Review on ConnectPRO UR 12 KIT 2 Port Switch Cables by Daniel Ortiz

First of all this KVM is very well made, with high quality video and USB cable. The case is actually made of metal and looks very solid. Once plugged in and working, it works very well. This KVM is actually a USB hub; The "switch" part is simply moving the computer connection from one machine to another. The good news is that you can connect any USB keyboard and mouse and all of their functions will work. I use Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro, Intellimouse Explorer and Contour Designs Shuttle Express with it - KVM has USB Type-A ports for three devices - and all three devices are fully supported by my Athlon/WinXP system and my Powermac G4 running OS X . As it is one of the other browsers mentioned, if you test your devices beforehand by unplugging them and then plugging them back in and they still work correctly, then this switch will work for you. Devices such as USB memory sticks that must be "paused" before they can be unplugged will not work. The video quality is also very good; I'm running at 1280x1024 and it looks just as good as having the monitor connected directly to the Radeon cards on both machines. This switch does not change the sound. It also can't be toggled using the keyboard, so place it where you can reach it easily. However, the installation was complex and required an email exchange with Connectpro support. It turns out that in order for the switch to work properly, you need to do the following: 1. Connect power to the switch.2. Connect VGA cables for two computers. DO NOT connect USB cables for two computers!3. Connect the monitor to the switch.4. Connect the keyboard and mouse directly to the first computer.5. Turn on the first computer and log in.6. Now connect the KVM USB cable to the first computer. If you are using Windows 2000 or XP, the computer will recognize the KVM as a generic USB.7 hub. Connect the keyboard and mouse directly to the second computer.8. Press the "Select" button on the KVM to select the second computer.8. Turn on the second computer and log in.9. Connect the KVM USB cable to the second computer. The computer recognizes the KVM as a generic USB hub. (On MacOS X it will show up in the Apple System Profiler.) 10. Now move the keyboard and mouse to KVM. You have to be ready for this moment. I would give this KVM five stars if it weren't for the poor manual (like another reviewer said it seems to be for a different switch) and the need to contact tech support. for the correct connection instructions. To their credit, Connectpro tech support via email was very helpful and responsive and responded to all my queries within one business day.