Looking for a Decent KVMA Switch

[Rick Massey]

My KVM switch has given me nothing but problems -- it's one of those that
uses a repeated keypress to switch, and it switches on its own all the time.
I don't know if it's my screen reader (I'm blind) or the switch that's the
problem, (though friends that use my computer report the same problem when
the screen reader is off) and the Trendnet customer service dropped the ball
on fixing the problem.
So I plan to ditch the Trendnet KVM and replace it with something more
reliable and with customer service that can actually respond to customer
problems.
Here's what I need:
At least 4 ports, though more would be preferable
No more than $100 in cost
USB capability for keyboard and rodent
VGA monitor ports
Audio switching with the other stuff so I don't have to daisy chain things
"Hold down a Key and hit a number" switching from the keyboard
Buttons to allow me to physically switch things if something gets wonky
I would prefer a box with jacks on the back and buttons on the front as
opposed to a losenge style form factor, as that will fit under my power amp
I use for computer sound. (Tascam DA-50 power amp, half rack form factor)
I've tried searching on the web, but no luck so far. Anyone have any good
suggestions? I'd prefer something currently produced. Autoscan rates don't
really have any use to me, so I'm not concerned about them.
Thanks for any direction anyone here can provide.

 

[Juan B. Rivera]

You do not specify your KVM switch model. For example, I have a TRENDnet
model TK-400K, but since I use it with personal computers, not servers, I
did not try to turn more than one on at a time, even when I used to have
three computers hooked up. I bought it because the video signal
autodetection feature was far more convenient than having to turn a knob or
pressing buttons on the KVM device, so I might expect that it would perform
fine for your requred tasks. My sense of sight is OK for a man over 50 years
old, with a little difficulty focusing on near or faraway objects.

 

[Rick Massey]

If I remember correctly it's their 402 model. It's been a while since I was
dealing with the model number. But it's highly annoying. And it will
sometimes switch to a computer that isn't on, requiring me to get up and hit
a button right in the middle of something. This happens almost exclusively
in the middle of operations.
That said, I fail to see why it's important what the problematic piece of
hardware's model number is. I've gootten substandard customer support for a
problem with poorly functioning hardware, so I'm looking for something made
by another company that might provide better support. I won't consider
another Trendnet product of any type ever again after how badly they dropped
the ball.