Buy Now...

In my line of work - developing software - I often have more than one computer. A laptop as maybe my main machine, along with a couple of Linux servers for 'real work'. This often leads to either an abundance of monitors, keyboards and mice or alternatively just one of each and lots of cable switching.

I was determined to suffer neither of these problems in my new office and looked around at the latest KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switches. I had tried a two port variant of these a few years ago, but was dissapointed by the video. I like hi-resolution screens, operating a 1600x1200 if possible and the this can lead to poor performance through a KVM - leading to definite shadowing.

I settled on the DKVM-4K from D-Link. This, as the name suggests, is a 4 port device. Switching is 'digital' - no moving parts. You can get analogue switches that literally are moving part switches - avoid those!

The product arrived promptly from Dabs. The switch itself is a rectangular metal box. Each of the the two long edges provides connections to two machines. D-Link provide 2 sets of KVM cables (each cable has a video, and two PS-2 connectors at each end). I didn't read the specification correctly and was more than a little annoyed that only two cable sets were provided. It's a 4 ports switch - I obviously need more than two sets of cables!

See also: Accessories

more

There is no software for the switch. You get a CD-ROM containing the manual, but other than that it simply sits between your computers and your screen, keyboard and mouse.

Setup was very easy - I have to admit to not refering to the manual, but I had no problems.

As well as actually switching the computer between your systems, the switch also 'simulates' their presense to the machine that is not connected. This means you can happily boot up a machine without having the interface active and it won't fail it's self-tests.

OK - you have up to four computers connected to your switch - you obviously want to switch between them as simply as possible. The DKVM-4K provides two ways to do this. The first is a little button on the top of the unit itself. Simply press this and it switches input to the next computer. Press it 4 times and you get back to the beginning. Simple - but actually not too useful. I don't want a cluttered desk and so the switch must be consigned to the space under the desk alongside the servers. Luckily the clever people at D-Link have realised this and have arranged some 'key-press' sequences that are recognised by the switch and used to control the connection to computer. Press "Scroll Lock" twice close together then a control key. Digits 1 thru 4 select the numbered computer. Use the left and right arrow keys to move to the next or previous computer. Simple!

I've been using the product now for about 3 months with only a very few niggles. First of all - the good points. The quality of the video is perfect. I have a nice 19" LCD monitor operating at 1280x1024. There is no shadowing at all - very crisp and very nice.

Mouse operation has been pretty good, although I had to change the default Linux mouse driver. For some reason it couldn't cope with the mouse switching in and out. Actually the driver didn't change - there's a kernel parameter to switch it to a simple mouse!

Only niggles are around the keyboard. They are annoying rather than serious:

• The scroll lock sequences seem to be only occassionally recognised. This means you can be pressing scroll-lock lots of times waiting for a beep to tell you it's recognised the sequence and you can press the control key. This is the most irritating and at times infuriating when it refuses to accept the keys.
• If you hold down the control, or any other key for a prolonged period, the switch seems to release it for you.
• The multi-media keys appear not to work on the enhanced keyboards that seem common these days. This is only a minor niggle, for me at least since I hardly every use those keys. Might be more important for others.

I do like this product, and it's been a god-send for someone with multiple computers and limited desk space!

You can read the manufacturers information about this product by clicking on this link.

I bought mine from Dabs - they are currently selling it for £51.27 including VAT.