HI Phill, following your first video on this I went ahead and bought the Luna Display to run with my M2 Mac Studio and 2015 iMac, which I now run as my primary screen, you can set that up in preferences so each time I start up it automatically sets up as my main screen. I have a cheap HP display that was always my second screen so it was very easy to get set up with that hooked up too. I run it peer to peer on USB-C to USB-A. There's the teeniest little bit of lag but after a week of using it I barely notice to be honest. The only noticeable lag is the moving screen saver and if I were to try to stream video, that's a no-no, but doesn't effect the use as a working screen! It keeps the 5K resolution on my 2015 Mac, but on the 2012 the resolution isn't great as the OS is not up to date enough. Great little product! It was really easy to set up and the astropad site is great for information and support. Thanks for plugging it! It's saved me a small fortune. I went through your link so I hope you get a little commission!
Hello there! I'm in a similar situation as well. I have a late 2015 27" iMac and an M2 Mac mini. Will be ordering Luna Display soon. I'll be using the iMac as my primary display in headless mode. Just wanted to ask if you've used that mode and how you've found it while watching videos on RUclips or VLC? Is there any lag and if so how bad is it? Many thanks.
@@neomartian5243 hi. I use the USB method to connect so I have no idea if headless mode will have lag, sorry. I have tried watching video tho and it’s no good, I wouldn’t recommend that
I used Luna Display to connect my Mac Mini M2 Pro and MacBook Air M2 for 7 months, but I ended up switching to Apple Screen Mirroring in OSX 14.5. Here are the reasons why: 1. When the computer wakes up from sleep, the Luna Display app can't wake the connected display, requiring me to manually quit the apps on both computers and restart them every time. 2. When connecting to a VPN, it automatically disconnects. 3. Things got worse after 6 months; sometimes, even restarting and reinstalling the Luna Display app didn't work. Eventually, it completely stopped working. I unplugged the USB dongle and threw it away.
So you weren't using Luna Display to Extend it to an iMac screen. Screen mirroring is available between many Mac's, but is of no help to owners of an old iMac wanting to extend to it as their monitor.
Hi Phil, thansk for this informative video. One question.... I have a Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017. Great monitor but getting a bit slow ... I dont need a second monitor but if I had a Mac mini could I configure it to use the retina display as the main display? I mean do I need two screens? Any advice appreciated..
I highly recommend using a second screen as using your iMac as the ONLY screen presents issues. You need to process your login on both computers at times which can't be done easily. Having 2 screens is much more efficient. Even a low cost monitor to start your Mac Mini would be helpful.
Thanks for the info ... I'm at "that place" right now ... and also ... I want to tell you that the audio was much too quiet, compared to the rest of RUclips.
Hi Phil. Very helpful video thank you. Can you please help me? Can I connect a secondary 2015 iMac to my 2017 Primary iMac that has USB-C Thunderbolt, therefore iMac to iMac? Primary iMac 5K 27Inch 2017 to Secondary iMac 5K 27Inch 2015? I also have the need for a Primary MacBook Pro M3 2023 to connect to a secondary iMac 5K 27Inch 2017. I am sure this 2nd option is okay. Please help if you have time. Also, do you know anything about Duet?
Great questions - you can certainly use Luna Display for your iMac to iMac connection (I'm envious of you having two 5K iMac's!). You can connect using a USB-C cable between your two iMac's, or simply use ethernet via your router, Wi-Fi, or peer-to-peer connection, which is a feature of the Luna display system.
I truly appreciate the effort, I do! I had a difficult time dealing with the lugubrious soporific narrative beset with tiresome redundancies. Watching at 1.25 - 1.5 x speed made it almost bearable… almost. I am certain it’s me.
Using a MacBook Air M2 as the primary device and a 27 inch iMac as the secondary device, the primary device does not recognise the internal HD of the secondary device nor any of the attached external drives to it. So your comment that you can use the internal storage of the secondary device when using the primary device doesn't work for me. Am I missing something? If I could get access to the drives connected to (both internally and externally) the secondary iMac that would be a game changer for me since the experience of using the iMac as a second monitor to the MacBook Air is really pretty good. So is there a way to configure things so that the primary device can recognise the drives of the iMac?
