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 ...
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 ...
Advantages: easdy to use,USB connections,up to 4 pc's Disadvantages: not pretty,
KVM switches are,i think, a very underrated component and are not often seen in use. This i think is because untill recently they relied on pretty much old tech as far as connections were concerned.
Just to make it clear at the start what a KVM dose for those not familier with them,a KVM switch performs the very useful function of alowing more than one computer to use the same keyboard,monitor, mouse,and sometimes(and in this case) speakers.
Be warned though,a KVM switch is simply an input/output switch it dose NOT link the pcs in any way,when one is on the others are off,no movement between computers just access between you and several pc's.
For those of us who need to use more than one PC on a regular basis this is a major bonus both in space saving and speed of use.
This belkinswitch is a big step forward in KVM ...
Product Information for "Belkin Bitronics AutoSwitch Kit switch - 4 ports" »
Manufacturer's product description
Finally an easy way to use multiple parallel port devices has arrived! Belkin's new Bitronics AutoSwitch is the easiest and safest way to switch between Bitronics and IEEE 1284 printers, tape backup units, scanners, and EZ Drives - virtually any parallel port device! The Bitronics AutoSwitch won't slow you down, either, with full support for all advanced parallel port modes. The Bitronics AutoSwitch is completely plug and play, requiring no software installation - simply attach cables, and you're done. Connect both your laser printer and scanner, or your tape backup and inkjet printer. It's that easy! The AutoSwitch is also fully reversible, allowing connection of two PCs to a single parallel port device. The Bitronics AutoSwitch is the easiest, safest way to share parallel port devices!
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