EK21

Depends on how you're reading the keys. At the application level they'll look like the same input, if your keymapper is hooked in low enough down it can map things differently based on source. Safest is to get a full-on QMK number pad like the KBDcraft Adam 20% or the Zouya GMK26 so you can program

New numpad (Epomaker EK21) works out of the box as expected. So this comes down to the MagicForce having an issue on linux that it doesn't exhibit on windows for some reason. As far as I'm concerned, this is now resolved, even though there's no specific fix for the MagicForce I was using.

Epomaker EK21 and or Zouya Numpad (Zouya will be cheaper) These 2 is good enought to last a long long time. You dont really need a better on in home desktop but if you want a Larger or more battery numpad Have a look at the EK26 EK33 models Or check Womier Numpad as well (just a bit more price but t

Epomaker EK21. Run away. I tried to configure mine to support three layers and it kept resetting and forgetting all its programming. It's some kind of awful proprietary firmware badly emulating QMK. The Zouya GMK26 is far better.

Your issue is due to the firmware. The firmware is the software that is running inside the keyboard. The firmware in the ek21 is rubbish. It cannot be made not rubbish, except by writing new firmware for it and I don't think that there is enough information about the hardware to do that without some