KVM Switches

[Harrison]

Does anyone here have any experience of KVM switches?

I'm looking for a solution to tidy up my desktop. At the moment I have 3 full sized keyboard on the desk that take up a lot of room. I want to reduce this down to two, with my test server and other PC sharing one keyboard and mouse, and another keyboard and mouse left for my main PC.

I'm therefore looking for a KVM switch to use one keyboard and mouse with two PCs. Any suggestions? The ability to switch between them using a keyboard shortcut could be useful too, but not 100% essential.

I don't really need to control video/audio switching though as the two PCs already share one monitor that has dual inputs and a button on the front of the monitor switches between the two inputs, so that works fine as it is. The mice I have are USB, but the kayboards are the older PS2 type. I could however use a USB to PS2 adaptor with the mouse if the switch only takes that type.

So I really don't need a full KVM that also handles video, just a KM (keyboard/mouse) switcher.

[Harrison]

Or alternatively, does anyone know of a wireless keyboard/mouse that can be used with two or more PCs at once? So you could have a USB dongle plugged into both PCs and switch between them from the wireless keyboard?

[Tiago]

Some years ago i used a switch for using 1 keyboard and 1 mouse on 2 PCS.
THe switch was analogic with 2 keyboards and 2 mouses as input and 1 keyboard and 1 mouse as output, you just had to swith from PC A to PC B or vice-versa. It worked perfectly, and it was not expensive.

But video... if you want a switch to use 1 monitor with 2 PCs, be very carefull, i bought one (analogic) and the image was a shxx... to keep the good a image quality, you need a digital switch... and they are much more expensive.

[StuKeith]

Ive got a belkin usb 2 port KVM its the same as This OE HERE (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/603-kvm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.trustedreviews.com/peripherals/review/2004/07/24/Belkin-Two-Port-USB-KVM-With-Audio-Support/p1&h=300&w=400&sz=32&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=ACzuPyoyoxFmMM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbelkin%2Busb%2Bkvm%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN) but less the audio!

Its ok, sometimes it has a barny and keeps switching to the unit I dont want then I have to power down both units or unplug the usb.

But 90% there are ok.

[Harrison]

That's the problem I've read, that sometimes the switches do get confused and keep switching over when you don't want them to. I also read some reviews of Belkin switches on ebuyer and many people were saying that if you use a USB mouse on a switch with a PS2 adaptor the mice tend to jump a bit or the mouse buttons do the odd click without out actually pressing them.

So the best method to guarantee proper switching would be the older style manual switch boxes.

And I know exactly what you mean about ghosting on a shared monitor. I used to use a manual VGA switch when I only had one monitor and it created ghosting on the screen which is very annoying. It worked and was the only way at the time so I had to put up with it, but I wouldn't these days. But I don't need the video to be switched, just the keyboard and mouse.

[StuKeith]

Well if you dont want the video switched, I have a manual one here you can have. I used it for ages, but like you say ghosting is present in the high res.