A RISC-V Stick-on

This is the worlds tiniest IP KVM. And the cheapest. Does it work?

Sipeed sent me the NanoKVM units used in this video, so I marked it as 'sponsored'—they did not pay any money nor did they have any input into the content of this video.

Resources I mentioned in this video:

- My blog post: TODO

Contents:

00:00 - So small, such wow
00:48 - Why an IP KVM
01:56 - Not open source (yet)
03:55 - But does it work?
04:48 - NanoKVM UI and features
06:07 - Autoupdate woes
06:30 - 100 Mbps or Bust!
06:39 - USB power backfeed
07:18 - Needs more time

[subynut]

As a guy who works in IT, those security concerns are at the top. However, those hardware issues are a biggie, too. I think I'll wait and see. I appreciate your reviews of these projects, Jeff!

[stey]

I made a DIY pikvm v2 using a pi zero 2w and total project cost was around $45. It has been such a life saver using it to setup my recent opnsense firewall and also managing a few of my thin client PCs.

[sivasanthoshr.m]

the size is so compact they could redesign as a thumb drive if the figure out a way to run most of them via type c or thunderbolt. Really looking forward to it.

[JH-uujl]

On the more expensive devices, you're not paying for the hardware and packaging, you're paying for access to the guts. As anyone who has ever bought a Pi over a "Pi killer" knows, the key is in support, community, full software access, and excellent documentation.

Glad to see a new entrant and I hope they do well enough to feel comfortable open sourcing their work in the near term.

[the_beefy]

I ordered one about a month ago when Wendell did a small video on this item. I haven't heard a peep since they got my money. Thanks for pointing out USB backfeed issue. I'll definitely check for that before I use it on my home NAS.

[KagrithKriege]

We need a revision of this ASAP.

I'll buy 100 Lites if they add POE and get pikvm running.

Please keep us posted on this Jeff!!

[efad]

The security concerns are not a hard pass from me, but the hardware issues make it a "wait and see" for me

[therainstorm]

The nanoKVM lite exposes GPIO pins, allowing you to DIY your own power control solution. You only need one optocoupler relay and three Dupont wires, with an additional cost of less than $1.

The nanoKVM's GPIO output pin connects to the input pin of the relay. The three Dupont wires are used to create a Y-shaped 3-way connection: one end connects to the case’s power control wire, another end to the motherboard’s power control pin, and the third end to the relay’s output pin. When you click "Power" on the nanoKVM web interface, it actives the GPIO signal for specific seconds, which triggers the relay switch to close for a while, effectively shorting the motherboard’s power pins and turning the computer on—similar to using a screwdriver to short the power pins to boot up the system.

[IngwiePhoenix_nb]

I just finished stuffing my new server shelf - and this video drops. Awesome, I looked at the PiKVM and the price was kinda crazy. Besides, with some short wires, just hanging the NanoKVM off the back of a server is super doable. Really like the idea and method behind this - let's see if they do open source it though.

[chris-tal]

I'm no lawyer, but I'm 85% sure there's no such thing as "their proprietary OS" (it contradicts the fact that it's very cheap) and it has a LOT of GPL code in it and possibly violating a few of these licenses. The only thing proprietary about it is I guess the RISC-V code optimizations (the ISA is open so no idea what's the deal there) and maybe peripheral IPs (like an HDMI input, hw encoding, USB controller Link & ULPI, ethernet MAC, etc) they may have bought or developed.

[rochellerochelle]

The PIKVM guys were being pretty unreasonable with their pricing.

[alanbarber]

Def like the idea of a PoE micro kvm I could attach to my homelab servers. Hope they build one.

[pixel_vengeur]

I ordered mine when Wendell's video dropped, still waiting for it but I'm excited.
I'll stick it onto the Thin Client I use as an OPNsense router, which is the only feature missing to me :)

[-aexc-]

ew, the stars on the repo req. i kinda understand the sales part maybe kinda

[navinvent]

This seems perfect for me to plug into my parents computer

[BromTeque]

I’ll probably pick up a few of these if they ever go fully open source.

[szymex]

When they get those small issues worked out its gonna be great. I had to pay double the price of a standard motherboard to have IPMI integrated (external KVM was even more expensive with shipping).

I'd definietly buy this after it matures for my second server which doesn't have any kvm at the moment, only a smart plug that lets me restart it remotely when it crashes 😅

[jakakovac]

PiKVM also runs on usb c cable directly from computer or laptop and imitates the keyboard and mouse trough the same cable for me… I love this function! No need for multiple charging bricks!

[basileus]

once the code is in the open and the community gets their hands on it, it will blow up. I can't wait. I couldnt ustify spending hundreds of eur on a kvm, but now im sold. I'll be watching the development very closely. It looks like they are also working on a pcie card form factor so thats even better. I'm literally salivating

[EdwardBowden]

These things are great, I've got a Lite one and some others on the way. Performance hasn't been ideal in my testing but the price difference is crazy. I got mine for £16 before the price increased so it's just so inexpensive. You can also add all the missing features of the Lite to it manually, I just got some optoisolators and resistors and added the power button control to it.

In terms of security it would be ideal if it was open source but to be fair you can just block it from having an outgoing connection to the internet and most of the risk is mitigated.