Tens of thousands of backers pledged more than $4 million to pen-source KVM over IP project on Kickstarter
- JetKVM is a tiny KVM over IP product for full remote control of any computer
- It raised over $4 million in crowdfunding from more than 30,000 backers
- Device includes USB-C, Ethernet, HDMI Mini and RJ11 extension for add-ons
Plenty of crowdfunded campaigns fail to draw enough pledges to turn a project into reality, but that isn’t the case with JetKVM, a $69 next-generation open source KVM over IP device that can control any computer remotely.
It was successfully funded on Kickstarter on December 3, 2024, smashing its $50,000 goal with a whopping $4,370,767 in pledges from an impressive 31,598 backers.
Although the campaign has now ended, you can still become a late backer, and the good news is, you shouldn’t have long to wait to receive the product, as JetKVM is expected to begin shipping in April 2025.
Rare RJ11 extension port
The small hardware device gives you full remote access to a computer’s screen, keyboard, and mouse, just like a physical KVM switch, but over the internet.
It connects to the target machine’s HDMI port to capture video, and to a USB port to emulate input devices. Once set up, you can control the machine from anywhere using a web browser. This is especially useful for headless systems, unresponsive machines, or remote BIOS access.
The device runs a Linux system based on Buildroot, powered by a RockChip RV1106G3 (ARM Cortex-A7, 1.0GHz) with built-in H.264 and H.265 encoding. It includes 256MB of DDR3L RAM, 16GB of eMMC storage, Ethernet, USB-C, HDMI Mini, and a unique RJ11 extension port.
The creators say JetKVM streams 1080p video at 60FPS with 30–60ms latency. Remote access is handled via JetKVM Cloud using WebRTC for encrypted peer-to-peer connections. A 1.69-inch touchscreen shows status and local controls, and the software, written in Go, is fully open source and modifiable via SSH.
Power can be supplied via USB-C, RJ11, or pin header. The RJ11 port, which we’re big fans of, supports hardware extensions like sensors, ATX power control, or serial console access.
Even though JetKVM has been successfully financed, and then some, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer our customary crowdfunding warning: delays happen, features can change, and delivery isn’t always guaranteed, so please bear that in mind.
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