How to make direct slot swapping usable with the ShuOne 8 port KM Synchronizer

[Wootenblatz]

Mouse positioning modes - As I eluded to above, the ShuOne uses absolute positioning mode for the mouse cursor while in the sync state(shortcut #5 above). As the mouse cursor moves on all clients the system will reset the cursor on all devices if it gets out of sync. This is fine while interacting with NPCs but problematic while moving the game camera.

Relative positioning(shortcut #6) allows the cursors to be out of sync but only works on the Y axis(up and down) by default. This allows full sync mouse movement without wild camera movements. However, use of the X axis (left to right) is only possible while you hold down the ` key. I found this limitation of relative positioning mode a non-starter for my use case, which is why I was using two mice.

To be fair there are very rare instances where you need to move the mouse on all clients while in combat. Unfortunately absolute positioning mode has the tendency to reset your camera when you're only controlling one PC.

However if you only have one KM sync, you will be in full sync mode while in combat so you can DPS. If you want to use any of the buttons on your mouse while issuing commands to all PCs with your keyboard, relative mouse positioning is a requirement if you intend to keep your camera pointed at any direction other than "randomly where you do not want it".

Important when plugging another KM Sync into the ShuOne
If the KM sync you plug into the ShuOne is using Absolute Positioning, you're not going to be able to move your mouse very far. That was my experience with the AIMOS into the SHUONE. If you change to relative positioning mode on the KM sync plugged into your SHUONE, you should be able to track the mouse properly. I have not tested this extensively so I am unsure how reliable it is.


For most situations, maybe holding down ` will be fine but I have not tested how WoW handles other keyboard actions if you have that button held down at the same time. I have already moved on to a single mouse setup with a second KM Sync (different brand),so another person is going to have to do the leg work on resolving this shortcoming of the ShuOne.

Making it really work for you
Finally, lets talk about some of those shortcuts.

• Turning Sync On - Scroll Lock is not in a convenient place for me. When I first started using this device, enabling full sync meant taking my hand off the movement and DPS keys to go all the way to the top right section of my keyboard. You will end up doing this a lot as you have to turn keyboard sync on and off for various reasons.
• Swapping directly to a port - While the WINKEY+# port swapping is ideal after you work around the Windows behavior, I've always preferred to swap slots with a single keypress in ISBoxer (F1..F5). More keys to press means a higher likelihood of pressing the wrong keys. Remember you can switch this shortcut to ALT+# by using Shortcut #9.

These are two of the areas where you are going to want to consider increasing efficiency. To that end, I hope you have a keyboard and mouse that can store macros on the device itself. Please recall what I mentioned earlier about how input types get turned into the generic keyboard or mouse.

I highly recommend you record a macro for each of the following shortcuts:
Shortcut #1, you'll press this one a lot, put it somewhere near your DPS keys if you can
One shortcut #3 macro for each PC - WIN+1 and WIN+2 if you are dual boxing, for instance. You'll want these near your DPS keys as well
Shortcut #5 and #6 if you plan to use relative mouse movement. This way you can swap between the two modes as absolute positioning is great for when you're not in combat.

In my testing I found that I could only put the keyboard shortcuts for the ShuOne on an actual keyboard. I tried making a mouse macro to send the keyboard shortcut for Sync On (#1), it did not work. The ShuOne saw the input coming through on the mouse(there are indicator lights for this), it did not respond like it would when the key strokes came from the keyboard. I did not go out of my way to troubleshoot this one so if someone else has a different experience it is entirely possible my attached mouse was somehow to blame. Please share if you do.

Should you buy one? Maybe. Should you buy two? Depends on your mouse.
Over the last couple days I have been doing additional testing with this device and have established some limitations you should know about. ***The single most important thing I have learned is that it will not allow keyboard input to come from a mouse***. I used a windows program called "Show Off" to verify this. Show Off displays key presses in the top left part of the screen.

I originally ran into this issue with my Razer Naga Trinity at first and thought it was a problem with that mouse. I did not realize it was a limitation of the device itself.

I have since tested a Utech Venus Pro MMO mouse and the Red Dragon M990 Legend. In all cases the ShuOne would ignore any mouse button press that was sending input that should come from a keyboard. It seems to allow modifiers (such as CTRL) but no keys (A-Z, 0-9) or the numpad will be sent to attached PCs from the mouse. If a macro contained modifiers and keyboard keys, the modifiers were displayed by ShowOff, but no letter/number keys were.

The ShuOne is best suited as a KM sync where you're using a keyboard and two mice (one sync'd and one not sync'd). Furthermore you should know that the ShuOne will ignore all of the keyboard shortcuts shared in Part 1. I was not able to get the device to turn Sync On or jump to a port from my MMO mouse.

If you want to go for a dual KM sync setup where one KM handles keyboard sync and another handles mouse sync, you should probably NOT buy two ShuOne devices if you need any functionality on your mouse that is considered "keyboard input".

Is there a better option?
As it happens, there probably is. Unfortunately, there is not a better option that is as affordable as the 8-port ShuOne that does not ship from China. If you only need 4 ports, you are in luck. Search for B07R33HQNV on Amazon.


The AIMOS device uses the Numpad for most of its shortcuts and is easier to deal with in general. This device is far less heavy handed with how it attaches devices to windows. I believe this is because that unlike the ShuOne, the AIMOS manual does not mention a feature to fake the Vendor ID and Product ID of the attached input devices. The ShuOne has this feature and I have not found a way to turn it off. While this means the ShuOne may be safer to avoid an as yet unlikely HW multiboxing ban, it lowers its usefulness for using mice with programmable buttons in the short term.


Lack of VID/PID faking means you can actually use mouse configuration software from your vendor through the AIMOS USB sync. I tested this with the Red Dragon M900 Legend anyhow.


The 8-port AIMOS is not available from a supplier that ships via Amazon Prime. Delivery dates generally start 3 to 4 weeks. Search for B087QB51XG. The vendor has a 76% positive rating.


This device is also available on Newegg for a bit more money but with slightly faster shipping estimates. Search for 9SIANRBBZS3626. I have ordered the 8 port from Newegg and it is still in transit. Note that if you’re Midwest or East Coast, you’ll probably be told your item has “shipped” but the location is the customs facility in Jamaica NY. It’ll just sit there till whatever boat from China unloads your item.