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Bought this because our server room was getting more computers than our old switch could support. This performs exactly as it should with no hiccups at all. I did have an issue with the keyboard and mouse not responding on one of the servers, but I finally narrowed it down to bad ports on the server, and not a problem with the switch.I have nothing to complain about with this switch. It works perfectly 100% of the time and does exactly what it's supposed to do.
I have a cybex (now Advocent) personal 4 port KVM at home. ***Also, the vendor did a great job with packing and the item was new - not someone else's return.MOLDED CABLES:comes with ~ 4 10 foot cables2 - 6' and 2 - 4'Also, the video quality is perfect on all cables even the 10' - some 10' cables like on my old setup the screen is a little blurred and the colors are faded.Don't take my word for it go to newegg's site and read the reviews - but order it on amazon to save on shipping and get the 10' cables at no extra charge.CONS: 1. At new egg IT pros said it was the best kvm they ever used.I have been using it where I work in R&D 8 hours a day. blinding led blue light on front to show it is on (I put white tape over it to dim it).PROS:can be controlled by keyboard by pressing ctrl twice to bring up the On Screen Display (OSD) and then press F5 and type a name for the computer at that port. My old cybex kvm set the bar very very high - not having one problem - lost mouse, frozen or blank screen in the 10 years that I owned it. I looked at cybex/advocent but the price was off the carts for an 8 port ~ $600. I work in the computer industry. I will take it apart and put electrical tape over it to hush it up.2.
external power adapter - which so far I have not needed.10' cables let you put it under your monitor where you can easily push the buttons - if you buy velcro cable straps you can tidy things up a bit.Heavy - weights ~ 20 pounds and the case is made of metal. The beep is very annoying and cannot be turned off. Very solid quality construction and CAN BE RACK MOUNTED IN A SERVER RACK - comes with all necessary hardware.I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER COMPANY THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE THE THE QUALITY AND RELIABLITY OF THIS KVM. Since I installed the new IOGEAR 8 port 5 weeks ago I have had zero problems.Also, newegg wanted $50 just for shipping so I went to amazon and bought it. I was ordering parts at newegg and the ratings on this KVM were off the charts, and they sell probably 20 different brands. Or press the button manually - there is one button for each port with two lights.
I bought it becasue my existing 4 port kvm constantly did weird things, mouse stops working, certain computers the keyboard would not work on certain ports, etc. *** BEST KVM I HAVE EVER USED AND REPRESENTS AN UNBELIVABLY LOW PRICE. You don't need to read the manual and it comes with a reset button on the front panel - very valuable if you have ever had a problem pc lock up the kvm.Includes a standard 9v. I have NEVER been so satisified with a product which for me is a tool I rely on to get my job done.
Works better than some $800 switches. Supports both USB and ps/2 style KB and mouse, though the USB cables are optional. Works like a charm, plug-n-play. Supports very hight resolution too.
It functions just fine for office or server environments. Fine edges of certain aspects of the OS or applications are just fuzzy. I've had this unit for several months in my home office to control 8 servers/PC's. I have a superb quality flat panel LCD monitor that requires 1280x1024 60Hz and my high end PC's have the latest and top-o-the-line graphics cards. My previous KVM from APEX (Outlook) passed the video near perfectly (until a lightning strike took it out), but of course the cost is much higher. The unit itself is very heavy weight and seems built quite rugged. All PC's/servers have faint horizontal scan lines that constantly go vertically up the screen and the fine details are, well, the best I can describe it is static like interference looking.
It is really annoying in gaming, but you can learn to live with it if a lack of perfection does not bother you too much. Overall, it works great and is easy to install and setup. Even trying to read text can be a bit bothersome as they are not sharp. I'd have no reservations purchasing these units for my company to control servers.But, at my home office I'm connecting to a high-end multimedia PC for movie and music viewing/editing and also a high-end gaming rig. Still, the IOGear KVM is pretty shaky as it passes the video signal. No adjustments that I can make have made any improvement on the quality. All in all, a good buy for a server room/farm but for gaming/multimedia enthusiasts, you may be annoyed and disappointed with the video quality.
The unit also fits into a rack and includeds the hardware to mount it there. I see people spending 250 dollars on ebay for KVM's that are older and without the cables.
Just plug your ps2 beyboard and mouse as well as your VGA monitor into the white area in the back of the IOGEAR device, then connect the included cables to your other devices and to the ports in the back of the IOGEAR device and you are ready to go. For my installation, there were no problems with either the mouse or keyboard that are common with KVMs and the emulation they use.
Easy to set up. The OSD (on screen display) allows you to switch between computers by simply hitting the Control Key twice and then using the arrows to select the appropriate computer and then hitting enter.Since cables usually cost as much as the kvm, it was nice they were included.
Everything works as though the computers are connected directly to the Keyboard, Mouse and Monitor. There is a slight delay (.5 second) when switching between computers but this is minimal.
It seems newer technology is better since they seemed to have worked out the emulation bugs.The included cables are heavy-duty and molded. Otherwise, it seems sturdy enough to place the monitor on top of.I highly recommend this unit.
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