Universal control available

That is a great response, thanks! I’m going to start using it more to see what I think, thanks again!

I think the best use-case I’ve heard of, and experienced myself, is to use secondary apps (like communication/email/slack/discord) or music/YouTube on the iPad. My 2016 MBP is still going strong but it beings to suffer when I am working in VSCode+Obsidian+Pixelmator Pro running if I am also playing a YouTube video on the side (music or news). Sidecar, instead of helping, actually added to the performance issue since now it required extra bandwidth as well to process another screen and I always ended up using the iPad separately, so that I can utilise it’s own power instead of the MBP’s. And UC allows exactly that without leaving my Mac’s Keyboard. So basically, it’s separation of power usage both CPU & battery along with offering ergonomics as mentioned above since one can now place the iPad farther away. Add to the fact that many apps might be available on the iPad but not for the Mac(or don’t work as well), especially for us who still use Intel Macs is an added benefit too.

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That is extremely helpful–thank you!

Ok, now I see the value. I can traverse three screens from my keyboard with Universal Control–very nice.

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Calendar colors matching the wallpaper is next-level.

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Color matching was unintentional but I change my wallpaper to match the season. :slightly_smiling_face:

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OT: Where is the place in the image? And did you take the picture?

No, but I wish! I found it where one finds all things, on the internet. :joy:

I have a MBP13 on my home office desk that is always connected to an external monitor on HDMI 1 in clamshell with an external keyboard and trackpad. I also have a docking station attached to HDMI 2 on the same monitor, which I connect my MBP14 (main laptop) to when I am at my desk, with the monitor display positioned above the MBP14 display in display settings just like it is physically.

This setup is nice because I can switch between the two MBP by changing the input on the monitor without needing an HDMI switch.

But now with UC and the MBP13 display positioned above the other two displays is display settings, when I am on HDMI 1 I can control both Macs with the built-in MBP14 keyboard and trackpad by pushing up from the MBP14 to the monitor. When I am on HDMI 2, I get the MBP14 with the monitor as a second display.

image

So far this is working great and saves me from having to use the external keyboard and trackpad.

I’ve played with UC on the iPad and Mac, but the Mac-to-Mac control is :fire:

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I’ve been getting good use out of Mac to Mac Universal Control while setting up my new Mac Studio. So useful to have my MacBook Pro running alongside the new machine so I can can take a look at how I have it set up and duplicate it.

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Is your system remembering that setup across sleep and/or power cycles?

I set up a similar arrangement; stacked displays. However, the next day it had completely forgotten the arrangement and I had to set it back up. The third day I couldn’t get it to work at all (moving the mouse past the edge of the screen in any direction did nothing). I checked all my settings and they were correct (all three boxes were checked in the UC window). And yes, all devices were on the same network every time. All I did was put my devices to sleep over night (closed the lids on my MBA and iPad).

TL;DR: I don’t know.

I had that second MBP in another spot on the house connected to ethernet while I’ve been trying to work out a backup strategy for my Synology. I finally got what I think is a working setup, so I just moved it back to the desk couple days ago and have it set to never sleep for the time being while I test everything out. Then I have to figure out if/when to let it sleep because I still want to be able to access it remotely, run the automated backups, and be able to wake it without having to open the lid. Sorry that’s all off-topic and not helpful :joy:

That’s why I’m slavering to get Universal Control. I’m looking to migrate most of my activity to a different Mac, while still using my current mac for some things. I do NOT want to mess with Synergy or other nonsense; I just want to use the same keyboard and Magic Trackpad for everything.

I mean, iPad-to-Mac is nice but Mac-to-Mac is what I hope will be REALLY useful.

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Well. I came home tonight and reconnected to the docking station after the screensaver (not sleep) on the MBP13 had kicked in, which requires a password. No love from UC until unlocking. I have Jump Desktop, so I was able to unlock it without opening the lid or reaching for the keyboard, but not ideal.

Seems like there should be a way to trigger the unlock. Maybe with Apple Watch.

Stupid question, before I go into a long description of my problem. I have two Macs side by side, one on Ethernet, the other on wifi. Doesn’t work! Do they both have to be on WiFi?

Thanks

If they’re on different subnets, then that might be your issue. But if WiFi is enabled on both devices then it should work, assuming one isn’t connected to a VPN or something.

Not exactly the same situation as you, as I use UC with a Mac and an iPad. The Mac is on ethernet, the iPad WiFi. WiFi is enabled on the Mac. UC works fine for me.

When I first tried using UC the Mac and iPad were on different WiFi settings. Once they were in sync everything started working. UC has continued to work for me through sleeping and shutdowns of both devices.

Not related, but if I disconnect the ethernet, the Mac cannot connect to the interwebs. This is true of my current 2018 Mac mini, and was true also of my 2010 Mac Pro. I’ve never been able to figure out why. And since I’ve a setup that works I’ve given up trying. :man_shrugging:t3:

They are both on the same subnet. But the M1 Mac Mini connected via Ethernet does not have the Wifi enables. I will try it later on and report back. I will probably try it with my iPad to the Wifi enabled iMac first. Then try it again on the Mini annealing wifi first. It has a Logitech mouse and I have heard that it could also be an issue.

From the documentation:

  • Each device must be within 10 meters (30 feet) of each other and have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff turned on.
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It does work with Wifi on both Macs, including the one on Ethernet.

I have noticed, however, that the Macs don’t need to be on the Same WiFi Network at all. Which makes no sense for me.

I am thinking of giving it up, and keep the “old” stop of two mice and 2 keyboards. Because there is also the feeling that I don’t know WHERE my Internet is coming from anymore ( Ethernet or Wifi)