IOGEAR GCS1734 MiniView Extreme Multimedia KVMP Switch with Cables

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Product Description

Product Overview

IOGEAR's new MiniView Extreme Multimedia KVM and Peripheral Sharing Switch brings extra value to conventional KVM switches by offering USB peripheral sharing capabilities, audio and microphone support, and multi-platform support for Mac, Sun, USB and PS/2. You can save money and space by eliminating the need for multiple monitors, keyboards, mice, and peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, zip drives, and more. Up to 127 different USB devices can be daisy chained from this KVMP...[continued]... switch. Sharing speakers and a microphone also offers extra value and convenience for the users.USB and KVM technology together makes cross-platform management easy. A single USB console can control a PC and a Mac, or even a Sun workstation, and share peripherals and audio devices between the computers. Any USB-enabled computers, using any USB-compatible operating system, can benefit from the efficiency, expense reduction and convenience of IOGEAR's Miniview Extreme KVMP switch.

Tech Specs

General
Depth	3.5 in
Device Type	Monitor/keyboard/mouse/audio switch
Enclosure Type	External
Height	1.9 in
Weight	1.1 lbs
Width	8.1 in
Environmental Parameters
Humidity Range Operating	0 - 80%
Max Operating Temperature	104F
Min Operating Temperature	39.2F
Expansion / Connectivity
Connections	1 x keyboard - USB - 4 pin USB Type A - 11 x mouse - USB - 4 pin USB Type A - 11 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5 mm - 11 x speakers - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm- 11 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) - 11 x USB - 4 pin USB Type A - 1
Interfaces	1 x management - RJ-114 x speakers - input - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm4 x microphone - output - mini-phone 3.5 mm4 x keyboard / mouse / video / USB - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
Miscellaneous
Cables Included	4 x video / audio / USB cable1 x data cable
Networking
Connectivity Technology	Wired
Data Transfer Rate	12 Mbps
Max Resolution	2048 x 1536
Ports Qty	4
Status Indicators	Port status
Power
Power Device	Power adapter - external
Software / System Requirements
OS Required	UNIX, SunSoft Solaris, Linux, Apple MacOS 8.6 or later, Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-04-12 Very Functional KVM Switch with Limitations I chose to buy this same KVM Switch model on Amazon with an included/combo Keyboard & Mouse. So far I am very happy with the product with some caveats - it is an excellent price for so much functionality. I have been able to successfully connect a HP Scanner to the peripherals port, keep my MS Wireless Multimedia Keyboard, hook-up my Dell Dimension 4300 XP Home PC, my Dell Dimension XPS Gen 4 XP Multimedia Center PC, an HP Pavillion dv9000z Windows Vista Notebook, & a HP Pavillion tx1320us Windows Vista Tablet PC Notebook all at the same time with no issues. The desktops have ATI Video Cards with Intel Processors and the last two have AMD Processors with integrated nVidia GeForce Go 6150 video cards. It does have some limitations just as the other customer reviews stated and instances where you need to do workarounds & reset it which can be a nuisance. For instance, I couldn't use my existing mouse (but I did get to keep my keyboard). The IOGEAR Wireless Mouse that comes with this combo contains a wireless charging station which runs on its own power source. I've found in the past that USB ports in the front of computers do not have enough power sourced to them to run such things as keyboards & mouses or heavier powered hardware while the USB ports on the back of a computer do. I think this same issue applies to this KVM Switch for a Mouse or Keyboard that draw too much power using the designated Mouse & Keyboard ports. It's all about the power consumption it takes to run them & since the IOGear Mouse Docking Station has its on AC Power that's what makes it work with the designated front port. Buying this combo, guarantees you'll have a Mouse & Keyboard compatible & functional with the power being drawn from the front USB KVM ports so that if one or both of your existing ones don't work you'll have a back-up plan in using the IOGEAR ones. However, I didn't really like the IOGEAR keyboard because the keys are very scrunched together making it difficult to type. I'm glad my keyboard worked without issues. Unlike some of the reviews that mentioned the KVM Switch was not compatible with AMD, I was able to successfully function & run AMD Processors & the integrated nVidia video cards with no issues. Again, knowing power consumption problems, I made sure that my Laptops were plugged into a power source. I never tried them without being plugged in. I tried to load the mouse software at some point but never got it to function properly - I need to try again. At this point, I have the scroll wheel but no browser back button default functionality. I also found that you DO NOT WANT TO put two different Computers into a Sleep State (I don't know about one Yet). While it appeared to function perfectly (while my old Belkin KVM Switch would not allow), it actually freaked both my PC's out. The Keyboard & Mouse started freaking out - it was like something took over the keyboard & started typing continuously for no reason. I believe it started drawing Power from the PC's. After shutting down both PC's eventually and booting up one, the second one would let out a Screach that I've heard before for power issues & would not bootup. I would shut both down & start the opposite one first, it would repeat the screach on the second PC booted. I followed the Instructions in the booklet to unplug the KVM Power Source, then Unplug Each Desktop PC from their Power Source, then Plug the KVM Power Source back in and then Connect the Power Plug into each PC and then the boot process worked perfectly. It started drawing Power from the KVM instead of my PC's and everything worked properly. I won't make that mistake again - I'll just have to live with not using Sleep Mode - again, one PC in Sleep Mode might work - I don't know yet. I haven't wanted to go thru the hassle of resetting the KVM Switch again since getting to the back of the PC's is no easy feat. The key is to remember that you must literally unplug the power to the back of your PC's; simply unplugging the KVM Switch is not going to reset your system. One last note, while the four KVM Cables are klunky - I was able to get mine to stand up in the stand with no issues... Even with the workarounds, I would recommend this product. This is much less expensive than buying the Belkin equivalent model since you've got the four cablings. All four can be connected & discconnected, they are not built-in/integrated into the KVM Switch. I hope this info is helpful. note: After initially writing this review I have discovered that my existing MS Wireless Mouse is able to function properly using the connected IO Gear Docking Station's wireless connection (& at times that of the MS Keyboard). I have not tried any of the hotkey functionality still or tried to hook-up a second peripheral to the other back USB port.

