Name: StarTech 2 Port Quad Monitor Dual-Link DVI USB KVM Switch with Audio & Hub
Brand: StarTech
SKU: STV231QDVIUA
Price: 539.99 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 3.4 (84 reviews)

StarTech 2 Port Quad Monitor Dual-Link DVI USB KVM Switch with Audio & Hub

StarTech KVM Switch

StarTech

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StarTech KVM Switch 

Buy: StarTech 2 Port Quad Monitor Dual-Link DVI USB KVM Switch with Audio & Hub

The SV231QDVIUA 2-Port Quad Monitor Dual-Link DVI USB KVM Switch allows 2 PCs, each with 4 DVI video outputs, to share monitors, 1 microphone and set of speakers, 1 keyboard and 1 mouse as well as an additional USB 2.0 peripheral such as an external hard drive, thumb drive, printer or webcam.The Quad DVI KVM switch allows you to switch back and forth between 2 multi DVI PCs at the touch of a button, while maintaining professional-level video quality on all monitors at resolutions up to 2560x1600. The quad DVI switch also features an integrated USB hub port that allows USB 2.0 peripherals to be shared between attached systems - eliminating duplicate peripheral costs and offering the convenience of sharing stored data between PCs. Backed by a StarTech 3-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.While both DVI-I (analog mode) and DVI-D (digital only) are supported by the KVM, both source PCs must output the same signal type for proper switching. It is recommended wherever possible to use DVI-D cables across all PC to KVM and KVM to Console connections. Please contact technical support for assistance identifying your source.&#149; Switch 4 monitors and peripherals between 2 PCs &#149; Supports beyond high definition, dual-link DVI resolutions on 4 monitors each up to 2560x1600 &#149; Switch Audio devices independently &#149; Supports front panel push buttons and hot-key functions for computer selection &#149; OS independent; No software or drivers required &#149; All metal chassis for long-term durability &#149; Hub port supports High speed USB 2.0 devices &#149; HDCP compliant Advantage &#149; Dual-link DVI supports extraordinary beyond high definition resolutions of 2560x1600 on each of the 4 connected monitors for maximum screen real estate &#149; Integrated USB 2.0 hub and Mic/Audio ports allow the user to have full multimedia control of two computers and share USB peripherals &#149; The only 4 monitor high definition DVI KVM with USB support Applications  &#149; Switch four displays, mouse, keyboard, speakers, microphone and one USB peripheral between two PCs &#149; Graphic design and Multimedia production applications &#149; Great for CAD/CAM operators using multiple monitor systems &#149; Financial/banking and Trading work stations with multiple monitors &#149; High resolution medical imaging with multiple displays

i like how the switch functions but is it possible to switch between pc remotely(without having to  open the rackmount housing and push front panel buttons for instance)

nice product

USB Type B input for second PC conistently fails randomly. I've proved it by simply switching the cable in to the first input and it works fine. I've tried everything. There appears to be no easy way to force the unit to reset. Only method is literally unplugging every monitor cable and and reinserting in specific order to get it to work again.

Awful!

I work on a site where we have two different computers systems and two different computers for them so being able to switch between both and use dual screens was a big advantage for me.
The setup was easy enough, just plugged in and away I went.
I've been using a few weeks now, and its working okay just have the one issue that every time I switch computers it reset all open apps to the one monitor, would of been nice if it would let the computers remember what was on each screen instead of having to move the programs every switch.

Great in theory, lacks a little in application.

I used this unit to switch between my work laptop and home computer.  The switching with the button works fine. At first everything worked fine, but I heard a hum on the one device's audio during calls. After some diagnosing I realized that the hum was caused by the USB bus My keyboard has a processor on board for remapping and such. This keyboard started failing after some time and is now completely broken. The cause of the problem only became clear after my second keyboard broke. These are expensive keyboards and it is a great pity that this unit caused this problem for me. My advice, do the USB switching with a mechanical switch and power the device via an independent USB power supply. This does partly negate purpose of the switch...

Works simply, but has USB problems

I bought this unit to replace a ConnectPro KVM that had started squealing and affecting my peripherals. No problem with setup as I just copied the way the previous KVM was connected. Works fine, no problems, but it's only day one. :

So far so good!

Bought this early in the pandemic to adapt my desk to both personal and work computers. From day 1 I've had issues with the USB peripherals. The mouse port has never worked when switching, so I've had to plug a wired mouse into the generic shared USB port. Dual displays have been highly inconsistent, and frequently I would have to reboot my laptop after I switched to it in order for one of the displays to detect properly - but don't you dare let the monitor go to sleep as it will be detected wrong again on waking.

Works - sort of.

I bought this years ago and it is Very user friendly and simple to install and very effective too.Will highly recommend it to all.

Very user friendly and simple to install

I've been using this unit for several years (for Audio and Video production) and have been completely satisfied with the product.

Perfect for my use!

