{"id":20200,"date":"2022-12-01T13:45:05","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T13:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/iogear-2-port-4k-kvm-simple-cost-effective-multi-mac-control\/"},"modified":"2022-12-01T13:45:05","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T13:45:05","slug":"iogear-2-port-4k-kvm-simple-cost-effective-multi-mac-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/01\/iogear-2-port-4k-kvm-simple-cost-effective-multi-mac-control\/","title":{"rendered":"IOGear 2-port 4K KVM: Simple, cost-effective multi-Mac control"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Straightforward to set up and easy to use, the IOGear 2-port KVM is an inexpensive solution to controlling two computers with one keyboard, mouse and audio. But you do have to pick your model carefully. <\/p>\n

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Now that Macs have Universal Control<\/a>, it’s tempting to believe that there is no longer a need for a Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) switch. Rather than physically plugging a KVM into two computers and using it to switch between them, you can in theory just move your Mac’s cursor over to the other Mac’s screen. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For once, theory and practice go hand in hand, too, as you can do exactly this. Except Universal Control is of course useless if your other machine is a PC, or it’s an older Mac that you just keep around as a spare. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Plus Universal Control requires both computers to be switched on, and although they can share the same keyboard and mouse, they each require their own screen. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With a KVM, either computer can be switched off until needed, and they share everything, including the screen. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

IOGear’s simple KVM design<\/h2>\n

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IOGear provided two different 2-port KVM models, both with the same overall design, and both with the same overall ease of use. They’re priced toward the lowest cost KVMs available, which leads to some compromises. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The difference between the two is that one was for HD or 1080p monitors, while the other supports 4K \u2014 both at 60Hz \u2014 and also audio. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The 4K model \u2014 identifiable as GCS92HU \u2014 is the better buy as it can scale up to 4K depending on your display. It’s also able to route a single microphone and a single pair of speakers to the two computers it connects to. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

IOGear 2-port KVM design<\/h2>\n

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Once you’ve made the choice between the two 2-port models, IOGear doesn’t just make everything else easy, it positively removes any decision making. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So the little KVM unit comes with all the cables you require \u2014 and they are hardwired in. Maybe you could make some mistakes when you plug them in to the two computers, but you’ll never get them wrong at the KVM’s end. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That’s good, and that all the cables are included is obviously excellent. But it does mean that the KVM comes with a nest of cables that can’t be changed if there’s a problem with even one of them. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The hardwired provided cables are also short at 4 feet. Unless the two machines are side by side, and close to your peripherals, it’s the cables are likely to be too short. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Plus they won’t be long enough to give you any flexibility in routing your cables to avoid clutter. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The obvious answer there is to buy cable extensions, but USB-C, for instance, doesn’t play nice with these. You can’t guarantee that a USB-C extension will work. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All cables are hard-wired in<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Installation and use<\/h2>\n

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To fit the KVM, you plug each of its cables into your two computers. There’s no separate power cable required, the unit gets power from its USB connection to those Macs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While the KVM unit itself is small and neat, the way you control it is with an even smaller remote switch button. This is a simple push-button control at the end of a slim 4ft cable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It’s like a small puck and you will definitely lose it under books and papers on your desk, but the slim cable means it can’t go very far. That’s both good and bad, and it would be better if the unit itself had a button too. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Switching between two Macs is a question of finding the puck, pressing the button, and waiting just a moment. Then your peripherals are all controlling the second machine, until you press the puck once more and switch right back. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That’s the way you will work the IOGear KVM in everyday use. On the odd occasion that you want to change which machines are connected, you can hot swap cables at the Mac’s end. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can’t replace any of the provided cables<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Pros<\/h2>\n

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