2-Port Dual View KVM Switch with Audio and USB Peripheral Sharing, w/Full Set of Cables, (GCS1742 TAA Compliant)

Why are there so few dual monitor KVM's out there?I bought this and it works great, but you MUST understand that this KVM handles analog video signals ONLY. If you have systems with dual vga ports, or a vga and DVI-I, or vga and DVI-A, you're fine because you can get a converter from DVI-I or DVI-A to vga/hd15 plug format to work with this. If, on the other hand, you have something with DVI-D (such as dell docking stations that have dual DVI-D and a single vga) you are out of luck without an expensive digital-to-analog converter for the second monitor. I had one of these and had to connect it directly to one of the monitors (bypass the kvm) which certainly works (occasionally have to manually select input on that monitor when you switch to that system using the kvm) but loses a little of the convenience you should have with this fairly expensive kvm.With that said, there aren't many options out there and this thing is small and build like a tank, very easy to use and works as advertised. Particularly like the usb on the back to take your printer with you to each system as you switch... as well as the usb on the front for a thumb drive.UPDATE:One other option for an analog signal (necessary for this KVM) is if you have available DisplayPort interfaces (which I had 2 of on my Dell Docking Station). Google it if your not familiar with it. The bottom line is that, while this is a digital format, it was created with intent of being friendly toward legacy display formats. In other words, you can buy a Display port to vga active converter for about $30. The key here seems to be the word "active". It's also very nice that this digital-to-analog conversion can be done with line power (no extra cords or bricks required).

I wanted to be able to support three different laptops in the same office space. This device does the job perfectly. There are some negative reviews of this device where I feel the owner's problems would be resolved by thoroughly reading the manual. For example, you need to plug in all of your computers while they are turned off, then turn on the device, then turn your computers on. If you miss this, you might plug in a powered laptop and then assume the device isn't working.***BEFORE YOU BUY...***1) Each computer will need to connect to two VGA ports in the device. Plan ahead - you might need adapters.In my case, one laptop had one VGA port and one HDMI port, so I needed an HDMI to VGA adapter in order to make the two VGA connections. I have another laptop with only one micro HDMI port - for that one, I have a micro HDMI to VGA adapter as well as a USB to VGA adapter. USB to VGA adapters are finicky, make sure you research them. As of right now this is a good option:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D0QC0A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=12) Plan your cables!This device comes with all the VGA cables you need to connect the device to your computers, but doesn't come with the VGA cables that go from the device to your monitors. The VGA cables that come with this device have USB, audio, and microphone connectors built into them (it will make sense when you see it in person) - you probably won't want to substitute these with other VGA cables you have lying around.Also consider that you'll need a power supply for each monitor, each computer, and the device. Make sure your setup can accommodate this.Consider other cable management accessories you might need such as ties, clips, etc. You'll wind up with a lot of thick VGA cables. To be honest my setup is still a mess, but it doesn't bother me.3) This device is expecting "standard" keyboards and mice for specific ports on the device.You might still be able to use non-standard devices by using the extra peripheral USB ports, but it might change functionality. For example, my SteelSeries keyboard isn't recognized by the device's keyboard specific port, so I have it plugged in to the peripheral USB port. It still functions perfectly as a keyboard, as far as I've noticed - the num pad still works fine, for example. However, I can't use the "hotkey" ability of the KVMP device to switch computers with a keyboard command as a result. For me this is OK because I don't mind pressing the physical button on the device, but it might matter to you. I read one review where someone said their gaming mouse simply didn't work at all - not sure if this person missed in the manual that you can use the peripheral USB ports, or if those simply didn't work for them, either. My mouse is advertised as a gaming mouse, but it doesn't really have any extra bells and whistles - it works fine in the normal mouse port (I list my exact devices at the end of this review, in case you're curious).4) Consider your microphone/audio setup.I had been previously relying on either the computer's speakers and mic, or my favorite headphones with a built in mic. But with this device, you can have audio/microphone switch per computer, which is nice. It expects a separate microphone and audio input. You could get a bluetooth headset and use one of the USB peripherals for the dongle, I suspect. What I chose to do is just get a microphone/audio splitter for my headphones, but I considered getting a little external speaker and microphone.Also, the device expects to be able to plug into a separate microphone/audio port on your devices. If you have a device that only has one combo microphone/audio port, like one of mine, you might need a splitter for this as well.5) Consider other peripherals and the USB ports available.I have a couple of other things I want to add to this setup, such as a web cam. But there are only 2 USB peripheral ports. I plan on getting an Anker USB hub to add more options, not sure how it will work (I'll try to remember to update this). Remember that things like thumb drive readers and cell phone chargers don't necessarily make sense to be included in this setup - only devices that you would want to switch to your active computer.***PROS***- Well built, appreciate the rubber ends, solid construction- "Just works" once you understand how it's supposed to work... by reading the manual ;-)- No latency or reduced quality that I've noticed, even with all my adapters- Good customer support, I called and got a hold of someone quickly (asked if there was a workaround to the hotkey through USB peripheral; there isn't)***CONS***- Takes some time investment to research and plan your setup, not "plug and play"- There may be added hidden costs for you if you need additional adapters, splitters, new keyboard, etc. to make this work for you- Some functionality doesn't work with all keyboards, particularly gaming- Some non-standard keyboards and mice may not work at all***FINAL NOTES***My monitors: ASUS VE278H. No issues with this KVMP switch. You can buy these on Amazon today but they are a little dated.My keyboard: SteelSeries APEX M500. Can't use hotkeys with this switch, must use USB peripheral port for the keyboard to work. Amazon doesn't sell the 500 right now but I imagine the 400 would perform similarly, which you can buy today.My mouse: Logitech 810-002197. No issues with the switch, but not on the market anymore - Logitech 910-002277 is a very close product you can buy today. They call these "gaming" mice but they aren't nearly as advanced as many gaming mice on the market.Lastly, if you are setting this up with laptops, like me, do your research on how to work with multiple external monitors if you aren't familiar with this yet. There are tricks like changing what happens when you close the laptop lid that are good to learn, as other reviewers have mentioned.Good luck! :)

