Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Belkin 2-port KVM Switch with Audio and Built in Cabling (F1DL102P)
Iain Laskey gets connected
| Product | F1DL102P 2-Port KVM Switch with Audio |
|---|---|
| Company | Belkin |
| Web | www.belkin.com |
| Price | £39.99 inc VAT |
| We like | Audio Support, all in one design |
| We don't like | No manual switch. |
| Rating | 8/10 |
| Requirements |
It's surprising how many people have more than one PC at home although even more surprising is that many of them each have their own screen, keyboard and mouse. In many cases this makes perfect sense but sometimes, you know you'll only ever use one or the other - perhaps one is your general PC and the other your music workstation. In these situations you can save a lot of space and money by investing in a KVM switch. KVM stands for Keyboard, Video and Mouse and allows you to use one keyboard, mouse and screen shared between two PCs.
This particular unit from Belkin is unusual in that it also includes audio support and also comes with all the leads permanently attached instead of being supplied as a separate cabling set.
Wiring it Up
Installation is simply a matter of taking each of the two main cables and plugging the sets of leads in to each PC. The F1DL102P has PS/2 leads but a USB version is also available. The audio support is limited to a single stereo jack and microphone input but given the market this is aimed at, we can't really see the lack of multi-channel audio support to be a problem.
The monitor, keyboard and mouse are then connected to the KVM to complete the set up. One bugbear is that like the vast majority of KVMs, this Belkin unit has cables going in one end and out the other making it difficult to place on a desktop without having cables hanging out everywhere. However, there is no reason why you can't just tuck it out the way out of sight as it has no parts you'd normally need to access. The leads were of a generous length allowing some room to manoeuvre on PC placement.
Features
As noted, the Belkin supports two PCs along with audio. The video side uses a VGA connector and supports resolutions of up to 2048x1536 @65Hz. Switching between PCs is done via an easily remembered keyboard sequence. We would however have like to have had a manual button on the device itself in case the keystroke sequence interfered with anything. The top of the F1DL102P features a pair of LEDs to show which PC is currently selected.
If you need to keep an eye on both PCs, you can enable autoscan mode which toggles back and forth between the PCs every eight seconds. A quick press of the space bar stops autoscanning and lets you use the currently selected PC.
The F1DL102P claims support for scrolling mice but we did find sometimes one PC would boot up without recognising this facility if it wasn't the currently selected one when booting.
Conclusion
The F1DL102P KVM is a quality unit that works well and provides a great way to save desk space and the cost of a second monitor, keyboard and mouse. The long leads and audio support are useful and despite the niggles with scrolling mice and the lack of manual switch, we'd recommend this unit, especially at this price. The fact that it comes with a 3 year warranty is a further plus point.
