Kanex Multi-Sync Keyboard review: One keyboard, four Macs and iOS devices
Among my favorite keyboards these days are Logitech’s $100 Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard K811 and its solar-powered sibling, the $80 Wireless Solar Keyboard K760. Both Bluetooth keyboards let you pair with any combination of three Macs and iOS devices, switching between those devices with a simple keypress.
But what if you need to use your keyboard with four devices? Then you’ll want to take a look at Kanex’s $69 Multi-Sync Keyboard. This Mac/iOS-focused keyboard also pairs with up to three Bluetooth devices, but it adds a USB connection for use as a wired keyboard with your Mac (or with an iOS device using Apple’s Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter). Thanks to its larger size (17.4 inches wide), the Multi-Sync also includes a standard numeric keypad, a feature missing from those Logitech models. The downside is that the Multi-Sync Keyboard’s keys aren’t as good as those on Logitech’s offerings.
The Multi-Sync Keyboard’s low profile
Bluetooth+1
As with the K760 and K811, the Multi-Sync Keyboard pairs easily with up to three Bluetooth-enabled Macs and iOS devices (including the Apple TV) in any combination. To pair the keyboard, you just turn it on, press the desired quick-switch key (F1, F2, or F3, each labeled with the Bluetooth symbol) you want to assign to the device you’re pairing with, and then press the Bluetooth-pair button on the bottom of the keyboard. You then complete the pairing process on your Mac or iOS device. You repeat the process, pressing a different quick-switch key, for each additional device. Once you’ve paired the keyboard with several devices, you choose the active device by pressing its corresponding F-key (F1, F2, or F3).
This feature worked well in my testing with a Mac, an iPad, and an Apple TV, connecting with the corresponding device a few seconds after I pressed one of the quick-switch keys. LEDs on the opposite end of the keyboard—an odd placement—confirm these connections.
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