# Connect external devices

*Applies to: Pearl-2, Pearl Mini, Pearl Nexus, Pearl Nano*

You can connect external devices to your device for control and monitoring.

### Connect an external keyboard

Instead of using the built-in virtual keyboard, you can connect a USB keyboard and use that. Simply enable the external keyboard feature using the Admin panel and connect your keyboard directly to any available USB port.

You can change the keyboard layout to any of the supported languages. When multiple languages are selected, you can use **Ctrl+Shift** or **Ctrl+Alt** to toggle between languages.
- American English (default)
- Dutch
- French
- German
- Italian
- Netherlands
- Norwegian (Bokmal)
- Portuguese (European)
- Spanish (Spain)
- Swiss
- Russian

When an external keyboard is connected to the USB port, the **Lock Caps** key on the external keyboard controls both the external keyboard and the virtual keyboard.

**Enable the external keyboard feature using the Admin panel**
- Log in to the Admin panel as **admin**.
- From the Configuration menu, select **External keyboard**. The External keyboard configuration page opens.
- In the **Keyboard application** drop-down menu, select the appropriate option for your device (see Device differences below).
- (Optional) Check a different keyboard language layout or multiple language layouts. The default layout is American English.
- (Optional) Choose the keyboard key combination to toggle between keyboard layouts if multiple languages are selected: **Ctrl+Shift** or **Alt+Shift**.
- Click **Apply**.

**Device differences**
- **Pearl-2 / Pearl Mini:** the external keyboard replaces the built-in virtual keyboard on the device's touch screen; select **Touch screen** in the Keyboard application drop-down. Neither device's own source guide includes a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer after this procedure.
- **Pearl Nano:** the external keyboard replaces the built-in virtual keyboard on Pearl Nano's (non-touch) front screen; select **Front Screen** in the Keyboard application drop-down. Pearl Nano's own guide follows this procedure with a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer.
- **Pearl Nexus:** headless — no on-device screen. The external keyboard controls the virtual keyboard in the local console instead, and there is no Keyboard application drop-down step in the Admin panel procedure for Pearl Nexus. Its own guide also includes a "What's next? Learn about keyboard shortcuts" pointer after this procedure.

> product: pearl-family · topic: other · source: pearl-family-common.md · updated: Oct 13, 2026