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>I have an application that could use a KVM switch. I've never used one
>before, and apparently they come in two flavors: the rotary switch kind
>(much cheaper) and the other kind, with push-button switches.
Believe it or not, they come in more than two distinct flavors. As someone
already hinted, you can transmit KVM signals over greater distances with
Cat5e cable :) Cybex sells a KVM over IP device that is not PcAnywhere.
I have worked with about a dozen different KVM devices. I have owned three
KVM devices. My first KVM was a rotary dial. I was so thoroughly disgusted
with that I threw it out after a few months. I was even too ashamed to
give it to Goodwill. The video quality will never be as good as an
electronic and it is abysmally lacking in features that even the most basic
electronic KVM has. I still feel dirty that my house and home was fouled by
the presence of a rotary KVM. In case my meaning was lost in the subtlety:
DON'T EVER BUY A ROTARY KVM. Electronic KVMs are so affordable now that it
does not make much sense to buy a rotary. Remember that your vision is one
of your most important senses. Saving $20 is not worth the eye strain.
I then upgraded to a low end Rose Electronics KVM. Great little device with
KVM resets of mouse and keyboard, which is a feature that you may want given
your particular issue. It suffered a horrible death involving lightning.
The Rose KVM begat the Cybex. I cannot say enough good things about the
Cybex. It is made in America. It does not require a power supply unit but
does support the option. Software resets of mouse and keyboard are a big
plus. The quality of cables is superior to EVERY OTHER BRAND of cables that
I have used. Believe it or not, cable quality will affect your display
probably more so than the KVM itself. If you are going to get a cheaper KVM
I strongly encourage you to buy superior Cybex KVM cables with it. Your
eyes will thank you for it. Be sure to get the single molded cable to save
cable clutter.
Some other things to look for:
1. USB support can vary. Some offer PS/2 to USB Adapters for mouse and
keyboard; Some offer USB support only; Some even allow you to plug your USB
scanner and share it across multiple computers.
2. speaker support. Plug in one set of speakers to share across four
systems. OmniView offers at least one model.
3. Cable management. As stated before, buy the single molded Cybex Cable.
One solid cable is better than three flimsy cables.
4. Check out the maximum video resolution. This can vary widely between
brands.
5. Some do not include the costs of cables, some do. Compare apples to
apples.
6. Get the four port switch instead of the two port if you can afford it.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Fri Aug 01 2014 - 20:08:55 EDT