching.

Ready to configure your monitor's KVM properly the first time? Run through the USB, audio and hotkey settings once during setup rather than troubleshooting each one separately later.