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| Overall rating | 3/10  |
|---|
| Belkin Soho 2-Port Kvm Switch * Ps/2&Usb In; Ps/2&Usb Out |  | £71.21Free P&P |
| Belkin Soho 2-Port Usb Kvm Switch * Usb In&Usb Out- All Usb | | £71.21Free P&P |
| Belkin Soho 4-Port Kvm Switch * Ps/2&Usb In; Ps/2&Usb Out | | £94.95Free P&P |
| Belkin Dvi 2-Port All Usb Kvm * Usb Platform With Dvi-D | | £97.59Free P&P |
Full review by
AirborneUK
expert review 
on 20th Sep 2007
User Rating : 3
Respect :
0
Good Points: Fast and Easy to setup Allows for two monitor to connect to one Monitor Ability to use USB keyboard and Mouse (without ps2 adapter) Simple touch button allows switching between computers long cables
Bad Points: No wired remote to switch computers Bulky design makes desk mounting not practical Distortion is present (Not ideal/suitable for graphic designers and pc gamers) Confuses itself often No reset button Takes too long to initialize the keyboard and mouse after switching No audio cables/feature built in
General comments: Belkin 2 Port USB KVM Switch (with built in cables - no audio feature included):
Well... Basically a brilliant Idea but a flawed product, yes is does work but barely.
First the good points:
It is incredibly fast to install and setup and can be done by anyone, it's basic job is to allow you to connect two computers to one monitor when you basically haven't got enough space for two monitors, the device allows you to connect one keyboard and mouse to two computers, and at a simple touch of a button you can switch from one PC to another (no PS/2 adapters required). The cables have been made long enough and should be ideal for most users, a brilliant useful 'idea' at a reasonable price compared to some other USB KVM switches on the market.
Right, that's enough of the good stuff, now to the bad features!:
For one, it does not have a wired/wireless remote which would mean you could hide the bulky designed unit out of the way, (although other Belkin USB KVM switches do now have this feature) this means you either have to wall mount it or try your best to place it on your desk (bearing in mind that the top of the device has Two large cables running to both PC's and at the bottom is the input for your monitor cable, this takes a lot of room and has a tendency to annoyingly fall down the back of the pc on its own, if not secured!)
The image quality is significantly distorted, not exactly suitable for computer gamers and graphic designers who like clear, crisp image quality (but it does the job if you're not too fussed).
This device does like to confuse itself, if you run one PC then shut it down, it will continuously keep flicking between each PC trying to find a signal, this will turn the keyboard lights on and off continuously, which I am not exactly pleased about as I don't think its healthy for the keyboard lights (my keyboard being the Saitek Eclipse keyboard - background lights). And if you start the other PC, 70% of the time it will keep trying to find a signal although a signal is now present, there is no way to solve this except for turning the mains off to all of the computers then waiting a few minutes for it to turn itself off (as the device powers itself from the USB power of both computers). On the odd occasion the device will go completely nuts and will get stuck and do nothing at all (lights on the device go from the left to right to indicate which computer it is connected to).
This is particularly annoying as Belkin have not included a 'Reset' button which I believe is much needed for this device! And would have made it a lot easier to work with, Another aspect of this device is when you actually switch from one PC to the other, it does take a short while for the computer to recognise the keyboard and mouse - this can be exceptionally annoying when time is of the essence! (Also when the device 'confuses' itself neither the keyboard or mouse will work so you will manually have to shut down the PC, either by pressing the computers 'start-up - on' button once, or holding it in to shut down immediately (not recommended).
The device does not include speaker cables, inputs or outputs, so both computers will require two sets of speakers to hear your audio, this seemed to me to be a bit of an oversight on Belkin's behalf, although their newer devices now do support such features!
The device does come with drivers and easy to install switching software, so that the device can be operated from a task bar icon on your computers desktop screen, I never used this feature as I prefer to manually switch the computers using the button of the device.
Value for money - Well if you want a USB KVM switch which will do a basic job and you don't mind having to put up with the device confusing itself on a regular basis, and having to shut both PC's down then this may be the device for you.
HOWEVER - I would strongly recommend avoiding this product and opting for a newer Belkin KVM switch with audio ports, and a wire/wireless remote as you could hide the device, and save desk space by only having one set of speakers! Although, that said, I have found by researching this issue on many forums that most USB KVM switches seem to suffer from the same/similar common problems mention above, For a more stable and better KVM switch, I would suggest a standard PS/2 plug port (round plug with pins - not Playstation 2!!) as these KVM switches seem to work better and don't suffer from half of the problems of the USB devices, although beware than many KVM switches do not like the use of the USB-to-PS/2 converter, the computer will simply not recognise the mouse and keyboard, why this happens is a mystery to me, and as far as I am away there is no way to resolve this.
Conclusion:
Does a basic job of connecting two computers to one monitor, and allows for a mouse and a keyboard to be connected to both computers (Toggle between both PC's). It is outdated and would be better with audio and remote features. Unfortunately it has its flaws and picture quality is not brilliant, I would not recommend this product to anyone and for the money I am sorry that I didn't do my research prior to purchasing this item! Too expensive for the flaws that this device contains.
AirborneUK's review and ratings | 1046 words
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