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Dave Miller – Tech Enthusiast & Security Expert – October 12th, 2022
If you need to link two laptops or your laptop to a friend’s one, you may wonder how to connect 2 laptops with HDMI. It comes to mind because it is how you can share your screen with an external monitor. But it would help if you comprehended first whether or not this is achievable.
It’s simpler than you imagine connecting two laptops with the same ports, and we all know how much more productive and enjoyable using several displays can be. But let me quickly point out that, with a few exceptions, connecting two computers through HDMI is not possible. I’ll explain today the requirement for a smart card in addition to the laptop HDMIs.
Find out why you should not attempt this and what more you can do about it by reading on.
The most widely used method of transferring uncompressed audio and video from a source to a receiver or display today is HDMI. Because it is a digital replacement for analog video standards, the HDMI connector is present on every new current laptop. These HDMI ports would be on your and your friend’s laptops. HDMI cables are the most popular choice for connecting home gadgets due to their affordability. You may also buy one for Amazon today and enjoy the connectivity.
You can utilize either end of the cable if you have it, as both ends have the same size and function. Consequently, you could try inserting one end into your laptop and the other into a friend’s, thinking they should connect. However, allow me to pause here and urge you never to give this a go.
First off, as I mentioned above, connecting two laptops directly via HDMI is not possible. Additionally, it would help if you didn’t do it because doing so might harm the computer you are now using. Let’s discuss some other methods for how to connect 2 laptops with HDMI.
I have a solution that I can review with you since you still need to connect to another laptop and are seeking methods to accomplish so.
To link the two laptops, you must buy the Capture card. It is a somewhat pricey but generally more affordable choice. Examine several capture card possibilities following your demands, and select the one that appeals to you the most. You can use the link below to purchase from Amazon as well.
If we discuss the design of the Capture card. It features an HDMI input on one end that accepts the video feed from the main laptop. The second laptop gets simultaneously connected to the USB port on the opposite end of the cable. It seems to inform the other laptop that it is a camera feed.
You should invest in a capture card that can meet your needs if you want to view something at a high frame rate and quality. The best thing is that you don’t need the newest laptop model; any laptop with an HDMI connector will do. So once you have purchased a capture card, follow the instructions below on how to utilize it.
Step #1: Install the Open Broadcaster Software on the second laptop. This software got created especially for recording and broadcasting. Once done, switch the setup settings to virtual camera mode in the configuration.
Step #2: Connect the HDMI wire from the primary laptop to the capture card, and then plug the USB end of the capture card into the USB port of the second laptop.
Laptops’ HDMI ports can only be used as output, whether a Windows or a Mac laptop. You cannot connect two laptops through two output ports. But it works when HDMI connections on monitors and TVs are input only. It doesn’t make any sense to combine two same outports.
A few laptops available offer an HDMI input connector, allowing you to utilize the laptop’s screen as a display for another device. On its Alienware computers, Dell used to provide an input one additionally. For more specific information about your models, please get in touch with the laptop manufacturer’s support. Most likely, it won’t work. But what else may occur if you give it a shot anyway?
Nothing will happen at most. Connecting two computers won’t do anything because most AV systems use a source, such as a computer, that travels in one direction before reaching a destination. However, since neither machine is a destination and both are sources, no data may get sent between them. The laptops are unable to see one another or detect a plug-in device.
A chip located directly at the output of a suitable HDMI design, among other things, prevents two sources from shorting each other out. They will act as if there is no connection and refuse to deliver video or audio, given that their secure chips exist.
However, if the chip is not there since you transfer +5V from both sides when you plug two transmitters into each other, this might harm one or both computers. Every manufacturer doesn’t use these chips. If one or both get done poorly, you risk damaging critical circuits or, with any luck, burning the cable atleast.
There are still for how to connect 2 laptops with HDMI, even though using HDMI directly is not an option. We may benefit from connecting various devices in many ways, and the Capture card got created expressly for this reason. You may purchase it and have the convenience of connectivity anytime you want.
The Capture card is simple to set up as well. Once you’ve made the necessary adjustments, your laptop is ready to mirror, and you can move swiftly and efficiently with larger screens.
We also have an article about the keyboard shortcut to duplicate screen on MacBook on multiple screens if you don’t want to go through the trouble to connecting via HDMI or other methods and another article on just switching to external monitor on Mac, but note that these articles won’t work on Windows or Linux.
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Dave Miller is an IT Consultant for Online Cloud Security and has over 7 years of experience in the Information Technology space. He also specializes in repairing laptops & computers. In his spare time, he loves to talk about new technologies and hosts monthly IT and Cyber Security meetings in the Houston area.
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Online Cloud Security is here to recommend you the most secure devices, from laptops to smartphones, we only want to provide you with products that we have tested and used ourselves for online security. Every product that we recommend is heavily inspected and tested for security against hackers, viruses, malware, and any other intruders that may want to steal your information.
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