@@HelpfulPhil Thanks. Your videos have been very helpful. Didn't quite work as per your video in that choosing Bonjour Printers didn't bring up the iMac on my primary computer but then I am running Sonoma on the primary computer which may explain this. But what did turn up was a network option which allowed me to connect to my iMac and then I can indeed access all drives in and connected to the iMac. Just working on a wifi connection between a MacBook Air M2 and the iMac I have to say that things are pretty smooth. I am a photographer and using Lightroom from my MacBook Air M2 and using the iMac as a screen is probably useable even via a wifi connection. unfortunately Lightroom won't allow a catalog on a network drive to open. But eventually I will get a Mac Studio and attach all drives to that. I will be interested to see whether a hard wired Ethernet or usb connection between the iMac and the Studio will be better. I will still probably buy a 5k monitor to go with the studio when I purchase but it does seem clear that Luna Display is perfectly useable with the iMac and so I won't have to dump it.
@@philipflower1931 Bonjour should have worked, it requires the same iCloud account on each. Interesting about Lightroom catalogues with the network drive. I use Lightroom but have the catalog(s) on an external SSD connected to my MacStudio.
Hi Phil. Firstly thanks for your excellent videos. Now a subscriber. Really like the way you go into the fine details of all the connections this is often missed by other you tubers. I have particularly enjoyed the Luna screen device and your review of the Dell Monitor. Like you it was frustrating that in order to upgrade my Mac I would have to sell or scrap my perfectly good 27” IMac. I was debating around waiting to see if the new M3 Imac will be released in October or just taking the plunge and going for the M1 Imac. You may well have saved me a fortune as a more sensible option may be to go for an M2 Mac mini with a monitor probably the Dell you reviewed and the Astropod Luna device. Utilising my perfectly good IMac as a second screen. I have a couple of questions.Firstly do you know if the Astropod Luna will work with a slightly older 27”IMac mine is a Late 2012 model running Catalina. I don’t seem to able to find this specific information. Secondly which thunderbolt cable do you use to connect your studio to the Dell monitor. Thanks again.
Hi Mark, I'm certain your iMac 2012 would work as mine is a 2013 running Catalina too! The Thunderbolt cable (Type C Gen 2 5A) I'm using came with the Dell monitor!
hello i want to connect an imac 5k retina 2017 (32go,8go graphics ram, 1 to) to a new mac studio m2 max (1 to 64 go ram) : what is the best solution ? keep the imac? buy a second screen to have on sure screen displaying? thanks a lot
G'day Phil. Thanks so much for your video as there isn't much out there on the Luna Display. I bought one about a year ago for my Macbook Pro to my iMac 27" 2015 model but as the the TB3 USB C cable I bought is so short, I haven't used it that much. I've just bought a Dell U2723QE monitor and was going to use it as a primary monitor with a (not yet purchased) Mac Mini and occasionally plug in my MBP as well. However, after watching your video, I'm going to revisit using the Luna Display again. The iMac as the primary screen, the Dell on the left of it in portrait mode, the Mac Mini plugged into the Dell, the Luna display plugged into the Mac Mini and the TB3 cable from the MM into the iMac. With your setup, do you find that they're any adverse affect on the iMac, ie. fan spinning or really hot? Even when watching 4k video on the iMac the fan starting spinning up to the mid 2000's.... Also, do you have your iMac with hardly any apps on it?
sounds like an interesting set-up with the Dell in Portait mode. I did that for many years in a different set up. I don't even notice the iMac making any noise, just like any monitor. The only thing that the iMac is doing is running Luna Display Secondary app... and yes I cleared of most of the apps from the iMac to give me more storage space.
Hi Phil. Lovely video; it suits your channel name perfectly. Would I be able to access the dozen hard drives connected to my iMac too by any chance? I’m finally upgrading after using a 2014 iMac 5k for 9 years and trying to convince myself I don’t need to splurge for the m3 pro MacBook just because it’s got 3 usb-c ports, and I need one free for a docking station (the m3 only has 2 usb-c ports, and I shudder at the very thought).
Thanks for the compliment. Yes you would be able to access any hard drives internal or external connected to your iMac. They should appear on your local network in the Finder. This is another brilliant reason to use Luna Display and retain your old iMac.
Thank you, Phil. I finally set out to order, and it suddenly occurred to me that even though RUclips never notified me you’ve a responded, you most likely have, so I should find the video and check. Lo and behold, indeed you have, and it’s amazing news! Thank you again ❤
HI Phill, following your first video on this I went ahead and bought the Luna Display to run with my M2 Mac Studio and 2015 iMac, which I now run as my primary screen, you can set that up in preferences so each time I start up it automatically sets up as my main screen. I have a cheap HP display that was always my second screen so it was very easy to get set up with that hooked up too. I run it peer to peer on USB-C to USB-A. There's the teeniest little bit of lag but after a week of using it I barely notice to be honest. The only noticeable lag is the moving screen saver and if I were to try to stream video, that's a no-no, but doesn't effect the use as a working screen! It keeps the 5K resolution on my 2015 Mac, but on the 2012 the resolution isn't great as the OS is not up to date enough. Great little product! It was really easy to set up and the astropad site is great for information and support. Thanks for plugging it! It's saved me a small fortune. I went through your link so I hope you get a little commission!
