A few usb KVM Switch Questions

Hey guys. I've been asked for christmas ideas, and 1 of them i'd thought of would be a KVM switch to use with my laptop and desktop pc. I've never had experience with them before so have a few questions.

I'd ideally like something cheap as it's a present etc.. and someone else would be buying it for me (if they do) and i'd be looking for a usb one. Not sure where i stand on it including audio, but if it did it'd be an optional bonus

I did the usual ebay search to get an idea of the price of the cheap no name hong kong products and the popular name options, and found £6.99 without audio and £15.99 with audio and also got me looking at the likes of http://www.belkin.com/uk/switch2/

So questions:

Any suggestions?

Anyone had any experience with the cheap Hong Kong imports?

How do KVM work with keyboards that have software (Logitech G15 in particular), plain sailing? problematic? Varies from KVM switch to KVM switch?

Basically, any pitfalls or features i should be aware of and looking out for?



Incase it makes any difference, both pc and laptop are running Win Xp at the moment, and laptop is actually a macbook pro running bootcamp.

I use a cheap unbranded kvm at work and I couldn't live without it, repairing different computers at once, go for one that switches using the keyboard, ctrl+1 for pc 1 ctrl+2 for pc 2 for example.

I'm currently using that USB Belkin switch that i picked up off ebay pretty cheap and works really well with my 2 pcs just a press of the button and everything is switched over.

Regarding your G15 i'm not sure if it'd work as seamlessly as you may hope, i use a cheap dell mouse and keyboard with my kvm, but i'm not sure how a g15 would work with it you'll probably have to install the drivers on both pcs.

If i were you i'd keep away from hong kong imports for this kind of thing, could be problematic i'd recommend spending a little more for a brand such as Belkin

Any other questions that you have i'd be glad to help

my experience with KVM's is that special functions on keyboards will not work through the KVM even if you have the drivers loaded.

I've used the Belkin and more expensive Avocent.
What I would say is that KVMs in general can be a pain in the neck.
The Belkin generally worked fine.
The Avocent which I am currently using is an issue because if I hard-boot my desktop it comes up with a keyboard error as my desktop BIOS does not recognise the Avocent as a "keyboard"

So, go with the Belkin would be my advice

Quote:

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Originally Posted by killie99

my experience with KVM's is that special functions on keyboards will not work through the KVM even if you have the drivers loaded.

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I was unsure if this would be a problem, to be safe i'd probably contact logitech

You'll probably want to take kmac's advice and fork a little more for a Belkin could always check out ebay for a cheaper deal if money is a problem.