Reviewed on 2008-03-10 Best KVM I've used! I purchased this KVM after owing, fighting with and hating various Belkin products for several years. I can honestly say this is the best KVM I've used. It's very easy to use and setup, hotkeys work great and the USB hub switching works seamlessly. Also, unlike some here say, it works just fine with my nVidia Motherboard. The fact that this unit also comes with all the cables you need, makes it a great product. I highly recommend it!

Reviewed on 2007-12-25 Works as advertised I have had this product for nearly 45 days and I am pleased to report that it works as advertised, though I did have two tiny issues. This device supports Mac mini (powerPC Tiger 10.4), Dell E521 (XP pro), IBM Thinkpad T42 in docking station (XP pro)and a older Dell Dimension 4100 (W2Kpro/Suse9 dual boot). I use this device primarily for KVM switching and do not currently use the additional speaker/mic/USB options. The KVM switching works and has without issue (after initial setup) since first week. Here are the two issues... I have to plug the USB cable (for Kbd/Mous) into the side USB port of the T42p Thinkpad. It will not work using the USB ports (there are 4 of them) on the docking station. This could be due to some issue with the docking station. The VGA **IS** plugged into the docking station and works. Its a minor nuisance to plug/unplug the USB cable from the switch into the side port of the laptop each time I dock and undock, but I can live with it if the KVM works otherwise. And it does. On the plus side, The expanded two-screen feature of the laptop works with the KVM so when the laptop is switched in, both the laptop's screen and the standalone LCD work (as one big screen). This is nice as I can start a long running process on the laptop and drag its window to the laptop's screen and then switch the KVM to another system. While the main LCD is attached to the other PC, the running window on the laptop is still visible. The other minor issue was that the switch never did seem to get along with Logitech cordless keyb/mous. Behavior was erratic. Sometimes with it would switch between systems and work perfectly, other times, after a switch, the mouse and/or keyboard would appear dead. I've seen other similar complaints on several KVMs so I don't think its a deficiency of the KVM switch as much as it may be an incompatibility. If wireless k/m is a necessity (yeah, I don't like messy wires either) then look for a KVM with its own wireless k/m (they do exist). After about 2-3 days, I switched to the hardwired keyb/mous that came with the Dell E521 and there have been no problems since. As mentioned, I do not use the mic/speaker switching option. I did initially play around with the USB switching feature, running a USB cable from the KVM to a 4 port USB hub to which are plugged cables for various items. The only live item is an external WD disk. It worked, but I found it aggravating each time I switched since the PC you are leaving beeps when the USB device is unplugged and the PC you are switching to beeps as the USB device is discovered. (I switch frequently). BUT, the PCs **DO** recognize the device as it comes and goes, which indicates that switching works. I've had **NO** issues on any system with sluggishness, erratic mouse tracking, etc. No negative impact on gaming. Also, the quality on the LCD (19" Xerox) appears to be no different (to me) than when the LCD is plugged directly into the PC - which is to say, I don't see that the KVM has introduced any degradation into the video signal. Clear, sharp, no waviness. The last nit is I really wished they would have put the two USB ports for the keyb/mous in the back of the unit instead of the front. Having them in the front, they poke out and then the wires run back to their concealed area. Had these two plugs been placed in the back, it would have made the overall appearance much cleaner on the desk as the switch fits neatly in the gap under the main LCD screen and its base stand. All in all, I found the product worth the money and I am pleased with it's performance.

Reviewed on 2007-12-09 Works as advertised, unlike others I have tried. This product works as advertised unlike some of its competitors. So far I have hooked up to it a Apple OSX box, a Windows 2000 box, FreeBSD 6.x Laptop and SUSE 10.x Laptop. All but the Windows box worked on the first try. I do not use USB keyboard but an older PS/2 keyboard and used a "USB to PS/2 Adapter" and that worked fine. To bring the Windows system up I needed to do few reboots as it needed to configure the different USB drivers, my suggestion is to connect the switch to the Windows systmem first (do not try it during reboot). Keep a spare keyboard handy just in case. This product comes with 4 cables that connect you to any USB enabled product, there is no NEED to buy any cables it is cheaper to buy USB-to-PS2 converter than the special PS/2 IOGEAR cable. I have different native resulution on each one of my boxes and the KVM switch handles that fine even in my highest resulution 1700x1200. Sound works fine but I have not tried the microphone connection. Overall this is the first USB KVM that I'm happy with and I have returned a few in my time. The extra USB ports sound like a good idea but I have not tried them yet, thinking about using them for a common backup disk and to share a color printer. If you have mutiple computers and want to share one nice display and keyboard this is the product to check out first.

Reviewed on 2007-09-28 Never ending grief I've had this product for 2 years, there has never been any FW updates. It will work for a bit, then mouse will mess up. buttons, scroll wheel, left and right button signals get mixed. Some times powering down all devices(pain) and unplugging the power to the kvm will fix it, but not always. Extended function for you mouse will not work so forget the joys of that. Support is as bad as it could get, if you have a weak heart just put it in the trash and save yourself.

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