Hello there! I'm in a similar situation as well. I have a late 2015 27" iMac and an M2 Mac mini. Will be ordering Luna Display soon. I'll be using the iMac as my primary display in headless mode. Just wanted to ask if you've used that mode and how you've found it while watching videos on RUclips or VLC? Is there any lag and if so how bad is it? Many thanks.
@@neomartian5243 hi. I use the USB method to connect so I have no idea if headless mode will have lag, sorry. I have tried watching video tho and it’s no good, I wouldn’t recommend that
Can the wired connect to the older iMac be done using Thunderbolt rather than Ethernet?
Yes. help.astropad.com/article/189-computer-to-mac?sca_ref=3948717.ToH2p0eo7q
I used Luna Display to connect my Mac Mini M2 Pro and MacBook Air M2 for 7 months, but I ended up switching to Apple Screen Mirroring in OSX 14.5. Here are the reasons why:
1. When the computer wakes up from sleep, the Luna Display app can't wake the connected display, requiring me to manually quit the apps on both computers and restart them every time.
2. When connecting to a VPN, it automatically disconnects.
3. Things got worse after 6 months; sometimes, even restarting and reinstalling the Luna Display app didn't work. Eventually, it completely stopped working. I unplugged the USB dongle and threw it away.
So you weren't using Luna Display to Extend it to an iMac screen. Screen mirroring is available between many Mac's, but is of no help to owners of an old iMac wanting to extend to it as their monitor.
@@HelpfulPhil But you haven't mention the software bugs in your Luna Display advertising videos.
@@alanika I am using Luna Display without any issues as shown in my videos.
Hi Phil, thansk for this informative video. One question.... I have a Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017. Great monitor but getting a bit slow ... I dont need a second monitor but if I had a Mac mini could I configure it to use the retina display as the main display? I mean do I need two screens? Any advice appreciated..
I highly recommend using a second screen as using your iMac as the ONLY screen presents issues. You need to process your login on both computers at times which can't be done easily. Having 2 screens is much more efficient. Even a low cost monitor to start your Mac Mini would be helpful.
@@HelpfulPhil Thank you that was helpful Phil :O)
Hello! How could I control brightness on my secondary iMac? Thanks!
you need to set your iMac monitor brightness and color profile before you use Luna Display.
Thanks for the info ... I'm at "that place" right now ... and also ... I want to tell you that the audio was much too quiet, compared to the rest of RUclips.
OK
Hi Phil. Very helpful video thank you. Can you please help me? Can I connect a secondary 2015 iMac to my 2017 Primary iMac that has USB-C Thunderbolt, therefore iMac to iMac? Primary iMac 5K 27Inch 2017 to Secondary iMac 5K 27Inch 2015? I also have the need for a Primary MacBook Pro M3 2023 to connect to a secondary iMac 5K 27Inch 2017. I am sure this 2nd option is okay. Please help if you have time. Also, do you know anything about Duet?
Great questions - you can certainly use Luna Display for your iMac to iMac connection (I'm envious of you having two 5K iMac's!). You can connect using a USB-C cable between your two iMac's, or simply use ethernet via your router, Wi-Fi, or peer-to-peer connection, which is a feature of the Luna display system.
Very helpful, thanks.
I truly appreciate the effort, I do!
I had a difficult time dealing with the lugubrious soporific narrative beset with tiresome redundancies. Watching at 1.25 - 1.5 x speed made it almost bearable… almost. I am certain it’s me.
Using a MacBook Air M2 as the primary device and a 27 inch iMac as the secondary device, the primary device does not recognise the internal HD of the secondary device nor any of the attached external drives to it. So your comment that you can use the internal storage of the secondary device when using the primary device doesn't work for me. Am I missing something? If I could get access to the drives connected to (both internally and externally) the secondary iMac that would be a game changer for me since the experience of using the iMac as a second monitor to the MacBook Air is really pretty good. So is there a way to configure things so that the primary device can recognise the drives of the iMac?
ruclips.net/video/QBYDYuvWl7o/видео.html
@@HelpfulPhil Thanks. Your videos have been very helpful. Didn't quite work as per your video in that choosing Bonjour Printers didn't bring up the iMac on my primary computer but then I am running Sonoma on the primary computer which may explain this. But what did turn up was a network option which allowed me to connect to my iMac and then I can indeed access all drives in and connected to the iMac. Just working on a wifi connection between a MacBook Air M2 and the iMac I have to say that things are pretty smooth. I am a photographer and using Lightroom from my MacBook Air M2 and using the iMac as a screen is probably useable even via a wifi connection. unfortunately Lightroom won't allow a catalog on a network drive to open. But eventually I will get a Mac Studio and attach all drives to that. I will be interested to see whether a hard wired Ethernet or usb connection between the iMac and the Studio will be better. I will still probably buy a 5k monitor to go with the studio when I purchase but it does seem clear that Luna Display is perfectly useable with the iMac and so I won't have to dump it.
