iPad iPad Duet dual display?

[iTarbuck]

Hi all,
I have been using my 11" iPad Pro as a 2nd display for my MacBook Pro when running photoshop! My internet is very fast and I have started to notice some lag at times when browsing safari? I have tried both Apple and after market cables between the devices and this did not seem to eliminate the issue!

Has anyone tried this app? How did you find it?

 

[aevan]

Hi all,
I have been using my 11" iPad Pro as a 2nd display for my MacBook Pro when running photoshop! My internet is very fast and I have started to notice some lag at times when browsing safari? I have tried both Apple and after market cables between the devices and this did not seem to eliminate the issue!

Has anyone tried this app? How did you find it?

I tried it before, and I found it a bit buggy - my Mac lost transparency while using Duet and also their Pencil implementation was not good for artists IMO.

I use Astropad + Luna Display which works great. It is a more expensive solution, though.

You’re seeing lag because the port on iPad is not meant to receive the video signal from an outside source. Yes, both Lightning and USB-C support video but unless Apple decides to allow the Macs to use this to drive the picture on an iPad, these apps use regular USB data transfer to send a compressed image - at least that’s how I understand it. Duet is less responsive while Astropad/Luna lowers the fidelity of the image when too many things are moving on the screen fast. I prefer how Astropad is handling it and it’s a lot better for Pencil work.

 

[AlexJoda]

If Luna also supports Windows it would be perfect....I did not understand that the wireless dongle is mandatory. The USB cable seems a better solution to me because the iPad would be charged from the notebook/desktop when using it the whole day. They might sell the dongle as an optional device and lower the price for the software only solution...

 

[iTarbuck]

I tried it before, and I found it a bit buggy - my Mac lost transparency while using Duet and also their Pencil implementation was not good for artists IMO.

I use Astropad + Luna Display which works great. It is a more expensive solution, though.

You’re seeing lag because the port on iPad is not meant to receive the video signal from an outside source. Yes, both Lightning and USB-C support video but unless Apple decides to allow the Macs to use this to drive the picture on an iPad, these apps use regular USB data transfer to send a compressed image - at least that’s how I understand it. Duet is less responsive while Astropad/Luna lowers the fidelity of the image when too many things are moving on the screen fast. I prefer how Astropad is handling it and it’s a lot better for Pencil work.

Ahh okay! Im not too serious about the display as I'm not an illustrator per say, I just like to have a little bit more space for a finder window on my iPad screen, so for cost, I should be fine. Thanks for your help!

 

[aevan]

If Luna also supports Windows it would be perfect....I did not understand that the wireless dongle is mandatory. The USB cable seems a better solution to me because the iPad would be charged from the notebook/desktop when using it the whole day. They might sell the dongle as an optional device and lower the price for the software only solution...

Astropad mirrors the screen, but Luna basically tricks the Mac there is a monitor attached and then mirrors this image instead. In other words, you get a nice secondary display. There is also the Luna Display app which does the same thing as Astropad but does not have Pencil support and, unlike Astropad, it can’t work without the Luna dongle at all.

Without the dongle, Astropad makes sense for those who want to use the Pencil with macOS, but the picture is mirrored, as I said.

 

[Hym tix]

I don't know what issues people are having with Duet, but it works great for me. Sure there's a very small (but noticable) latency with mouse movement but it is totally manageable for web browsing, regular use.
I always use the lightning to USB cable (for 12.9 iPad 2017) and only purchased the base app, no subscriptions.

The OP has a lot of confusing information here:

My internet is very fast and I have started to notice some lag

Duet display has nothing to do with your router/internet speed if you are connecting over USB cable... not sure why you are talking about this unless you are saying the problem maybe is related to Safari performance not the display.

I have tried both Apple and after market cables between the devices and this did not seem to eliminate the issue!

If you have an 11" iPad then you are connecting with a USB-C cable... there is no such thing as an aftermarket cable. It either follows the USB-C standard or not.

 

[iTarbuck]

I don't know what issues people are having with Duet, but it works great for me. Sure there's a very small (but noticable) latency with mouse movement but it is totally manageable for web browsing, regular use.
I always use the lightning to USB cable (for 12.9 iPad 2017) and only purchased the base app, no subscriptions.

The OP has a lot of confusing information here:

Duet display has nothing to do with your router/internet speed if you are connecting over USB cable... not sure why you are talking about this unless you are saying the problem maybe is related to Safari performance not the display.


If you have an 11" iPad then you are connecting with a USB-C cable... there is no such thing as an aftermarket cable. It either follows the USB-C standard or not.

The reason I have talked about internet speeds, is because you can use the Duet services via AirPlay! Which does require an internet connection. And, as far as I'm aware, other companies do use USB-C to USB-C cables and my braided Anker model works a treat - so there is such a thing as an after-market cables as well.

The issue that I have got, that you can help with is:

I don't know what resolution to run on my iPad as the second display, I have an 11" iPad Pro. What resolution do you run?

Cheers.

 

[mikzn]

I select the lowest resolution (iPad Pro 12.9), hoping the font will be big enough to read and the latency will be low - but I find Duet buggy and full of glitches - maybe I am missing something but Duet was a good idea but does not work reliably yet - especially on Mojave

 

[spacebro]

Duet is too buggy to be useful. First of all, their website doesn't even have an option for mohave if you're looking for help. Second, the touchscreen functionality is broken unless you install the duet beta app, which appears to have been around for quite a while for a beta app. And finally, the reason that duet is useless, is that if you switch to an iOS app for more than 10 seconds, the duet display disconnects and jumbles all your windows. Duet would be a great app and is very nearly useful, but the way it is now it is totally useless.

 

[Hym tix]

I don't know what resolution to run on my iPad as the second display, I have an 11" iPad Pro. What resolution do you run?

I run my 12.9 at hidpi I think it is half resolution, scaled up and it is quite smooth, clear text.

Duet was a good idea but does not work reliably yet - especially on Mojave

maybe thats why its good for me... still on El Capitan

the reason that duet is useless, is that if you switch to an iOS app for more than 10 seconds, the duet display disconnects and jumbles all your windows

Yeah this is true even on El Capitan. You really have to give up the iPad for other use and consider it an external touch screen monitor until your Duet session is done. No checking iMessage real quick, no accepting iOS facetime calls, etc

 

[AlexJoda]

Duet is too buggy to be useful. First of all, their website doesn't even have an option for mohave if you're looking for help. Second, the touchscreen functionality is broken unless you install the duet beta app, which appears to have been around for quite a while for a beta app. And finally, the reason that duet is useless, is that if you switch to an iOS app for more than 10 seconds, the duet display disconnects and jumbles all your windows. Duet would be a great app and is very nearly useful, but the way it is now it is totally useless.

Looks like they improved it a little bit with the latest driver versions. But they are hard to find sometimes. You have to download more than one time to get them. The website is a little weird....