Home > Consumer Reviews > Trendnet TK400K 4-Port PS/2 KVM Switch

I ordered this based on price when there was a $10 rebate offerred Jan 2006. It was easy to setup and plug in--but there were a few things I didn't think through before ordering.

I have an optical mouse (USB) but this switch only supports PS/2. Even with the USB->PS/2 adaptor I had been using with my computer, it was not recognized. So I found my old PS/2 microsoft mouse, but every once and awhile the mouse just stops working. I have to reboot the computer and unplug and replug the connection on the switch. I haven't figured out why or tried to contact customer service yet so there may be a resolution I have not found.

For my needs the mouse isn't really important and I have had no trouble with the video or keyboard with 3 different machines (sony from '96, gateway from '99, generic from 2003).

Very simple to setup and use. Includes 4 kvm cables, so there is nothing else to buy. Plugged in all the cables, turned on the 2 computers (1 win xp pro, 1 win 2k) and I was good to go. The unit doesn't need to be plugged into an electrical outlet either. The hotkey sequence for switching computers is very simple, double tap of the scroll lock key, then either the up or down arrow. Unit beeps for confirmation when you do switch. Great deal for only $45.

I have purchased one of these units only after seeing the 3 we have at work in action.

I work for an ISP and we have a test row of machines which get abused, kicked around and just beaten accidently by techs who replicate issues on machines.

We are switching from machine to machine to machine all the time and these TrendNet units seems to just keep working.

I was so happy with them I bought one for myself and it has always worked fine. I work on Pcs at my house, and when I get a new box, I slap a cable on and start working - never a problem.

The positives: it works without fail with a usb to a ps2 adapter - and it looks clean, but you can always get the ac adapter to boost the picture.

You have seperate cables - if the cable fails you can replace it opposed to having one built into the unit and tossing the whole thing

The negitives: I had an issue with plugging in my monitor cable securely into the main monitor port, I didn't really ever play with it but it could be the cable or the port it is plugging into. That is the only negitive thing to say, but it never presented an issue so I have not played with it more.

I would buy another if i need it but might opt for one with USB opposed to PS2..

Switch did not work with my Samsung 191T monitor. Customer service people were slow to respond and were not helpful.

For basic switching between computers, this works OK with some annoyances. Why are there two loud beeps every time I switch between computers? Why do I need a loud and irritating confirmation that I switched computers? I can see it right there on my screen.
If you don't have the computer active (selected on the KVM) when you start it up, then the mouse wheel scrolling defaults to off. In order to reactivate the scroll wheel, you have to physically unplug the mouse. When you plug it back in it becomes active again. Annoying.
I would also like an onscreen shortcut to switch between systems, but this unit only offers a keyboard shortcut (Scroll lock - Scroll lock - 1,2,3 or 4)
The ports are on all sides of the unit instead of in the back, giving it a fairly gigantic footprint.
Other than that, it works and it's fairly cheep.
Better than a sharp stick in the eye.