@@philipflower1931 Bonjour should have worked, it requires the same iCloud account on each. Interesting about Lightroom catalogues with the network drive. I use Lightroom but have the catalog(s) on an external SSD connected to my MacStudio.
Hi Phil. Firstly thanks for your excellent videos. Now a subscriber. Really like the way you go into the fine details of all the connections this is often missed by other you tubers. I have particularly enjoyed the Luna screen device and your review of the Dell Monitor. Like you it was frustrating that in order to upgrade my Mac I would have to sell or scrap my perfectly good 27” IMac. I was debating around waiting to see if the new M3 Imac will be released in October or just taking the plunge and going for the M1 Imac. You may well have saved me a fortune as a more sensible option may be to go for an M2 Mac mini with a monitor probably the Dell you reviewed and the Astropod Luna device. Utilising my perfectly good IMac as a second screen. I have a couple of questions.Firstly do you know if the Astropod Luna will work with a slightly older 27”IMac mine is a Late 2012 model running Catalina. I don’t seem to able to find this specific information. Secondly which thunderbolt cable do you use to connect your studio to the Dell monitor. Thanks again.
Hi Mark, I'm certain your iMac 2012 would work as mine is a 2013 running Catalina too! The Thunderbolt cable (Type C Gen 2 5A) I'm using came with the Dell monitor!
Brilliant thanks for the response Phil@@HelpfulPhil
hello i want to connect an imac 5k retina 2017 (32go,8go graphics ram, 1 to) to a new mac studio m2 max (1 to 64 go ram) : what is the best solution ? keep the imac? buy a second screen to have on sure screen displaying? thanks a lot
You can use your 5K iMac with Luna display, but you need a second screen to set it up if you want to use it as the only screen in headless mode
G'day Phil. Thanks so much for your video as there isn't much out there on the Luna Display. I bought one about a year ago for my Macbook Pro to my iMac 27" 2015 model but as the the TB3 USB C cable I bought is so short, I haven't used it that much. I've just bought a Dell U2723QE monitor and was going to use it as a primary monitor with a (not yet purchased) Mac Mini and occasionally plug in my MBP as well. However, after watching your video, I'm going to revisit using the Luna Display again. The iMac as the primary screen, the Dell on the left of it in portrait mode, the Mac Mini plugged into the Dell, the Luna display plugged into the Mac Mini and the TB3 cable from the MM into the iMac.
With your setup, do you find that they're any adverse affect on the iMac, ie. fan spinning or really hot? Even when watching 4k video on the iMac the fan starting spinning up to the mid 2000's.... Also, do you have your iMac with hardly any apps on it?
sounds like an interesting set-up with the Dell in Portait mode. I did that for many years in a different set up. I don't even notice the iMac making any noise, just like any monitor. The only thing that the iMac is doing is running Luna Display Secondary app... and yes I cleared of most of the apps from the iMac to give me more storage space.
@@HelpfulPhil Great. Thanks for that info and the quick reply Phil.
Hi Phil. Lovely video; it suits your channel name perfectly. Would I be able to access the dozen hard drives connected to my iMac too by any chance? I’m finally upgrading after using a 2014 iMac 5k for 9 years and trying to convince myself I don’t need to splurge for the m3 pro MacBook just because it’s got 3 usb-c ports, and I need one free for a docking station (the m3 only has 2 usb-c ports, and I shudder at the very thought).
Thanks for the compliment. Yes you would be able to access any hard drives internal or external connected to your iMac. They should appear on your local network in the Finder. This is another brilliant reason to use Luna Display and retain your old iMac.
Thank you, Phil. I finally set out to order, and it suddenly occurred to me that even though RUclips never notified me you’ve a responded, you most likely have, so I should find the video and check. Lo and behold, indeed you have, and it’s amazing news! Thank you again ❤
Did you try to connect via Thunderbolt?
No as I don't have thunderbolt on my iMac. It should present an excellent choice though.