actaully is amazing for what i want to do with it, i just wanted to have a standalone numpad for DAWs (making music). and setting it up with VIAL isnt tooo hard, just follow the instructions on the website and should work fine! (did for me), also dont really know what the other lower star reviews are talking about, everything works great for me, just make sure you are giving it enough power via usb.
I love this. It's "right-sized" for the usage I have. I wanted a numpad + arrow keys + programmable macro + volume, play, pause. The programming is a bit of a bear as updated VIA doesn't recognize (and I'm on Mac so everything is weird), but there are good troubleshooting instructions and once I got it programmed, I'm not going back. Easily switching between four layers with the LED readout is AMAZING. The dials are great (especially the smaller, clickable ones). The switches are a little tighter than my Keychron so it can be difficult to swap keycaps. The RGB is fantastic and something I didn't expect to love so much is the hub capabilities. Having two usb inputs is SO GREAT. Whoever did product design on this really thought it through.
4 layers, 30 keys, and you can only assign 16 macros. practically no support for GMK and it's stuck on version 1.3.1 of VIA. The manufacturer has kept it closed source too. looks really good on your desk though!
kingrey92They only have firmware and json files to support the kb16, which leaves many of the keys on this macropod useless. Avoid unless you want to dive down the QMK - VIAL rabbit hole. Most users with the technical know-how would loss more time programming this than their time is worth.
Only supports VIA 1.31 (VIA is on v 3.0 at time of review). To even get 1.31 to recognize it, you have to manually load in a JSON file from the seller every time you open VIA (it won't auto recognize the keyboard).
The product has no instructions for doing any of this, had to stumble upon the info looking through QnA on their other products.
You cannot change the lighting, because QMKLighting is not supported at least from what I can tell in VIA 1.3.1. So it's stuck on an atrocious red that you can't turn off or change.
It's kind of a shame, because it feels sturdy and looks very nice, it was just horrendously executed.
Don't buy. I'd get a refund if I could.
LankeastorLayer 4 has all the RGB controls on the nav keys. Side load the json and click on layer 4 and you'll see the key map there. Don't change anything on layer 4 though unless you back up the default keymap
Wasted hours trying to configure it; now it’s a weird brick
The build quality is amazing but I could not get it configured, despite trying three different json maps, both of which keebmonkey told me would work. Maybe the wiring doesn’t match either config file. I sent it back; now trying something from work louder.cc instead.
Super simple VIA setup, just followed the steps on the keeb monkey website.
Update: I love the functionality of the macro pad but after a month the under LED's stopped working unfortunately.
QC seems to be an issue with this macropad but mine has been fine for several months. LEDs still working, VIA is clunky but fine, and the hotswap switches make for some fun combinations. I use it for TTRPG macros and a couple system shortcuts, and it's great for that.
Would love to give this macropad 5 stars, but with less than stellar software I have to give it 4. VIA 1.3 gets you 90% of the way there, but there are some features that are missing that I would love to have on this macropad. Build quality is great, knobs are great, and the 2 USB ports for a hub is a nice addition, but I would love to see support for QMK or the latest version of VIA. Although RGB works, I haven't found a way to customize it other than the default settings. Would also love support to be able to have a time delay on key presses for macros, or the ability to loop macro presses.