Home > Consumer Reviews > 2port USB KVM Switch With 2-cables Non-osd

I have used a number of KVM switches, and there are often problems with them. In my experience, the fancier they are, they worse they work. Avoid KVMs that require proprietary cables, or that rely on driver software for "hotkey switching" instead of having buttons.

The ConnectPro is no nonsense, and works with everything I've connected it to. I'm upgrading to the four-port version soon.

First review I've ever written a review for the dozens of electronics I've bought over the years. I tried Belkin USB KVM and a Linksys PS/2 with USB adapters and neither worked very well. Keyboard would freeze up or go into all Caps mode and I was rebooting 5 or 6 times a day. I have a Mac mini and a PC laptop for which I share a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The Connectpro works great. I don't use it for the monitor as I have both DVI and Analog ports and use direct plugs for my computers (DVI to the Mac...), so I can't speak to the quality of the video transfer. I have a wireless keyboard/mouse combo that go into 1 USB plug on the Connectpro. No problems there. This also works as a print server and I have a USB printer that I can share. This is key as I'm VPNed into my work on my laptop and previously couldn't print using my regular print server without disconnecting the VPN. Now, it reads the printer in the Connectpro as a local printer. And I still have an empty USB port I can use for something else. This is may be $10 or $20 more than the Belkin USB KVM, but it's worth triple. The only minimal downside is that you can't switch using the keyboard. But the box is heavy and sturdy and doesn't let the cords pull it off the desktop like some cheaper ones. If you want to share peripherals between a Mac and PC, buy this immediately.

I haven't used a KVM switch in years. This one was needed because I can't retire my XP machine but have a Vista laptop that I wanted to use the big screen, mouse and keyboard of my desktop. This KVM switch just worked. I plugged it all in and did nothing else. A true benefit and an extra is the shared USB port. It allowed me to attach my HP printer to the switch and share that between the two machines as well (that just worked as well). I plan to try a USB hub next but I haven't done so yet. I like having a physical button to push to switch machines rather than a hot key combination. This KVM switch is worth it.

The ConnectPro is a 3-port USB Hub/Switch plus a video switch. I use it to connect a mouse, keyboard, printer, and monitor to either a laptop or a desktop at home. Both computers run WIN XP.

I have used many different KVMs at work. The ConnectPro is the best I have used.

Operation is as simple as can be. Press Select and change the computer. There are keyboard keys to remember (Why is it every KVM has a different key combination to change the sellection?)

User feedback is likewise excellent. "non-osd" means the unit does not put a message on your monitor ("On Screen Display"). Instead, user feedback is with two lights, which can be green, red, or red/green. Green = computer connected. Red = computer not connected. Red/Green = computer connected and selected. What can be easier than that? No sloppy on-screen video mucking things up. And where is that on-screen video when the monitor just doesn't want to work with the laptop? Is it the laptop video mode? Did I forget the magic key to switch computers? ....

I had no problems with this unit. It worked perfectly out of the box. The video is crystal clear (1280 x 1024). I was concerned because I planned to switch a printer. I wasn't sure if the computers would give me grief about connecting and disconnecting the printer. It turned out that switching the printer is no problem. Of course, I don't switch it while the spooler is sending data.

My other concern is that the desktop computer is USB 1, while the laptop is USB 2. That also was no problem.

The computers do beep and bop when I switch, as the USB device auto-detect senses devices connecting and disconnecting.

I got a nice benefit from the 3-port USB hub. My laptop has only two USB ports. When using the KVM, I need only one of the ports for the keyboard, mouse, and printer. The other is free for my thumb drive. It's very nice feature for my needs.

The only negative is the KVM manual, which is for an 4-computer/8-computer switch. One would think that for this price, they could write a manual that pertains to this product, or at least include a section for the two-computer model.

This KVM switch is very solidly constructed - metal case, high quality cables and a push button switch (in my opinion, push button switch is better than soft switch). Because of its weight, it doesn't get dragged around by the cables. It works with the power drawn from the USB connections, but it also comes with its own power, which is nice. It also has an additional USB port which you can use to share another USB device such as a webcam or USB microphone. What's really nice is that I actually connect this USB port to my Dell monitor which has a built-in USB hub, so now I have 4 extra USB ports. I had "blue screen of death" for a few days when switching between computers after installing this KVM switch, but the problem went away after I disconnected an old webcam connected to the switch. If you're using Windows, it takes a few seconds for the mouse and keyboard to become active after switching. For Linux, it takes almost no time. If you find video quality low (e.g. fuzziness), try adjust your monitor settings. When I first plugged it in, the resolution wasn't good, it looked fuzzy. But after an "auto adjust" on my monitor, it became very sharp. The tech support from ConnectPro seems responsive. I emailed them about the "blue screen of death" problem a couple of times and got replies promptly. Their tech support also is on Skype, although I never tried to talk to him. The only real shortcoming of this KVM switch is it's USB 1.0 instead of USB 2.0. Windows XP complains about this everytime you switch to it. I give this switch a 4-star because of this.

BTW, does anyone know why the indicator button shows half-red and half-green when it's switched to it? It's against common engineering practice.