Monitor switch box: Does it exist?

[aic]

I just bought a docking port for my laptop. I am using my 19" monitor. Is there a box that I can use to hook my docking port and my old desktop to the same monitor without unhooking the monitor from the laptop docking port? Right now if I wanted to use the desktop, I would have to unplug the monitor cable from the docking port and hook it up to the desktop.

Thanks.

 

[jcmkk]

I don't know of any monitor only switches, but a I do know of a lot of KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switches. I pesonally prefer the Belkin series.

 

[IcemanJer]

Found two.

http://www.cablewholesale.com/catalog/vgasplitters.htm

http://www.cableconn.com/products/switchboxes/vga.htm

 

[spanky]

monitor only switches exist. i had one... i a cheapy one and it was pretty bad. but i am sure good ones are around.

 

[Odoacer]

My dad uses one all the time at work... when he's in the office, he plugs his laptop into this box and the screen appears on a separate monitor. I don't know anything about it though.

 

[IaPuP]

I would recommend getting a KVM switch. That way you don't have to have 2 keyboards and 2 mice to control 2 computers. If you really don't need it, there ARE just monitor switches, but they're less common.

There are two kinds.

1) mechanical

These types just have a mechanical switch that flips between the two monitors. I think you can find them for $15 if you look around. They tend to cause image degredation beacuse of unshielded wiring. Maybe there are some good ones out there, but I've never seen one. Some monitors won't switch refresh rates after being toggled like that and it can mess up the image and potentially (in rare cases) damage a monitor. Also, if you're switching a mouse, it's a good idea NOT to use these because mechanically switching a PS2 port can do damage to the equipment and will sometimes cause loss of sync with the mouse, usually requiring a system reboot.

2) electronic

These types maintain sync with the monitors and this is what most good KVM switches are. They keep the mouse powered and don't screw things up. They often let you switch computers through the use of a keyboard 'hot key' instead of a physical switch (like 'ctrl-alt-f1', 'ctrl-alt-f2', etc). Some even have software to do it and provide onscreen displays. These range from $50 to $25000.

PS - the $25000 model is an Avocent 8-user digital KVM-over-IP (With 50 software licenses) that let you login and remotely control your stuff from over the Internet. Neeto.

Eric

 

[smp]

Well .. I was gonna tell you about mechanical and electronic .. but IaPuP said it way better than I could've. I learned a bit