Review on 🔌 TRIPP LITE Minicom KVM Extender USB + 2-Port KVM TAA GSA: Efficient Remote Access Solution by Justin Abrams

Usually with computers you get what you pay for. And that usually led me to buying more expensive versions of this type of device, but I've been VERY happy with my recent purchase of this KVM extender. I had a customer who needed a computer in front of their warehouse for orders and shipping. The problem is that this part of the warehouse is not air-conditioned, it is right by the sea (humid air based on salt water - computer no-no) and always large, heavy packages fall on the table on which the computer stands (shakes the computer) . After having to do some repairs on the computer because the RAM cards came up and shorted out a motherboard and in another case one of the RAM cards. I needed another option. So we moved the computer tower to their air-conditioned office which was over 50 feet away. With this extension we were able to use our existing network cabling (5 years old) to connect their USB mouse, keyboard and RGB monitor (D-Sub 15 pin). After I connected everything, the keyboard and mouse immediately earned themselves without any problems. The monitor worked but was a little blurry as expected. This was easily remedied (without using special wire) with the balance and luminance adjustment screws on the back of the receiver. It even comes with a small screwdriver to make adjustments! I found that when I lowered the brightness so that the monitor was quite dark, the blur offset was overemphasized (best seen with text on screen). This made it easier to adjust the EQ screw because I could see when it was focused. Once that was done, I increased the brightness until the screen was bright and clear again. This is a feature normally only found on much more expensive extension cords, so for the price this thing is just great! Connectors with a USB connector on one side, 1 mini screwdriver for EQ/brightness adjustment and 2 sets of 4 rubber feet if you want to attach them on transmitter and receiver. Setup was easy. I connected one of the included D-Sub connectors to the monitor port on the back of the computer (the side where the USB cable exits) and connected the USB cable to the computer. Then connect the other end of the D-Sub to the computer port on the back of the transmitter. No USB is required on the back of the transmitter (the front ports are for when you want a keyboard and mouse near a computer tower). And of course one end of the Cat 5 cable. Then I went to where the monitor, keyboard and mouse were and connected the receiver. I connected the keyboard and mouse to their respective ports on the front of the receiver, to the other end of the Cat-5 cable, and then to the monitor's D-Sub port (not the one that came with this unit, since in my case it was an optional one, which I didn't use for this setup) into the 15-pin D-Sub connector with the small rectangular monitor icon on the back of the receiver. The other port labeled "Computer" on the receiver is for connecting a second computer to the receiver (which I didn't need, so didn't use). I then connected the power cord to the receiver and connected it to my surge protector. Then I turned on the computer at the office, went to a remote location and pressed the LOCK button on the receiver and it turned red (the red lock button on the transmitter started blinking). When the computer finished booting up it immediately appeared on the monitor and the mouse and keyboard worked straight away with no drivers or anything (Windows 7 based PC). A NOTICE. The monitor initially defaults to a lower resolution, but I just had to go into the "Screen Resolution" settings in Windows and increase it to the correct size. So no big deal. The only thing that would make it better would be if it had a 4-port USB hub built in, but that would only increase the price for those who don't need it. And given that Tripp Lite offers a cheap standalone device that does this (which I bought and works great too), that's just an empty request and not a blow to this device at all. I will definitely buy this device again if I ever need a KVM extender in the future.