Belkin 2port Omniview KVM Switch Soho Series PS2/usb With Audio

by Belkin

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 9 x 4 inches ; 2.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006BB9H
• Item model number: F1DS102T
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 14, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Belkin gives you control over two computers--either PS/2 or USB models, or both--from a single PS/2 console. The audio feature lets you switch between computers using one set of speakers and microphones without having to unplug and re-plug them. Using the SOHO Series on Sun and Macintosh USB platforms gives you easy, cross-platform control. With its advanced features, such as audio and microphone switching support, the Belkin SOHO Series makes controlling multiple computers easier than ever.

Product Description

Belkin gives you control over two computers--either PS/2 or USB models, or both--from a single PS/2 console. The audio feature lets you switch between computers using one set of speakers and microphones without having to unplug and re-plug them. Using the SOHO Series on Sun and Macintosh USB platforms gives you easy, cross-platform control. With its advanced features, such as audio and microphone switching support, the Belkin SOHO Series makes controlling multiple computers easier than ever.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could be better, November 17, 2002

By 

Victor A. Navone (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Belkin 2port Omniview KVM Switch Soho Series PS2/usb With Audio (Personal Computers)

Overall the switch works great out of the box, but there are some caveats.

First, it doesn't come with the necessary cables, and not just any cables will do; the VGA cable has to be a special kind with male and female connectors and screws on BOTH ends. This can only be found (as far as I can tell) in a special kit that Belkin sells. And you will need two sets, of course, which adds a hidden cost to the price of your switch.

Then there's the matter of upgrading the firmware. Although you can connect Macs and PCs running just about any OS, the flash upgrades can apparently only be applied from a PC running Windows 98. How lame is that? It wouldn't be so much of an issue, but on the Mac side I am experiencing keyboard issues which require upgrading. Why they couldn't allow installation of the upgrades via USB instead of through an arcane parallel port cable is beyond me.

The last annoyance: on my PC running Win 2000 there is a significant delay after switching before my wireless mouse or Wacom tablet will work - about 10 seconds. No such delay on the Mac, though.

Other than that, the unit looks great and handles well.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Complete garbage of a product, June 26, 2005

By 

Mel Matsuoka (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Belkin 2port Omniview KVM Switch Soho Series PS2/usb With Audio (Personal Computers)

Do you use a "plain jane" keyboard and mouse, and never use features such as volume controls, audio mute, etc and other features found on most modern "multimedia" keyboards?

Could you care less about having control over your scrollwheel speed?

Do you need a KVM that will NOT let you switch between a Windows desktop and a Mac OSX desktop, while retaining the functionality of the keyboard and mouse?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then I would wholeheartedly recommend this KVM.

If, however, you are one of those wierdos who expects that your keyboard and mouse will actually *work* when switching between systems, then don't even THINK about buying this product!

Sure, you get basic switching of your keyboard and mouse through this KVM, but it's exactly that...BASIC. With my Logitech Elite keyboard and Microsoft optical Intellimouse Explorer 4.0 mouse, it was impossible to have either my Mac or my WinXP box recognize these devices as anything other than the lowest common denominator, "generic" input devices. This means that every non-alphanumeric key on the keyboard becomes completely non-functional, the Command key is mapped to the wrong key on the Mac, and the scrollwheel on the mouse becomes barely functional.

In other words, this KVM is basically useless with anything but the most basic of keyboard and/or mouse devices.

And while many reviews make a big deal about the fact that this KVM has a flashable firmware update port, in reality it doesn't mean diddley squat, because in nearly 5 years, Belkin has NEVER released a firmware update for this thing.

This is a complete lemon of a KVM.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works great for me!, January 5, 2006

By 

Terri "Terri" (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Belkin 2port Omniview KVM Switch Soho Series PS2/usb With Audio (Personal Computers)

I actually stayed away from the Belkin KVM switches at first due to the terrible reviews I read for them, so I tried Iogear first. It turns out Iogear KVMs are not compatible with my NVIDIA motherboard, so it would not work on one of my computers. So, due to lack of other choices for USB only KVM switches, I tried this one with little hope that it will work. Surprisingly, it works almost perfectly for me. I have a new Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 and a Logitech MX310 mouse, and both computers (one with XP and one with 2000) detect them without any problems. Most of the extra media keys work on both devices as well. The video is still sharp on my LCD monitor. Switching is quick, maybe 3 seconds. The only glitch I have had is that sometimes I get to typing a little too fast and the switch starts beeping and my keyboard will not respond for a moment. But, once I stop typing for a second, it catches up and is fine. But, that only happens once a day or so, and you have to be typing pretty fast! Anyway, a very minor problem in any case. The only down side is that it was quite expensive to buy all the extra cords, but it is worth it if it works. I find it strange that the one switch that has the worst reviews online seems to be the only one that works for me, and works well at that!!