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IOGEAR Miniview Symphony Multi-function 4-Port KVM Switch with Cables (GCS1774) | List Price: $377.15
Discount Price: $200.99
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Brand: Iogear
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 3 years warranty
Features: - Device Type - KVM Switch
- Form Factor - N/A
- Dimensions WxDxH - 3.5 in x 2.19 in x 10.63 in (WxHxL)
Fantastic KVM Switch! [Posted on 2006-11-10]
My setup consists of 3 DELL computers with a DELL 2007FP monitor and USB Microsoft Natural 4000 Keyboard and optical mouse. This KVM switch works very well for me. Highly recommended.
Does everything it says [Posted on 2007-01-10]
I've had it now for a couple of months. It does everything it says without fail. I love it.
The BEST KVM money can buy [Posted on 2007-03-30]
I've had this KVM for over a year now and it's fantastic! You can look high and low for a compatible KVM with USB 2.0 support that'll work with every machine but you won't find one as complete and as competent as this one.
Yes, it sounds like a plug, but let me tell you - it works.
This unit comes with a 4 port hub so you can extend your network if you need without buying (and finding a plug for) a new switch. It includes all the cabling unlike some more well known KVMs, and it will run forever without needing reset, again unlike other KVMs.
Using the switches along the front you can change to any of 4 machines immediately or you can simply switch one portion of your control to another machine, for instance you can control your gaming PC but listen to music from your music PC by splitting the sound, or set up your USB key plugged into the additional USB2.0 ports to only work with one PC, thereby eliminating the need to wait while windows "Re-detects" it every time you switch to a new PC. And if you forget which PC you're controlling, simply look at the lighted buttons for a color-keyed readout.
All those features sound great, but there's even more! My favorite by far is the "hotkeys" you can use to swap or split control. Just hit a few keys on the keyboard and BOOM! Sound from PC2, video from PC1. Or hit other keys and BOOM! Full control switched from PC1 to PC2 - it even has an auto-search feature!
The only issue I've ever had with these is back when they first came out there was a problem with Nvidia Nforce 4 chipsets (A very big deal!) but they fixed it quickly. How do I know? I just sent mine in for the Nvidia upgrade. And the cost? Free! Turnaround time "in the shop" was 10 days.
You can't beat that! How many electronics companies can you name that'll upgrade your 6 month old purchase to the new standards and not charge you a "nominal fee" that probably equals the price of entirely new equipment?
I don't know why there are any negative reviews on here aside from the guy that didn't read the manual (A must read). This is really, really a great KVM for serious users.
BUY IT!
Works ok - know your computer's limits [Posted on 2008-05-23]
I bought this kvm about a month ago and it seems to work quite well.
It is solidly built with a metal housing and plastic guards on the
sides to prevent scratching.
The catch is that the documentation is somewhat limited and
you must know your computer's limits.
The documentation doesn't mention it, but it looks to me like
the usb signal in the supplied cables is brought into the KVM
via the VGA connector. Hence you must use the supplied cables
and the green end must connect to the KVM switch.
Since usb is a serial signal, it is possible that you could
switch in the middle of the info from the mouse or keyboard
and really confuse your computers. It is best to NOT be
moving the mouse or using the keyboard when you switch.
My Mac also gets confused if I switch away from it while it
is booting up or shutting down. Since it does those two things
much faster than my PC, I wait. At the minimum the Mac gives
an error message about being unable to find a bluetooth mouse.
At the max it locks up. A little waiting is a small price to
pay for the reduced clutter and confusion of one keyboard and
screen.
Also, remember that you should attach external drives, including
flash drives, directly to the computer you use it with. Otherwise
your computers will warn you about disconnecting without properly
dismounting these usb devices when you switch. Actually if you are
just going to be attached for a short period of time, you can use
the switch's usb ports, but don't forget to dismount before you switch.
Switching with a usb printer and similar stuff seems to work fine,
as long as I am not in the middle of a print job.
Think before you switch and you should do ok. That should be
true for any KVM, as you are trying to keep your computers from
being confused by fragments of mouse and keyboard data, partially
finished print jobs, suddenly appearing and disappearing drives, etc.
I like the built in network hub as it has allowed me to transfer
data easily from the old to the new computer without yet another
box and attach both to a broadband connection via a single cable
to the router elsewhere in my house. This has allowed me the
luxury of switching to using my new computer one program at a time.
The extra usb ports on the front of the switch also allow me to
hang some usb cables to attach to whatever I want to download or
upload quickly. A convenient feature.
The switch has a mode where if you want to partially change focus
you just press a button for a short time, but if you want to
completely switch over, you hold the switch for a few seconds.
So if you bump a switch and things stop working as you expect,
just hold the correct switch and things will work out. I don't
intentionally use the partial switch feature, but have done so
accidentally. Best to position the switch so you don't bump the
buttons.
Functional but falls short of expectations [Posted on 2008-08-22]
I've been using this KVM switch with 3 PC's and a laptop for about 4 months now. 2 PC's run windows xp, laptop run windows vista and the other pc runs ubuntu.
I like the fact that I can share audio devices through this KVM and also that I can do a partial toggle, where I can just switch the keyborad+mouse+video to a different PC while listening to audio from another.
But, my biggest problem is when I'm working on one PC and boot another at the same time. If the PC that is booting up is not 'in focus' then the KVM switch provides it with very low display resolutions (800x600). This is painful.
All that their firmware needs to do is remember the the current resolution being used (or was last used) and provide it to the new PC that is booting up.
I thought since the product has been around for at least 3 years, this would have been resolved by now. Unfortunately, iogear has absolutely no firmware upgrade for this product.
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