IOGear (GCS632U) 2-port KVM Switch

Pros: Switches flawlessly; requires no drivers or power supply; easy to connect
Cons: Slight degradation of the VGA signal

I recently bought a very sleek widescreen LCD computer monitor and used it to replace two CRT monitors that made a marginal widescreen display. The problem was that I have two computers on this desk (a tower and a laptop) and both need to share the ...

Pros: It works! All cables included. USB connectivity is a plus.
Cons: Setup wasn't as plug-and-play as most users would like.

Recently, my wife has complained of arm pain from working. She works from our home office, and uses a laptop most of the time on her desk. She also has a standard desktop, and switching between the two has become a pain. Her desktop keyboard sits on ...

Pros: small, keyboard/mouse emulation, scrollwheel support, linux support, keyboard toggle intercept
Cons: Cable layout; audio distortion; keyboard USB hub difficulty; no physical toggle or shared microphone line

Having had bad luck with a Belkin USB kvm I picked up this model - the only 2 port USB+audio that was in stock at the local Best Buy. The device is made of a molded rubberish plastic with permanently attached to-computer cables extending out one side. ...

Pros: Video switches ok
Cons: Horrible audio support. Can't use USB ports on keyboard

I recently purchased the unit to use on 2 modern Macs. The switching works pretty much as advertised except for the audio switching. This is absolutely horrible. The audio signal that passes thru the unit is attenuated so much that it is barely audible from your speakers. I called tech support and they said it sounded like a defective unit. So I exchanged it and the results were exactly the same. I asked them for the specs on the audio portion of the unit and they said they didn't have them. So there you go. No wonder it doesn't work properly.

Also my Mac keyboard has additional USB ports on it. Unfortunately the KVM doesn't recognize anything plugged into those ports.

Pros: Easy connection to PC and Mac Mini; Keyboard toggle works in MAC & PC Modes.
Cons: None Found so far.

This unit from IOGEAR worked great right out of the box. Scroll lock key allows switching between Mac Mini and PC. Sound also switches with no problems.

This was a big step forward from an older Belkin KVM switch which sometimes did not work.

I highly recommend this product from IOGEAR!

Pros: Very small, very nice to use - when it works.
Cons: Inconsistent. Repeats keystrokes sometimes. Locks up sometimes.

I had a bit of a hard time getting this to work initially. I plugged everything in, and the keyboard would not work. I switched the mouse and keyboard around, and then the mouse wouldn't work. Eventually, I got lucky and it started working.

I continue to have intermittent problems with it. Sometimes, it will just randomly repeat a key that I type about 18 times.

Other times, either the mouse or the keyboard will lose power and I'll need to unplug it to reset it and start over.

IOGear support suggests getting a new PCI USB controller. I would try this, but one of the machines is a laptop, and even when this is the only machine I have plugged in to it, it still has these problems. (I am unable to get a new USB controller for this laptop.)

I'm going to try to return it.

If you get one, make sure that you'll be able to easily return it if it doesn't work for you. If you don't have the same problems I've had, I expect you'd be very happy with it.

Pros: Ease of use, quality.
Cons: Can't think of any.

I bought the IOGear GCS632U to simplify telecommuting. I have a Microsoft wireless keyboard & mouse and a 24" widescreen monitor that I want to use with my company laptop.

This IOGear KVM makes this a breeze. I plugged the single USB from the wireless KB/mouse receiver into the keyboard port on the KVM and both the KB and mouse work perfectly.

Now I can easily toggle between my desktop PC and my company-provided Dell laptop when working from home. Video quality is awesome at 1900x1200 and the KB and mouse response is smooth and flawless.

I have not hooked up the audio, since I prefer to play tunes on my desktop PC while working on my company laptop.

Pros: None
Cons: Does not work with Macs at all. Tech support don't answer e-mails.

I could not get the num lock/ clear "-" key working it just does not work on a mac with std apple USB keyboard. I got the switching to work with a Mac ally iKey which has a scroll lock key BUT no video with any of my B&W G3's. I tested it on a USB PC and it all works. This is not a KVM for a Mac, how IOGear can say it works I don't know. Even the hot keys default to PC standard. I paid extra for this as it said it works with USB Macs using OS 8.6 and up. What a waste of money. This thing is another PC only switch made in white to fool the Mac users.
Their tech support don't even answer their e-mails. I'll ask for a refund and see if I can get a Dr Bot switch.

