Keyboard Video Mouse switches, more commonly referred to as KVM switches, allow you to share a number of computers with only one monitor and set of input devices. These devices have long been popular with network administrators, allowing them to control dozens of computers from just one setup. But with the increasing number of users who are running their own servers from home or have multiple computers but are cramped for space, consumer-geared KVM switches are beginning to emerge.
Dr. Bott LLC and IOGEAR are two manufacturers of such devices that offer Mac compatibility. Dr. Bott LLC offers its MoniSwitch in both traditionl Mac serial and USB connectons, while IOGEAR's MiniView line of KVM switches only offer USB compatibility.
Out of the box, the differences between the two devices is immediately apaprent. The MoniSwitch is roughly five times the size of the MiniView and uses one large knob to switch between computers. The MiniView uses a large button placed on top that toggles between the computer setups.
Setting up the KVM switches is a straightforward procedure that involved plugging in the included monitor and USB cables from the computers to the KVM switch. The monitor and keyboard are then plugged into the KVM switch itself. For convenience' sake, the MiniView's keyboard and mouse ports are located on the front of the device, although since most Mac keyboards have a built-in two-port hub, you'll follow the standard procedure of pluggin the keyboard into the KVM switch and then the mouse into the keyboard.
Non-USB Power Macs can be used with any USB KVM switch by installing a USB PCI card into them. There is one caveat to this, though, since the USB PCI card isn't hard wired to the motherboard, you lose the ability to startup the computer from the keyboard.
Once everything is configured and the computers turned on, a simple turn of the knob on the MoniSwitch or click of the button on the MiniView will automatically switch you between each computer. The MoniSwitch worked flawlessly in our testing but we did find a few small problems with the MiniView. First, because of the way it implements its USB connections, it's impossible to startup the computer from the keyboard, even if it's a USB based PowerMac. Additionally, when you switch between computer setups there's about a 5-second lag during which neither the keyboard nor mouse can be used. This can be annoying if you're switching back and forth between computer setups every few minutes, but otherwise isn't much of an issue.
The MiniView makes up for its two small shortcomings by including a built-in two-port USB hub on the back of the device. This allows you to easily share peripherals between the two computers, including USB printers and scanners that cannot be networked. the MiniView even includes a small power supply that can be used if the USB devices that you wish to use consume more power than the ports are able to provide from the USB bus.
The MoniSwitch sells for $139 and can only be purchased direct from Dr. Bott LLC. While that's $10 less than the suggested retail pricing from the MiniView, the street price for the MiniView is generally around $99-$109.
Both Dr. Bott LLC's and IOGEARS KVM switches perform well, although we give the nod to the MiniView. It's tiny enclosure, clearly labeled connections, and two-port USB hub more than make up for the two small USB issues we experienced with the device.
Ed. note: Both of the KVM switches we evaluted were for two computers, although both companies offer KVM switches for controlling four computers and IOGEAR has solutions for even more.
