Review on 🔀 StarTech.com SV231DVIUA: Dual Link DVI KVM Switch with Hot-key, Audio Support, and 1920x1200 Resolution by Brian Faxon

I bought this unit to switch keyboard, mouse and monitor between desktop and laptop. I especially wanted the switch to support DVI since both of my video sources use that standard. I have to say that the video performance of the device was perfect, I can run both computers at 1920 x 1080 and had no problems booting up etc. Mouse switching was also flawless, although I use a mouse with additional programmable settings. Keys. However, the keyboard was a problem area. I'm using a (brand new) Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. When a keyboard is routed over KVM, Windows sees it as a generic HID compliant device, not a specific device. This means Microsoft's Keyboard Utility doesn't work, making the row of extra buttons at the top of the keyboard useless. Also when I type fast, KVM resets the keys and gets confused. For example, when I hold down the down arrow key to scroll, KVM often beeps and behaves like it's switching sources. The screen goes black for a few seconds and then comes back. I found it quite difficult to live with the keys falling out. Not only does this introduce unnecessary misspellings, but it also causes keys to be repeated when KVM loses the "key pressed" event, so you end up with long sets of letters. I replaced my original KVM via Revain (a completely painless process btw) but the new box had the same issue. You may be wondering why I gave this device four stars when it was a pretty serious flaw in my opinion. This is because I discovered an incredibly simple workaround for my problems: I plug my keyboard into one of the KVM's "generic USB device" ports instead of the dedicated keyboard port. Since then the box has worked flawlessly. The keys did not fall out and the additional keys on the keyboard work perfectly. Of course, I can no longer switch computers with the buttons or use any of the other fancy KVM features (automatic switching computers, etc.), but I don't really need those features. The KVM sits right under my monitor, so I can easily switch using the button on the front of the unit. Other browsers don't seem to have any issues with the keyboard, so your mileage may vary. Maybe I type faster or differently. Maybe KVM just doesn't like my Microsoft keyboard. However, I wanted to share my experience (and my workaround) with other potential buyers. As long as I'm not using the KVM keyboard's dedicated USB port, the switch is perfect for my needs.