Beacon KVM compared with PiKVM, JetKVM and TinyPilot
Four IP KVMs, side by side. I make one of them, so read the table rather than my adjectives — including the row where we are behind.
The table
| Beacon | JetKVM | PiKVM V4 | TinyPilot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 | $69 | ~$200–400 | ~$200+ |
| Remote access | Built in, free | Optional cloud | DIY: VPN or port forward | None built in |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0, automation extra |
| BIOS-level access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Video | 1080p60, H.264 + MJPEG | 1080p60, H.264 | 1920×1200 60Hz | 1080p |
| Ethernet ports | 4 (2× 2.5G, 2× 1G) | 1 | 1–2 | 1 |
| ATX power control | Not yet | Extension board | Yes | Partial |
| Root over SSH | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Setup time | 5 minutes | ~5 minutes | 15–30 minutes | ~5 minutes |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months |
| Free software option | Raspberry Pi 4B | No | DIY HAT | No |
Where the others are ahead
JetKVM is a third of the price. $69 against $249. If the machine you want to reach is in the next room and you have a VPN already, that difference is hard to argue with. It is the cheapest way into this category and it does the core job.
PiKVM does ATX power control today. We don't. If switching a machine on remotely is the reason you are shopping, PiKVM V4 has it and Beacon has it on a roadmap, which is not the same thing. A smart plug plus the BIOS setting that restores power after an outage covers part of the gap, but not all of it.
PiKVM handles a higher resolution. 1920×1200 against our 1080p. For most BIOS work and installers this makes no difference; if you need to read a 1200px tall console, it does.
PiKVM is older and has a bigger community. More forum threads, more people who have hit your problem before, a longer track record.
Where we are ahead
Remote access is finished when the box arrives. This is the one that matters to me, and it is the row worth reading twice.
Every device here shows you a BIOS. What differs is what it takes to reach that BIOS from outside the building:
- Beacon — plug in a network cable. The device dials out, the browser session is relayed to it, and it works behind CGNAT. Nothing to open on a router, no software to install, no fee.
- JetKVM — a cloud service, optional and separate.
- PiKVM — yours to build. Tailscale, WireGuard, or a forwarded port.
- TinyPilot — nothing built in.
⚠️ Those are all workable. Tailscale takes twenty minutes and is free. The question is whether you want to run and maintain that layer, and whether it will still be working in eight months when you actually need it at two in the morning.
Four Ethernet ports instead of one. Two of them 2.5 Gigabit. Honestly, this is more than a KVM needs — it comes from the board being our SD-WAN CPE — but it means the KVM can sit inline rather than needing a spare switch port.
A free version on hardware you may already own. The software runs on a Raspberry Pi 4B and does everything the hardware does. PiKVM has a DIY route too, via a HAT you buy; ours needs a Pi and a USB capture dongle. Either way you can decide whether you like the software before buying anything.
Which one to buy
Not all of them are for the same person.
Buy JetKVM if price is the deciding factor, the machine is nearby, and you either don't need remote access or already have a VPN you trust.
Buy PiKVM if you need ATX power control now, or you want the largest community, or you enjoy assembling and configuring things — the extra setup time is a feature for some people.
Buy TinyPilot if you want a US-based vendor with US-based support, and you are going to reach it over your own network anyway.
Buy Beacon if you want to plug it in and be reaching the machine from anywhere five minutes later, without a VPN, a forwarded port, or a subscription. That is what it is for.
Common questions
Is $249 justified when JetKVM is $69?
Only if the remote access matters to you. If you're going to use it on your
own network, or you already run Tailscale everywhere, then no — buy the cheaper one. The $180 buys a relay service that is included permanently, four Ethernet ports, and not having to build the remote layer yourself.
Why doesn't Beacon do ATX power control?
The case has no opening for a GPIO header, and cutting one is not worth a
tooling run for the first batch. We are working on an accessory that goes over USB instead. Until it exists, PiKVM is ahead here and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise.
Can I try the software before buying the hardware?
Yes. It runs free on a Raspberry Pi 4B and it is the same software —
What happens to remote access if you stop making these?
The device runs ordinary Linux and you have root. Put Tailscale or ZeroTier
on it and reach it yourself — it doesn't depend on our servers to function.
Do any of these need software on the machine being controlled?
No. All four appear as a monitor and a USB keyboard. That is what makes
BIOS-level access possible in the first place.