Why KVM Switches Are A Good Idea If You Are Using More Than One Computer
These days it is common for people to have several computers in their home or workplace and for one individual to be operating them. The downside with this is that you end up with lots of keyboards, mice and monitors cluttering up the place and usually one person only requires one mouse and one keyboard. Also, the computers can be positioned all over the house or office, making it necessary to physically move to use the other computer(s).
KVM switches are the best way to tidy up your desk. The keyboard, monitor and mouse are plugged in to the KVM switch and then the computers are plugged in too. The computers will obviously need to be compatible with the chosen keyboard, monitor and mouse. When you want to flick from one computer to the other, simply activate the switch – it’s as simple as that.
Depending on what type of KVM switch you use, you can even use keyboard ‘hot keys’ to switch between computers. There are 2,4 and 8 port KVM switches and it makes sense to buy one with more ports than you than you need because it will allow you to add more at a later date.
You could of course control many computers at once by installing specialist software on all of the machines concerned. This isn’t great though because you could run into latency issues because the software runs over a network. You will also need a set of input devices plugged into your extra computers or you will find they don’t load up correctly. On top of this, the system only works when the operating system is running.
A cheaper option is to use a dual input monitor but that only solves the problem of multiple screens – it doesn’t prevent multiple keyboards and mice.
The best option really is the KVM switch. It’s a simple device that makes running several computers from one keyboard (K), monitor (video, V) and mouse (M) easy. KVM switches are designed for the job!