Hawking HFS8T - switch - 8 ports

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, reliable, simple to use
Disadvantages: None.

...I liked this switch so much, I bought two of them. Netgear have a reputation for cheap and reliable networking equipment, and this 5 port unmanaged switch is no exception. When I bought my two, they were retailing online for approx £35 each - but these days you should be able to get one for approx £25 (inc VAT.) The switch is more or less the size of my hand (yes, I have big hands). With 5 ports on the back - all are auto-sensing, as is the gigabit standard, so you don't have to worry about crossover cables if you're daisy-chaining switches... The only other port on the back is for power, which is the usual "wall-wart" plug in transformer you get with most home networking equipment. Given the switch is unmanaged, you can just plug desktop computers, laptops, XBOXes, network printers straight into the switch, and not worry... Read review

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

...two PCs along with audio. The video side uses a VGA connector and supports resolutions of up to 2048x1536 @65Hz. Switching between PCs is done via an easily remembered keyboard sequence. I would however have like to have had a manual button on the device itself in case the keystroke sequence interfered with anything. Also, if the current PC locks up, you can't switch to the other without rebooting the locked one. The top of the F1DL102P features a pair of LEDs to show which PC is currently selected. If you need to keep an eye on both PCs, you can enable autoscan mode which toggles back and forth between the PCs every eight seconds. A quick press of the space bar stops autoscanning and lets you use the currently selected PC. The F1DL102P claims support for scrolling mice but I did find sometimes one PC would start up... Read review

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