any one use a KVM, and could suggest one ??

[Qasar]

the one i have.. is shot... looking for a new one.., 2 port, but can be 4 port...

suggestions ??

 

[sdifox]

Any particular reason you cannot remote desktop?

 

[Chaotic42]

I've got this one (https://www.tripplite.com/4-port-di...dio-cables-usb-3.0-superspeed-hub~B004DPUA4K/). It works well, but has a few issues as they all seem to. Sometimes Windows 10 will complain about a broken USB device, but everything still works. The buttons on the front are really touchy, and things like using the KVM to catch the BIOS of a booting computer just won't happen. If you're using multiple monitors for a system and one of those monitors is on the KVM, switching to a different system input on the KVM will cause that multiple monitored system to shove everything over to the one non-KVM connected monitor. That's really the worst issue.

If that all sounds acceptable, I'd recommend looking into it. It's not cheap, but none of them are.

 

[Qasar]

sdifox
would rather not.. i have a main comp, own monitor, keyboard and mouse connected directly... and i have 2 other comps, that i use with a 2nd monitor, keyboard and mouse, and the KVM because while i play a game on the main.. i can do other things on the other 2 comps.. and it allows a friend to use the 2nd comp as their own when they drop by to play wow, starcraft 2 or diablo 3 instead of having to bring their own hardware...

Chaotic42

that could work.. if i had display ports on the 3rd comp suggestions for a DVI based USB KVM ?? i could use HDMI.. but the 2 port one i bought to replace the current KVM ( that i went back to ) seems to have killed the HDMI port on my 2nd monitor... and doesnt work any more....

 

[dank69]

Why not software solution like Input Director?

 

[rchunter]

suggestions for a DVI based USB KVM ??

I'm running this iogear, It's been good.. The only thing is I think it's limited to 60hz monitors.
https://www.iogear.com/product/GCS1204G/

 

[Red Squirrel]

I've struggled to find a good KVM, most of them are trash. I have a USB/DVI one, think it's a trendnet (not at home to check). It's ok, but it does lock up once in a while where I don't get mouse or keyboard access and have to switch back and forth or unplug and replug etc for it to finally work. I use it so I can switch to my gaming PC which runs windows, my main PC runs Linux. RDP and other software stuff is NOT a replacement for a KVM. KVMs give you low level hardware access.

One of these days I want to look at designing my own KVM, but I'm a long ways from knowing how to do that. My idea of how a KVM should work is that each port actually presents the peripherals to the computers at all times, and simply relays the info from the real peripherals to whatever computer is set as active. The computers would not see devices being plugged/unplugged every time you switch. In theory this would also allow for immediate switching instead of there being a delay.

What's also ridiculous is that most KVMs are still PS/2 now. PS/2 died about 10 years ago. I don't know why they still even make PS/2 KVMs. Most newer computers/servers don't even have those ports.

 

[rchunter]

This iogear I have has never locked up on me and I can access the bios with it no problem. I agree about kvm's though, shopping for one is rough. Most are expensive, at least for the half way decent ones, and you pretty much have to buy your monitor at the same time and make sure it's compatible.

One thing is I really wish they would make kvm's that support higher refresh rate monitors like 120hz, 144hz, etc.. I don't know of any that do. All the 1440p kvm's i've seen have a 60hz limit, and on all of the 4k kvm's the highest i've seen is 30hz.

 

[Elixer]

I got so annoyed at trying to find a good KVM, that I basically gave up...after 5 units, until I found this. https://looking-glass.hostfission.com/

That is pretty slick, and while it isn't 100% bug free, it has solved some issues I had with hardware based KVMs.

 

[Qasar]

dank69

cause of the reason i said.. need to be able to also let the 2nd comp... be used by friends if they stop by to play... no need to bring their own comp need hardware based KVM like the one i have....

rchunter
that could work.. i wonder if it is also avail in a 2 port version.... refresh rate is just fine : -)

red squirel
the belkin on i have..is decent.. but now.. if i remove the power from one of the comps.. i have to unplug it from all power.. and start over.. plug it in.. then plug the USB cables in, then turn on one comp.. get to windows.. then do the same for the other ones.. didnt do that before... i used to have all my comps connected to the kvm.. but have since moved my main comp to its own mouse/keyboard/monitor.. and the others via the kvm... i agree.. remote desktop.. just doesnt work if you need to use all more then one comp.. separate of the others... yep.. most are still PS2 based.. or.. use d sub... grrrrr time we let those to ports go... isnt it ?

Elixer...
looking glass.. looks to be a software based kvm, correct? aka remote desktop... which wont work for me....

 

[rchunter]

that could work.. i wonder if it is also avail in a 2 port version.... refresh rate is just fine : -)

https://www.iogear.com/product/GCS1782G/

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I've been through the hoops with this! People had also asked me the same question: "Why don't you Remote Desktop?" That would work for some applications and not others.

Two of my top-end workstations do double-duty to provide an HTPC function. One of them is connected to my desktop monitor and my HDTV as well.

Couple years ago, I replaced an old 1995-vintage Belkin OmniView 4 (video through VGA only) with an Avocent 4-port USB/DVI model. Turns out . . . the Avocent wasn't HDCP-compliant, even though most DVI connections are just that -- in addition to HDMI!

Then, I discovered that my BenQ monitors really have a built-in video-input switch, functioning for the "V" part of my KVM. So I now simply use the Avocent to unify three PCs under a single keyboard and mouse. If I need to switch video, I've set up the menu on my BenQ to make it easy.

Some of the models quoted by colleagues above like IOGear, Tripplite and Belkin are fairly reliable. There's always a risk of keyboard dropouts with USB connections. Haven't really experienced that with the Avocent.

I'm not going to recommend this or that. I won't recommend the Avocent, but you have a sample of my observations.

You can spend up to around $300 on a cheaper 4-port KVM. Be prepared to spend more for HDMI or even DP-enabled KVMs. You might want to look at a line called "Smart-AVI", but that's not the only manufacture available.

 

[Red Squirrel]

One thing I really want to look into at some point when I know more about component level electronics is to design a KVM, and also a hardware version of Synergy, it could probably just be the same product. Would be modular so you can just hook up more together for more ports. The way I would make it work is that all the computers plugged into it see a mouse, keyboard, and monitor, at all times. When you switch to a machine, all it would simply do is translate the signal from each device and then send it to the appropriate computer, vise versa for the monitor. This would make it more reliable and also make it switch instantly. Essentially, the KVM is always controlling the computers and you are controlling the KVM, the KVM just relays the signal to the one computer that is selected, and only reads data from the monitor port of the computer that is selected. I'm really not sure why this is not already how it's done. It would make them really reliable as switching between machines would no longer be equivalent to unplugging/plugging the peripherals.

I'm thinking using some kind of HID chip implimentation and DP or HDMI driver chip this could probably be done. Then a microcontroller to simply tie them together.