KVM switch?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sean Cousins
  • Start date Start date
S

Sean Cousins

What's a good and reliable KVM switch that has usb mouse and keyboard
and also switches your speakers from one PC to the other?
 
No KVM switches also switch speakers over.
Click to expand...

That you know of. It's always best to qualify such statements.

I'm using a Belkin 2-computer KVM switch that switches USB mouse, USB
keyboard, VGA video, speakers, and microphone. I'd tell you the
model number but I apparently discarded the paperwork that came with
it, and the model number on the bottom is too small for me to read in
its current position (i.e., I'd have to unplug everything and pull it
out just to read it).
 
S. Whitmore said:
That you know of. It's always best to qualify such statements.

I'm using a Belkin 2-computer KVM switch that switches USB
mouse, USB
keyboard, VGA video, speakers, and microphone. I'd tell you
the
model number but I apparently discarded the paperwork that came
with
it, and the model number on the bottom is too small for me to
read in
its current position (i.e., I'd have to unplug everything and
pull it
out just to read it).
Click to expand...

Is this it?
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=164060
 
It is further alleged that on or about Sun, 05 Feb 2006 03:42:00 GMT,
in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt, the queezy keyboard of S. Whitmore
<[email protected]> spewed the following:

|On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 16:09:03 -0800, "DaveW" <[email protected]>
|contributed:
|
|>No KVM switches also switch speakers over.
|
|That you know of. It's always best to qualify such statements.
|
|I'm using a Belkin 2-computer KVM switch that switches USB mouse, USB
|keyboard, VGA video, speakers, and microphone. I'd tell you the
|model number but I apparently discarded the paperwork that came with
|it, and the model number on the bottom is too small for me to read in
|its current position (i.e., I'd have to unplug everything and pull it
|out just to read it)
Shut the **** up, you arrogant ass.
 
DaveW said:
No KVM switches also switch speakers over.
Click to expand...

You are a complete ****tard. Get the hell off this newsgroup. Post after
post of ignorant shut in bullshit.
 
I'm using a Belkin 2-computer KVM switch that switches USB mouse, USB
keyboard, VGA video, speakers, and microphone. I'd tell you the
model number but I apparently discarded the paperwork that came with
it, and the model number on the bottom is too small for me to read in
its current position (i.e., I'd have to unplug everything and pull it
out just to read it).
Click to expand...

The only Belkin I see where I buy my hardware is this one.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9087&vpn=F1DS104T&manufacture=Belkin
It's more than I want to spend and it says it is four port, I only
need two. It says it has PS/2 and USB also, I only need USB.
 
Yep, that's the one. I forgot to mention the limitation that it only
works for single-plug audio so if you have a more advanced speaker
system it may not work (or may have to be used at a reduced
capacity).
Click to expand...

Single plug is fine for me. Why does it use software though? My
current KVM has no software, you just press Scroll Lock twice and it
switches computers.
 
Single plug is fine for me. Why does it use software though? My
current KVM has no software, you just press Scroll Lock twice and it
switches computers.
Click to expand...

IIRC, the software is optional. I don't think I installed it. My
guess is that it enables hot-key switching. I have it set up to
share between a PC and a Mac, and I think the software was
Windows-only, so I figured I'd just use the switch on the top of the
device rather than have hot-key switching from just one of the two
computers. Not quite as convenient, but it was the only USB KVM I
could find in the limited time I had to look, so I went with it.

I also have a USB hub on a USB A/B switch between these two machines,
and it did have software for both PC and Mac OS X, and I did have to
install that because there is no physical switch. It works OK but
would be much better if the software ran as a service instead of just
a regular user application. I have to log in (to Windows 2000 or Mac
OS X) before I can toggle the switch.

As for why your current KVM can work without software, maybe it's the
difference between PS/2 connections and USB, since the PS/2
connections are specific to keyboards and mice but USB is more
generic. That's just a guess, though.
 
The only Belkin I see where I buy my hardware is this one.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9087&vpn=F1DS104T&manufacture=Belkin
It's more than I want to spend and it says it is four port, I only need
two. It says it has PS/2 and USB also, I only need USB.
Click to expand...


