{"slug": "pikvm", "name": "PiKVM", "category": "selfhosted", "category_name": "Self-hosted and home server", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 3.399, "rising": -1.31, "first": "2026-03-05", "latest": "2026-06-05", "why": "Shout-out to pikvm for their redfish support with the pikvm switch", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 1, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Shout-out to pikvm for their redfish support with the pikvm switch", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "pikvm.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://pikvm.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["PiKVM"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 774672544, "item_id": 48417034, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48417034", "by": "moondev", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Shout-out to pikvm for their redfish support with the pikvm switch", "excerpt": "The HP z2 mini g1a supports a BMC module that is a full redfish implementation, so it can do virtualmedia and UEFI configuration read/write. https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-anyware-remote-system-controller I was pretty disappointed to discover DGX spark has no BMC. I was able to hook it up to pikvm by connecting leads to the power switch wires. It honestly works really well and I can provision it with MAAS Shout", "context": "", "use_case": "IP KVM for homelab servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774655344, "item_id": 48415959, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415959", "by": "geerlingguy", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the PiKVM is still the gold standard", "excerpt": "I think if you can afford it, the PiKVM is still the gold standard... and also one of the best engineered devices, with the most flexibility. It costs a lot because it's worth it. They also have a nice (if messy) solution for multiple device management with an external box (TechnoTim had some good coverage on his channel/website[1]). Most other Pi-based KVMs use PiKVM's software anyway, and I'm not sure if any direct", "context": "", "use_case": "IP KVM for homelab", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774640736, "item_id": 48415046, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415046", "by": "gregsadetsky", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "+1000 points for the PiKVM V4 Plus", "excerpt": "+1000 points for the PiKVM V4 Plus. We (Revise Robotics - a YC company!) refurbish laptops with robots and AI - as part of this, we (or rather, the AI) send(s) keyboard commands in software to the computers we're refurbishing. How/why? The AI needs to navigate the BIOS among other tasks - so we need a KVM to send arrow down and enter, roughly speaking. We were a GL.iNet KVM shop until we ran into a nasty issue with a", "context": "Works at Revise Robotics, a YC company that refurbishes laptops with robots", "use_case": "Remote keyboard control for BIOS", "switched_from": "GL.iNet KVM", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 756314464, "item_id": 47269654, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47269654", "by": "emmelaich", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "https://pikvm.org/ and similar exist.", "excerpt": "You don't need a robot arm, just mimic a usb keyboard. https://pikvm.org/ and similar exist. This is maybe not as good as the article solution, because it requires you to secure the pi too.", "context": "", "use_case": "Remote keyboard over IP", "switched_from": "", "story": "Remotely unlocking an encrypted hard disk"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "gregsadetsky", "context": "Works at Revise Robotics, a YC company that refurbishes laptops with robots", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415046", "date": "2026-06-05"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["ip kvm for homelab servers", "ip kvm for homelab", "remote keyboard control for bios", "kvm over ip", "remote keyboard over ip"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48413072", "title": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab", "mentions": 5}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265521", "title": "Remotely unlocking an encrypted hard disk", "mentions": 2}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1, "compare": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 774672544, "item_id": 48417034, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48417034", "by": "moondev", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Shout-out to pikvm for their redfish support with the pikvm switch", "excerpt": "The HP z2 mini g1a supports a BMC module that is a full redfish implementation, so it can do virtualmedia and UEFI configuration read/write. https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-anyware-remote-system-controller I was pretty disappointed to discover DGX spark has no BMC. I was able to hook it up to pikvm by connecting leads to the power switch wires. It honestly works really well and I can provision it with MAAS Shout", "context": "", "use_case": "IP KVM for homelab servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774664704, "item_id": 48416544, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48416544", "by": "teddyh", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "PiKVM themselves offer a 4-port switch", "excerpt": "PiKVM themselves offer a 4-port switch, which can be chained five times, giving 20 ports in total: <https://docs.pikvm.org/switch/>", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774655536, "item_id": 48415971, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415971", "by": "geerlingguy", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "There are a few, like this add-on for PiKVM", "excerpt": "There are a few, like this add-on for PiKVM[1], a fully integrated version from Geekworm[2], and an as-yet unreleased 4-port IP KVM switcher from GL-iNet[3]. [1] https://technotim.com/posts/pikvm-at-scale/ [2] https://geekworm.com/products/pikvm-x680 [3] https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-rm4pe/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774655344, "item_id": 48415959, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415959", "by": "geerlingguy", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "the PiKVM is still the gold standard", "excerpt": "I think if you can afford it, the PiKVM is still the gold standard... and also one of the best engineered devices, with the most flexibility. It costs a lot because it's worth it. They also have a nice (if messy) solution for multiple device management with an external box (TechnoTim had some good coverage on his channel/website[1]). Most other Pi-based KVMs use PiKVM's software anyway, and I'm not sure if any direct", "context": "", "use_case": "IP KVM for homelab", "switched_from": "", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 774640736, "item_id": 48415046, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48415046", "by": "gregsadetsky", "date": "2026-06-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "+1000 points for the PiKVM V4 Plus", "excerpt": "+1000 points for the PiKVM V4 Plus. We (Revise Robotics - a YC company!) refurbish laptops with robots and AI - as part of this, we (or rather, the AI) send(s) keyboard commands in software to the computers we're refurbishing. How/why? The AI needs to navigate the BIOS among other tasks - so we need a KVM to send arrow down and enter, roughly speaking. We were a GL.iNet KVM shop until we ran into a nasty issue with a", "context": "Works at Revise Robotics, a YC company that refurbishes laptops with robots", "use_case": "Remote keyboard control for BIOS", "switched_from": "GL.iNet KVM", "story": "I tested every IP KVM in my Homelab"}, {"id": 756552752, "item_id": 47284547, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47284547", "by": "fuckinpuppers", "date": "2026-03-06", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Way cheaper than PiKVMs now", "excerpt": "This was always a concern of mine, nowadays I deploy cheaper KVM over IP devices. Way cheaper than PiKVMs now: https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-rm1/", "context": "", "use_case": "KVM over IP", "switched_from": "", "story": "Remotely unlocking an encrypted hard disk"}, {"id": 756314464, "item_id": 47269654, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47269654", "by": "emmelaich", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "https://pikvm.org/ and similar exist.", "excerpt": "You don't need a robot arm, just mimic a usb keyboard. https://pikvm.org/ and similar exist. This is maybe not as good as the article solution, because it requires you to secure the pi too.", "context": "", "use_case": "Remote keyboard over IP", "switched_from": "", "story": "Remotely unlocking an encrypted hard disk"}]}