Pros: Assume this does the job with a PC USB keyboard
Cons: Worthless with a Mac USB keyboard due to choice of hotkeys

No doubt the KVM switch works fine when used with a USB PC layout keyboard. But the default hot-key is [Scroll Lock], a key missing from a Mac keyboard. Wait, though - the manual tells you that if scroll-lock is missing from your keyboard, then simply change it to another key. But to change it, you have to press [Scroll Lock] or [Num Lock], again - both missing from a Mac Keyboard. If - like me - you bought a Mac mini, and with it a Mac USB keyboard - and this is your only USB keyboard - then this KVM is not for you.

When I power only one machine up at a time, it does a fine job of auto-detecting the active machine and switching keyboard, mouse, and audio.

But with both on, I can't switch between them.

Pros: great concept
Cons: both of my computers have frozen and audio stopped working

I purchased this product a couple of weeks ago and have had several big headaches with it's use. The audio stopped working on one of my PCs (and now it won't work when speakers are connected directly to the computer). The mouse and keyboard have frozen on both of my computers (not at the same time), causing me to lose work because I had to manually power down my PC. I just exchanged the product for a new one at Best Buy (no problems from them), but just had another computer freeze up. And, still no audio from the PC that had working audio before I connected the switch.

I imagine this product works successfully for some people, but I will be returning it and seeking out another brand or solution.

Pros: Compact USB
Cons: Self Powered

This KVM is nice in the sense that everything is supplied (cables and switch) and compact to minimize clutter. Having a USB KVM works well with MAC & PC combinations.

However, I've learned that self powered USB KVM's do not work with all computers. I upgraded my PC to a new box, and this product no longer works with it. Iogear's tech support was unable to solve my problem either.

From Iogear's FAQ
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My self-powered KVM occasionally freezes, what can I do to fix this?

The chipsets on some computer models may not transfer enough power over the PS/2 and USB port to completely power the KVM. Intermittent mouse and keyboard functionality is often a sign of an underpowered KVM
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Pros: Plug 'n play. Easy to use. USB KB/Mouse support. Shared audio.
Cons: Mild Video ghosting.

I have been using this unit for a couple of years with a G4 Mac OSX (10.1.x, 10.2.x and 10.4.x) and WinXP PC. Video quality is good, but there is ghosting on my 17" LCD display. I have experienced the mac coming up in 800x600, but that generally occurs when the Mac is booted (or awakened from sleep) and the KVM switch has the PC as the active PC. To regain proper video settings, toggling between machines one additional time has always restored the video setting. I have never had problems with switching between machines. I'm running a Logitech MX700 wireless mouse and a Logitech wireless keyboard (both transmitters plugged into the KVM switch)and it has worked flawlessly. The audio switching works exactly as it is supposed to, but keep in mind that when you switch between computers the active PC will have the audio connection, so you can't listen to MP3s while they rip on one machine (for instance) while you work on the other machine. Overall, very happy. I am actually doing this review because I am planning to purchase another one if it is still available.

Pros: It was on sale.
Cons: You get what you pay for.

My config is two older computers - Celeron and P3, Kensington "slim type" keyboard, Logitech wingman gaming mouse (3 button), running at 1024x768. Computers are running Linux 2.6. Video looks good, keyboard works great, mouse doesn't work unless it's unplugged and plugged back in. This last part is inconsistent, and I think it's started up okay before.

There seem to be a lot of issues with USB KVM switches not working quite right. It looks like ps/2 is still the way to go.

The audio is lousy. It's some voltage controlled amp in there, and it doesn't seem to be designed for the relatively high power output of most sound cards.

Pros: Price
Cons: Functionality is poor

I have bought two of these in the last 6 months ( I only bought the second one as it was all I could find in the small town I live in).
I don't recommend them.
I am running two Dell desktops off of it.
The one gave me many analog error messages on the display, had to keep rebooting - a new kvm switch fixed this problem. And, the second had issues with the keyboard so I couldn't switch back and forth.
Trying to find the best option at this point. Don't want work to have to pay for another bad product.

Pros: Super-simple installation, easy-to-read manual, no-delay switching, works great with headphones
Cons: None

After spending 5 minutes glancing through the manual on IOGear's website, I was ready to plug the setup in as an educated user.

Following the few instructions needed to set it up properly, it took about 20 minutes (mostly because I'm a wire routing perfectionist), and works flawlessly. Simply tap "Scroll Lock" twice and you are *instantly* looking at and in control of the other computer. I was worried that there would be a delay each time as the computer tried to recognize the new USB device, but IOGear's emulation feature has eliminated that.

I couldn't be more pleased with the product!