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Review on πŸ” KVM Switch: USB & HDMI Switcher for 4 Computers Sharing HD Monitor, 3 USB Devices, 4Kx2K Support by Chucky Hepler

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Remarkable value for a KVM switch.

Considering that the last KVM switch I owned was twenty years ago and was an operational nightmare and expensive, I was a bit skeptical of a device that cost less than $40. My setup with three old Macs was to use a NEC monitor with multiple inputs, so one computer was DVI, another HDMI and the last one was DisplayPort. It kind of worked, except the monitor sometimes lost one of these on startup and I had to cycle the monitor on and off until it recognized the signal again. So it cost $40 to see if all HDMI would work. The KVM setup was easy and obvious with no instructions. Initially, auto-detection of the switch and computers took several minutes, but now it happens instantly at startup. The NEC monitor seems to enjoy the connection to the KVM more than the computers themselves and now I get boot screens faster. Time will tell how strong this KVM is as it is made entirely of plastic. My only real complaint is the design of the port. To keep the device small, the designers put connectors all over the place that become unwieldy once everything is plugged in. It takes up a lot of table space and will cause a mess when you drop it on the table as it cannot lie flat. No protruding cables that take up space. I would prefer a longer version that has all ports on the back or just the unused front USB port. However, it does its job well now, and if anyone asks me about HDMI KVM, I'd recommend it.

Pros
  • Hands-free operation
Cons
  • Very expensive