Question about KVM switches

spanky

Lifer
Jun 19, 2001
25,716
4
81
i am thinking about getting getting a linksys kvm switch. i found two at buy.com. here are the links:

exhibit a
exhibit b

at first, i did not see any differences between the two, but after eyeballing the page for about 10 minutes, i noticed that exhibit a has an external power source, while exhibit b... well... i guess its powered by the pc? my question is, which one is better? exhibit a cost more... so does that mean its better? if so... why? by comparison, usb zip drives powered thru the usb port seem to be more desired than the ones with external power supply. does this hold true for kvm switches as well?


-spanky
 

wyvrn

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
10,074
0
0
My KVM works either way. It can use the keyboard as a source for power, or use an AC adapter. I purchased an ac adapter for mine because the bookpc I bought only has USB ports and can't power the KVM. Also, sometimes I noticed the switch hanging if I powered down one system that was active, and I would have to toggle the switch a couple of times to get it working again, so the AC adapter with constant power supply solved that problem.
 

clumsum

Senior member
Nov 19, 2000
806
2
0
spanky007,

A good KVM review and comparison at: TomsHardware.............

I wish I would have read it before I purchased my D-Link DKVM-2 ........... although for the $$$, I think I got the best one.