How can I connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to a docking station rather than to a computer, so that I can easily switch between computers with the mouse and keyboard connected to the dock?
Hi all,
I have a microsoft surface keyboard (Model# 3YJ-00013) and Microsoft Surface mouse (Model# 3YR-00005) as shown in the picture.
➊ I want to be able to connect the keyboard and mouse to my work laptop and personal laptop. For example, from 8am-4pm i use my work laptop and between 8pm-10pm i want to use my personal laptop.
• The issue with the above is that this Microsoft keyboard only allows me to connect to 1 laptop at a time.
➼ I have to manually disconnect and reconnect via laptop setting each time I want to change between uses.
I have a Dell D3100 Docking Station and I have purchased a Volans bluetooth 5.0 Dongle thinking by plugging into this dongle my docking station would help my situation… but it hasn’t helped (unless i’m doing something wrong).
Is it possible to connect the keyboard and mouse to a central device and then connect that device to my docking station, therefore I am able to use the laptops interchangeably based on which laptop the docking station is plugged into.
Thanks for reaching out to Plugable! I’m Brian, one of the product owners here, and I’ll be more than happy to assist you!
When it comes to Bluetooth adapters, we don’t actually recommend connecting them to a docking station and constantly switching between the two. Bluetooth adapters were meant for desktops and laptops without Bluetooth.
Bluetooth adapters tend to work best when they’re directly connected to a laptop or desktop system and not in a docking station USB port or USB hub.
If you want to switch between two laptops with Bluetooth, you’ll need to manually disconnect the keyboard and mouse (as well as any other Bluetooth devices) from one laptop and then manually connect them to the other. This means you’ll have to fiddle around with the laptop’s built-in Bluetooth settings to make these manual disconnections and connections.
To make things easier for you, we suggest using a USB mouse and keyboard with a docking station instead. This way, you can seamlessly switch between the laptops without having to go through the hassle of manually disconnecting and reconnecting them each time. However, do keep in mind that you’ll still need to manually disconnect and reconnect other Bluetooth devices like headphones or speakers.
I hope this information proves helpful! Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or if there’s anything else I can assist you with!
