macOS / Google Chrome - Key hangs frequently

[Hansaplast]

When typing or pressing a key (keyboard) a key hangs frequently hangs causing it to keep typing that particular character like when keeping key pressed. Reboot and emptying cache did not resolve this.

macOS 15.4.1
Google Chrome Version 136.0.7103.93 (Official Build) (arm64) (latest update)
Macbook Pro M1 Max

JetKWVm App 0.3.9
System 0.2.4

[wblondel]

Same here using Edge (on macOS too)

[Novido]

This happens occasionally to me too using Firefox (Windows).

I have however switched back to the main branch from dev just now. So cannot say yet whether that have made any difference.

[dlorch]

There is an improvement in the "hold key" handling as part of #405, it would be interesting to see if that makes a difference.

[dlorch]

Specifically this commit here 762cc65

[rapatel0]

Same for me. Keyboard is unusable. I have to use the virtual keyboard to enter passwords

[Hansaplast]

@dlorch not sure what to do with this - anything I can test?

[jmob0]

Unusable is an apt description of how the keyboard operates. I have JetKVM 0.3.9 connected physically to a Windows 11 laptop, with macOS Sequoia w/ Edge for the human IO endpoint, connected over VPN. Latency is fairly high 50-60ms.

Kinda seems like there should be a setting to coalese input together before transmitting to the KVM side instead of shipping input in real time. Would gladly sacrifice input latency for accuracy. Maybe not even a setting, but just base the transmit time delay as a function of link latency...if link latency is below a certain threshold then just xmit in real time, otherwise go into batch mode where the batch delay is proportioned to the network latency.

[Hansaplast]

I would be totally OK with dropping automatically repeating of key strokes when keeping a key pressed.

[dlorch]

There's trace logging available in the debug build that records individual key strokes sent to the USB keyboard gadget driver. It would be useful to see that log to really understand what's going on.

Idea: it would be really nice to have a feature in the JetKVM app where you could temporarily enable trace logging and have that log output shown in the UI somewhere, since not everyone has the possibility to run debug builds.

I would be totally OK with dropping automatically repeating of key strokes when keeping a key pressed.

Would that still work for, let's say, gaming over JetKVM? Since audio support seems near (#446) :-)

[Hansaplast]

I would be totally OK with dropping automatically repeating of key strokes when keeping a key pressed.

Would that still work for, let's say, gaming over JetKVM? Since audio support seems near (#446) :-)

Ah, that would be a good point - didn't think of that since I do not use JetKVM for gaming. 😊

[jmob0]

To be clear, I don't think the problem is legitimate repition of keystrokes...so dropping them won't help. I think the issue causing the keyboard to be unreliable over high latency connections (like VPN) is something like the following sequence (assume latencies of 50-80ms)

• time=0ms : Human initiates key press
• Keystroke captured by browser/javascript
• time=1ms: Human releases key
• time=5ms: Captured keystroke press transmitted initiated
• time=6ms: Keystroke release transmit initiated
• time=55ms: transmitted key PRESS recieved by jetkvm
• time=55ms: usb input record generated by jetkvm, OS recieves keystroke
• ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼ P R O B L E M S E Q U E N C E ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼
• time=65ms: OS key repea timer fires since no depress usb input record recieved, OS generates key repeat
• time=75ms: OS key repeat timer fires since no depress usb input record recieved, OS generates key repeat
• time=85ms: OS key repeat timer fires since no depress usb input record recieved, OS generates key repeat
• time=95ms: OS key repeat timer fires since no depress usb input record recieved, OS generates key repeat
• ^^^^^^^^ E N D. P R O B L E M ^^^^^^^^
• time=100ms: transmitted key RELEASE recieved by jetkvm
• time=100ms: usb input record generated, OS recieves key release

The 'solution' is to detect when there is high latency & in that case to not immediately transmit keystrokes as they happen, but instead wait a bit and then coalese multiple keystroke events together. 'A bit' is defined as some function of the latency of the connection, and typical time between a human pressing and releasing a key. A quicker solution might be just to add a config option for the user to define the coalesing/wait time instead of auto detect.

[wblondel]

I am not sure why we are focusing on latency.

I do have the same issue when :

• my computer
• the JetKVM
• the computer it controls

Are on the same network with <1ms latency between these devices.

The issue disappears when I disable the mouse in the HID option.

[rmschooley]

Although I guess there could be more than one reason for this errant keyboard behavior, I have already diagnosed one reason why they are occurring. Specifically, I have diagnosed they are occurring because the keyboard reports are getting generated out-of-order. Depending on when this ordering problem occurs, it can result in out-of-order characters or repeating characters.

Please see my last comment in #325 (comment)

[Hansaplast]

For reference: I connect over a local network, with very low latency.