Avocent AutoView 3200 - KVM switch - 16 ports

Advantages: Remote access even when rebooting
Disadvantages: Can't power down/up, terrible quality of image at times

...Sorry, I know this is a bit of an odd one and that most people probably won't have a clue as to what this thing is, or what it does, but I was bored and hadn't written a review in a while so I thought I would put my time to good use at work and write this op! What is it? *********** The Avocent DSR 2010 is what's known as a digital KVM, or Keyboard, Video and Mouse. It's a black box, which is about 43cm long (Without mounting brackets, 48cm with them) into which you plug a mouse, monitor and keyboard. For the techies out there it's 1U. Along the front are 17 green lights and 17 orange lights and the name of the box (ASR 2010) to the far right. Nothing too exciting. Round the back is a little more interesting, but no better looking. Depending on the model you have bought you can have up to 16 ports in two rows. Each port... Read review

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Advantages: Advantages: Cheap, all in one solution
Disadvantages: No manual overide or audio support

...stops autoscanning and lets you use the currently selected PC. The Belkin claims support for scrolling mice but I did find sometimes one PC would start up without recognising this facility if it wasn't the currently selected one when booting up and in extreme cases, wouldn't recognise the keyboard and mouse at all. Previous KVM's I've used send the PC fake 'There's a keyboard and mouse here' messages when not selected and it seems this unit does not, which is a pity. Conclusion The Belkin 2 port KVM is a well built unit that works nicely and provides a great way to save desk space and the cost of a second monitor, keyboard and mouse. The long leads are useful and despite the niggles with scrolling mice and the lack of manual switch. I'd say this unit is worth considering at this price if you can live with those shortcomings... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, all in one solution, audio support
Disadvantages: No manual overide

...It's surprising how many people have more than one PC at home although even more surprising is that many of them each have their own screen, keyboard and mouse. In many cases this makes perfect sense but sometimes, you know you'll only ever use one or the other - perhaps one is your general PC and the other your music workstation. In these situations you can save a lot of space and money by investing in a KVM switch. KVM stands for Keyboard, Video and Mouse and allows you to use one keyboard, mouse and screen shared between two PCs. This particular unit from Belkin is unusual in that it also includes audio support and also comes with all the leads permanently attached instead of being supplied as a separate cabling set. Wiring it Up Installation is simply a matter of taking each of the two main cables and plugging the sets... Read review

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