> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # This Tiny USB Device Turns Your Phone Into a Keyboard, Mouse, and SSH Terminal - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/openterface-keymod-crowdfunding-campaign/ - Published: 2026-08-25T09:44:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-25T09:44:54.000Z - Description: The $42 open source dongle gives you BIOS-level keyboard and mouse control plus SSH access. No software installation is needed on the target machine. - Author: Abhishek Prakash - Tags: News, Gadgets 🎛️ Got a headless Raspberry Pi and want to connect to it? You don't need to use your computer for that. You can do that with your smartphone itself. TechxArtisan's latest gadget turns your smartphone into a keyboard, mouse, gamepad and even a SSH terminal. These folks gave us KVM-over-USB gadgets like [Openterface Mini-KVM](https://openterface.com/minikvm/?ref=itsfoss.com) and [Openterface KVM-GO](https://docs.openterface.com/products/kvmgo/?ref=itsfoss.com) in the past. Now they are working on [Openterface KeyMod](https://openterface.com/keymod/?ref=itsfoss.com), a tiny USB-bridge that can do a number of things by interacting with a computer from your phone. ![Keymod product with headless setup](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/08/keycmd-welcome-headless.webp) ## Key Specifications - **Microcontroller**: WCH CH32V208 RISC-V MCU - **USB functions:** HID keyboard and mouse, plus a USB network bridge (SSH, VNC, file transfer), both active at the same time - **Wireless:** BLE 5.3 on both models; KeyMod Plus adds a wired USB option for more bandwidth - **Phone app:** KeyCmd, for Android (APK available) and iOS (coming soon) - **Two variants:** Mini uses USB-C, Plus uses USB-A Both variants have the same price tag of $24\. The project is being crowdfunded on CrowdSupply. [OpenInterface KeyMod](https://www.crowdsupply.com/techxartisan/openterface-keymod?ref=itsfoss.com) The interesting thing here is not that the keyboard and mouse part. It's that KeyMod does two USB jobs at the same time. Let me explain. You plug it into the target machine, and it shows up as a USB composite device: a standard HID keyboard and mouse, and a USB network bridge using the CDC-ECM standard, basically working as a private USB Ethernet link. The target gets a fixed IP at 192.168.11.2, your phone lands on 192.168.11.1\. No DHCP, no Wi-Fi hunting, no driver to install on most systems. Because HID input works without an OS loaded, KeyMod reaches BIOS screens, boot menus, and recovery environments too. It is similar to what Openterface Mini-KVM covers, just without the video feed. ![KeyMod usage](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/08/9bf6db8a-4923-405d-8225-ebd04ee07624_md-xl.jpg) **On the phone side**, the [KeyCmd](https://openterface.com/keycmd/?ref=itsfoss.com) app decides what KeyMod does next. Their description mentions that **KM Basic** gives you a wireless keyboard, touchpad, and numpad. **KM Pro** adds a Shortcut Hub and Compose & Send, which lets you draft a long command, API key, or license key on your phone, review it, then fire it off as real keystrokes. There's also Macros for scripted key sequences, a Presentation mode for Keynote and Google Slides, a Gamepad mode for emulators, and ShortcutHub profiles for Blender, VS Code, etc. Do note that KeyCmd is available only in APK format. It is not in Google Play Store. The iOS version has a 'coming soon' tag. I hope this thing is handled before the device gets shipped because Google plans to restrict sideloading of apps and Apple is notorious for raising fence to protect their walled garden. Now, the network bridge is what makes **Terminal (SSH) over BLE or USB** possible, without needing a network setup. It works with macOS and Linux targets today. Windows support needs RNDIS instead of CDC-ECM, and that's still in development. Ah! That's so satisfactory as a Linux user ;) ### Mini vs Plus ![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/08/keycmd-vs-plus.webp) KeyMod Mini vs Plus Mini and Plus run the same software, just connected differently. **KeyMod Mini** is USB-C, BLE-only, and tiny enough for a keychain or phone lanyard at 25 x 15 x 5 mm and about 2.4 g. **KeyMod Plus** is USB-A, adds a wired USB link to the phone for up to 10 Mbps (versus BLE's 2 Mbps), and is built more for staying plugged into servers, legacy PCs, or rack gear. At $42, it lands close to [InputStick](https://www.inputstick.com/?ref=itsfoss.com) ($34) and [DexoPad](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palmblock/dexopad-cross-device-keyboard-mouse-and-macros-anywhere?ref=itsfoss.com) ($39), but neither of those does SSH over BLE the way KeyMod does. ## AI Agent Mode Not only software, it seems like every hardware got to have AI these days. ![KeyMod AI agent](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/08/keymod-ai-agent.jpg) So, there's also an experimental AI Agent Mode. You add your own LLM API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Ollama whatever you use), describe a goal in plain language like "check logs" or "restart service," and the model plans a sequence of terminal commands, presenting each one for your approval before it runs. On newer iPhones (14 Pro and up), KeyCmd can also run a small local model instead, TechxArtisan says it has tested a 0.6B Qwen model under 1GB of RAM. It's clearly early, and TechxArtisan itself frames it as likely to stay experimental for a while. ## Watch out for... A couple of things you should know. **BLE encryption isn't turned on yet.** The security design is finalized (Bluetooth LE Secure Connections, AES-128, ECDH P-256), but current beta and engineering kits ship without it enabled, with the actual switch-on coming through a firmware update before shipping. If wireless exposure is a concern for your use case, KeyMod Plus's wired USB link bypasses BLE entirely during operation. CE and UKCA certification are also still in progress, though the company says both are committed before shipping. On the open source side, KeyCmd for Android and iOS is in development for now and is slated to go fully open source on GitHub once the campaign wraps. Hardware schematics and PCB files will be published as the project evolves, and [OSHWA](https://oshwa.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) certification is planned, following Mini-KVM ([CN000015](https://certification.oshwa.org/cn000015.html?ref=itsfoss.com)) and KVM-GO ([CN000022](https://certification.oshwa.org/cn000022.html?ref=itsfoss.com)). One more thing to set expectations on: this campaign's units will most likely ship in the current 3D-printed enclosure rather than an injection-molded one, since tooling would add at least two months to the timeline. Which, I think, means that the product may not look as smooth. If you have ever used 3D printed product, you will understand that. ## Getting Openterface KeyMod Openterface KeyMod is live on Crowd Supply. As of this writing it has raised $9,618 of its $15,000 goal (64%) from 149 backers, with funding closing on Oct 1, 2026. Both the Mini and Plus are priced at $42, plus $8 shipping in the US or $18 worldwide. Orders placed now are estimated to ship Feb 14, 2027. 🚧 As with any crowdfunding campaign, treat the timeline as an estimate. Back it because you want to support the project, not because you're counting on the ship date. [Back it on CrowdSupply](https://www.crowdsupply.com/techxartisan/openterface-keymod?ref=itsfoss.com)