I use a $30 Airlink AKVM-2A (1280x1024 res) but it is PS/2 so I still use
2 USB mice. It is hardware hot key driven so I can listen to audio from
one pc while gaming on another.

IOGear sells a $40 USB version which works with hardware hot keys
1280x1024 res.
http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GCS632U&sec=Requirements#display

Belkin's version didn't officially support Linux so I couldn't use it.
 
S. Whitmore said:
IIRC, the software is optional. I don't think I installed it. My
guess is that it enables hot-key switching.
Click to expand...

All of the KVMs I've ever used had hotkey switching onboard and no
software was required, so I doubt it's this.
I have it set up to
share between a PC and a Mac,
Click to expand...

I'm sharing between WinXP Home and Linux on my KVM, and the hotkeys work
with both OSes and neither requires software for this.


--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
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transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
I use a $30 Airlink AKVM-2A (1280x1024 res) but it is PS/2 so I still use
2 USB mice. It is hardware hot key driven so I can listen to audio from
one pc while gaming on another.

IOGear sells a $40 USB version which works with hardware hot keys
1280x1024 res.
http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GCS632U&sec=Requirements#display

Belkin's version didn't officially support Linux so I couldn't use it.
Click to expand...

OK, thx. I'll look into those. On my current Lynksys KVM I do use a
USB mouse but with a PS2 adapter, I also have a PS2 keyboard but I
want to use my Saitek USB keyboard and you can't use a PS2 adapter
with it as it needs USB power to light up the LED keys. For sound I
could use a splitter but that adds resistance.
 
IIRC, the software is optional. I don't think I installed it. My
guess is that it enables hot-key switching. I have it set up to
share between a PC and a Mac, and I think the software was
Windows-only, so I figured I'd just use the switch on the top of the
device rather than have hot-key switching from just one of the two
computers. Not quite as convenient, but it was the only USB KVM I
could find in the limited time I had to look, so I went with it.

I also have a USB hub on a USB A/B switch between these two machines,
and it did have software for both PC and Mac OS X, and I did have to
install that because there is no physical switch. It works OK but
would be much better if the software ran as a service instead of just
a regular user application. I have to log in (to Windows 2000 or Mac
OS X) before I can toggle the switch.

As for why your current KVM can work without software, maybe it's the
difference between PS/2 connections and USB, since the PS/2
connections are specific to keyboards and mice but USB is more
generic. That's just a guess, though.
Click to expand...

Hmm, maybe that one isn't for me. I don't want to have to reach for a
switch on the KVM as it will most likely be on the floor behind the
computer. I would like it as my current KVM is were you just press
scroll lock twice to switch.
 
Sean said:
What's a good and reliable KVM switch that has usb mouse and keyboard
and also switches your speakers from one PC to the other?
Click to expand...

i need the same for DVI and noone replys. *sighs*
 
Hmm, maybe that one isn't for me. I don't want to have to reach for a
switch on the KVM as it will most likely be on the floor behind the
computer. I would like it as my current KVM is were you just press
scroll lock twice to switch.
Click to expand...

Well, I should clarify that I only mentioned it in the first place
because it fit the basic requirements of being a USB KVM that also
switched audio. It's not a personal recommendation, and the more I
use it, the less I like it.

In the relatively short time that this thread has been active, I've
had two instances where switching back from the Mac to the PC has
failed and the only way to get back in control is to power off the PC
(just rebooting didn't suffice). It's like the switch "crashes"
because both system-active indicators are unlit when this happens.
This is unacceptably bad performance, but it's probably too late for
me to get my money back, unfortunately.

To be fair, it's probably not meant to work with a Mac, which is why
the software provided with it is only for the PC, so maybe something
the Mac is doing is causing this problem. That doesn't help me,
though, and at some point the unplanned/unmanaged shut-down of the PC
will probably result in my losing data or causing other problems. If
I can find a suitable alternative that is friendly to both PCs and
Macs, I'll probably get it and unload this thing at a yard sale or on
eBay (at probably an 80% or greater loss).

At this point I'd be happier with a manual A/B switch like I use for
my printers... It's old and clunky looking, but it never fails!
 
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