Using this device to connect my laptop, vista desktop and a linux (ubuntu) server.1. My vista desktop and my laptop docking station each has one HDMI and one analog. While this switch's both ports are analog, the dual view does not work well. Did some research, it turns out that HDMI normally does not pass the analog signal through adapters (HDMI-DVI-Analog). Haven't figured out how to fix this. So I hooked the desktop HDMI to one monitor directly. Then I connected all three machines analog to this device. Now only the vista desktop has a dual-view while the other two are single-view. It works OK.2. The printer through the peripheral USB does not work. My understanding is that the USB peripheral connected always focuses on one port even if you have switched KVM to another machine. In other words, that USB port does not switch together with the KVM devices. To move the printer to your next machine, you have to use some hotkeys on your keyboard to do the switch rather than hitting the switch buttons. So when I work on computer A, the printer is still connected to computer B. I think this design is a little problematic.3. I use an old PS2 keyboard. With a USB-PS2 adapter, I am able to connect the PS2 keyboard to this switch, which is nice.Overall a nice device.Some update. I now have a MacBook Pro. The device also is compatible with the Mac. But the dual view does not work.BTW, if anyone knows how to solve the dual-view problem, let me know :)

I've been using this switcher for a few months know to switch between 2 or 3 pc's with dual monitors.Generally, it works pretty well, but I have noticed that sometimes I have to reboot my PC's so that I can log into my PC's when they have been allowed to site overnight. For some reason, the USB keyboard and mouse just are not recognized by my PC's. It could be a problem with the PC, but regardless, it requires a hard boot to fix.This it not too big of a deal usually, but can be frustrating sometimes...

The good: It has a solid build quality. The interface is nice; a quick press switches the keyboard and mouse, while a press-and-hold will switch the USB peripheral.The bad: It doesn't work with my Ducky One 2 keyboard. Reading through the manual, I discovered that it is limited USB 1.1. This is just a little bit ridiculous, considering that USB 1.1, a standard from more than two decades ago, has been superseded by USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2, with 4 on the way. I can confirm, however, that my 10-year-old Das professional keyboard works fine. Now you can get around this issue by connecting both the keyboard an mouse to the KVM's mouse port through a hub, but one shouldn't have to do this...There's also a one second lag for the input devices when you switch the KVM, unless you're using a compatible keyboard (e.g. the previously mentioned Das) through the keyboard port, in which case the switch is instantaneous.

J'ai eu des prolème avec ce KVM. Mes touche ce répétait parfois s je tapais un double T je me retrouvais avec 10 T ou même des fois il fesait la lettre sans arret. J'ai fait un RMA ca ma couter 50$ pour l'envoyer au US et finalement le nouveau fait exactment la même choses. Au final le support ma dit que je doit utiliser un clavier 104 touche standard. Alors un clavier français 105 touche n'est pas compatible. Moi j'ai un 105 Touche standard et un 103 touche de Logitec tout deux francais et les deux clavier me cause le problème. Pour le prix je croiiiiiiie ce KVM devrais être moins capricieux. Update: J'ai acheter un clavier IOGear recommendé et 100% compatible j'ai toujours le problème le support ne veux plus rien faire pour moi. Je trouve que Une étoile est trop. J'aurais été mieux servi avec 2 KVM cheep de 40$ que cette poubelle de 250$