Price : Too low to display
2 x 1 - 2 x HD-15 Keyboard/Mouse/Video - KVM Switch
This review is from : Tripp Lite B004-VUA2-K-R 2 Port USB KVM Switch w Audio and Cables
Good bang for the buck . This product was easy to set up, works great, no hassle. Can be used with/without the driver disk, though you need the drivers to setup audio-lock (i.e., listen to audio on computer #1 while moving mouse/keyboard control to computer #2). I can't speak to the video quality because I'm only using the K/M/A components.
Even though this is a great product in the end, setup was a little scary. I wasn't going to give it less than 5 stars because it does what it's supposed to and is priced great too. However, there's a couple things you need to be aware of:
1. The keyboard/mouse USB ports to not go as deep as most, leaving one with the impression that the connection is not solid. However, I have had NO PROBLEM with my connections. It was just the initial impression that the connection *might* not be very good.
2. The audio pass-through is subject to some noise interference. When I first plugged everything in, the noise was so bad that I thought I was going to end up returning the device. I was able to fix the problem by turning down my speaker volume and turning up my Windows volume control settings.
BTW, I use a wireless mouse, and my keyboad is actually plugged into the USB hub of a separate number pad, which in turn is plugged into the keyboard port of the KVM. I have no problems with any of my input devices.
Last thought: Like any other KVM switch, every time you switch control you'll hear 42,000 bell sounds as your machines detect USB device connections/disconnections. You'll want to customize your Windows audio scheme to shut that off. It took me about 2 switch-overs to realize how annoying that is!
Tripp Lite B004-VUA2-K-R 2 Port USB KVM Switch w Audio and Cables Reviews
It works... mostly . Don't let the pictures confuse you as to how this hooks up to all your stuff. The mouse and keyboard that hook up to the device are sent to both systems via the VGA output on the device. The VGA cord actually splits into a VGA and USB once it reaches your computer. Also, what look like mini-USB connectors on the device actually turn into headphone and mic jacks once they reach your computer.
2 issues.
1) The documentation says it works with Linux in the sense that you can still use ScrollLock-ScrollLock to switch between systems. That is not working for me. If you run Windows, it may work just fine, or work with the special software they make for Windows. Don't know. I have to manually switch systems with the buttons on the device, which isn't THAT much of a pain, but it is a minor pain.
2) Slight VGA issues. When the screen is black (not off, just totally black background), there are very faint lines that are scrolling down on it. You will not see these under normal conditions, but you can when it is totally black. Also, there is some very slight ghosting of things. Like, a very faint image of the mouse cursor will appear to the right of the cursor on a very dark background. Once again, it is very faint and only the most picky of people would notice it. VGA suffers from these issues anyway, so it may be that, but it is possibly exaggerated with the device.
Other than that, it does the job, and it's relatively inexpensive as far as these things go.
Tripp Lite B004-VUA2-K-R 2 Port USB KVM Switch w Audio and Cables Opinions
It works great -- but there's one problem . This product works fine. Whether the switching is done manually (buttons on the device itself), or using the keyboard combination, the transfer is smooth and fast.
(Note: I haven't tried the microphone/speaker switching features.)
There is a problem when using this switcher, and it's one that never occurred to me before I used it. Your keyboard doesn't work unless the KVM switch drivers are loaded. Consequently, you can't start the CMOS setup service at power-up for example. Also you can't enter Windows "safe mode", because they both require keyboard input before Windows begins to load.
My workaround is to keep an old keyboard on the floor nearby that connects to the primary computer through the traditional keyboard connector instead of USB. This solves the problem, but having a keyboard on the floor adds to a cluttered look and is, frankly, inelegant.
Works Great . Was a little hesitent on insalling the Tripp Lite but followed the directions and it turned out to be a breeze. Have one computer with Windows 7 and one with XP. Some of my old programs did not work on Windows 7 so between the two computers I have the best of both worlds.
good reliable switch could be more convenient . In general, a good reliable KVM switch. Have been using it for about a month combining a desktop PC and a laptop with a single I/O bundle and never was in a situation where I needed to restart a computer to get the switch unlocked (which happened a lot with my previous Belkin PS2 KVM switch). A couple of times a switch would not recognize a computer booting up and would not automatically switch to an active computer, but having a physical switch button in addition to software hot-key has been helpful in these situations. It also has the capability to switch audio lines, but I don't use this. It's a little slow - takes about 15 seconds to complete the switch. What could have been done better is the layout of the connectors on the box. Cables are sticking out of 3 out of 4 sides of the box, so it is not very convenient if you want to have it somewhere handy to keep that button reachable.
Tripp Lite KVM switch . The product requires power, which comes from the USB port connection to the PC.
This works fine as long as you connect the two computers to the box with USB.
I was looking to connect this to a laptop as the second computer, with the first being a desktop, to share the monitor. I either have to power up the desktop, or consume a USB on the laptop to power the switch.
be gentle . This switcher works great to go between my old and new computers that share a monitor. One big tip,though, be careful when you click on the 1 and 2 buttons on top - if you push them too forcefully, they'll jam underneath the plastic cover and you'll have a hard time getting them to pop back up where they should be. Love this switcher.
best kvm yet . i have tried several kvms and they all have had problems switching, particularly to linux. further, they all seem to reach a point when they won't switch and a power off of the computer is required. this one does not have any of those problems. the only quirk that i have found is that to switch out of linux, i need to use the num lock key instead of the scroll lock key.
Cons Review Not with Win7 64 . Just an FYI for 64-bit Windows 7 users: this switch does not work with it. I intended to use it to switch between an old XP machine and a new Win7 machine. It locked Win7 up so completely that I had to hard boot it. I googled around a little and, sure enough, this is a common problem with this switch (and, to be fair, many others).
For now, I'm just going to use Remote Desktop to access my XP machine from the Win7 machine. This switch will go into the closet. Hopefully, I'll have a use for it, someday.
Problmes on Win7 64 bit . The switch itself looks well made and the buttons feel solid. The cables are long enough and look like they are made well too. And yes, as you may have guessed, the switch box snakes the USB to PC cable through the VGA cable ( From the switch box, the VGA and USB are on same VGA connector/cable and then Y off of it to dedicated USB and VGA connectors).
I have been using it for about two weeks now. It worked fine for the first few days. However, when I installed the switching software on my Win7 64 bit PC, it started acting up. For some reason, the software has an "auto-scan" mode that tells the switch box to switch from on PC to the other after a user selectable delay time. The problem with this software is that you can not shut this feature off. So if you don't like the default key sequence of Scroll Lock + Scroll Lock and want to change it, you are stuck with the auto-switch mode being enabled. Even though I disabled and deleted the software, it keeps auto-switching about every 10 minutes so I am sending this back.
Product Image
Feature Tripp Lite B004-VUA2-K-R 2 Port USB KVM Switch w Audio and Cables
- 2-Port Desktop KVM Switch with Audio and USB KVM Cable Kits
- Controls 2 computers from a single monitor, keyboard and mouse
- Lets 2 computers share an audio device
- Compatible with all major operating systems
- 1-year warranty
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Product Details
EAN : 0037332140043
UPC : 037332140043
MPN : B004-VUA2-K-R
Brand : Tripp Lite
Weight : 2 pounds
Height : 4 inches
Length : 8 inches
Width : 8 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Format : CD
Hardware Platform : Pc
Manufacturer : TRIPP LITE
Model : B004-VUA2-K-R
Operating System : Windows
Platform : Windows
Publisher : TRIPP LITE
SKU : TRPB004VUA2KR_loc
Studio : TRIPP LITE
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