I've used my KVM going on 4 years now and have never had a single performance issue and we order these for other employees. My gripes (more wishes, really) more space between the DVI connections on back and of course USB 3.0 which was long since available when we ordered. Most of our monitors and PCs in use are DVI and now we're seeing more DP connections come in and so far OK so long as the monitor has DVI obviously. Very happy and highly recommend if your monitor(s) are DVI.

3+ years in and only 2 gripes

I learned something new this week: EDID, or Extended Display Identification Data, is used by the computer to determine it is connected to an external display. Without it, the computer thinks it is not connected. When using a KVM switch, if EDID data isn't reported to the computer, such as when switching between machines, the computer defaults its desktop (at least under Windows). This device does not mimic EDID data; therefore, switching causes the computer to think it has lost its display. EDID Emulation is available, better KVM devices offer it. StarTech is not a "better KVM device", however. They recommend that after buying their overpriced box, that one goes and buys external EDID emulators to overcome this problem - instead of just engineering it into their product. I have to say I'm disappointed; this isn't a cheap import - it is supposed to be a quality device; though I learned this is not the case. Furthermore, I've noticed continued issues when switching. More than half of the time, when I switch, the displays don't come up. I have to switch back and forth numerous times to get the monitors to be recognized. When doing so many switches, I've also noted that keyboard and mouse functions have gotten weird. The mouse wheel will often stop working, the keyboard doesn't register; and the only solution left is to reboot. I am absolutely unimpressed - I strongly recommend individuals consider alternative vendors and avoid the frustrations that I and others have had with this manufacturer. Hopefully, they'll get their act together and fix their faulty designs.

Garbage... What use does this have?

I have had this product for nearly 3 years - simple to set up, switches between Mac & PC with two 2560x1440 displays and logitech wireless mouse / keyboard. Super easy to use - couldn't have hoped for a more trouble-free better product.

Solid Product

Using with a desktop PC, a laptop PC, and an MS Surface Pro. Monitor switch works perfectly even with the Surface Pro using an external 1920x1200 monitor. Seems to work with all USB devices so far, even an external soundcard. It is worth noting that using this device uncovered a firmware fault on the desktop graphics card which required a firmware update (not just drivers) from NVIDIA to rectify successful detection of the DisplayPort monitor, so it is worth checking that if you are having issues. Not the cheapest piece of equipment on the market but has done a great job for me so far and stops me from continuously breaking cables and cracking my head on the underside of my desk recabling everything all the time...

Works well with a multitude of devices

We purchased a SV431USB KVM to replace a Belkin USB KVM for 3 servers..To our surprise the AC 5v adapter is not included and has to be purchased separately... On top of it the input VGA ports on this KVM are not female VGA ports..they're male..meaning any cabling you may have used previously will need changing with a female plug at one end. Wish I had stuck with Belkin.

No AC Adapter Supplied + VGA Conxs

Works perfectly just wish there was a way to silence the beep every time you change inputs.

Reliable solid KVM

I'm using this product with a laptop and a workstation. On my laptop there is a boot manager (GRUB2) with a 8 seconds delay. Unfortunately keyboard and mouse cannot be used (are dead) until an operating system is loaed. This makes it impossible to select the boot manager entries. To do so I have to open the laptop lid and use the laptops keyboard.

Keyboard / Mouse not usable in boot manager

Unfortunately I read that this unit supports hot-key switching as do my other units but it does not. Why not is anyone's guess. It also does not come with a power supply. With my back-lit keyboard attached it refuses to work with any of the three computers I have. Adding a 2A 5V power supply was not enough. A 2.5A 5V supply was needed before the unit would provide any keyboard or mouse to any of the three computers.

No hot-keys, needs POWER.

I've had this for over a year and it behaves HORRIBLY when recovering from sleep and the supposedly USB2.0 hub is practically useless. For both of these situations, I believe that a firmware update would/could help, but...I don't see that happening. Still for my dual DP with two laptop setup, this is the only viable option. Did I mention it's WAY too expensive for what it provides? :-(

The only thing that works for me...regrettably.

I bought this KVM switch with both VGA & DVI support as I have not fully crossed over from VGA to DVI yet. It works well with the 3 desktops and 1 laptop I have connected to it. Only 1 issue, the Power Cool 768V2 keyboard is not seen by the machine that runs on Win10 32bit. However it runs okay on the machine with Win10 64bit, Ubuntu 18.04 64 bit & Win8 64 bit. Why do they not build these units with it's own power off switch?

Great Tool

There are various pin-outs for DVI, depending on the version. The cables are for DVI-I, which has more pins than DVI-D. It is therefore incompatible with the DVI-D connector of my video card. This should be noted on the box and product description.

Incompatible with DVI-D video card connector

I have 2 computers on Ubuntu, when I start the computer I have my screen, but if I switch to the second one and I switch back to the first, I don't have the screen anymore because the X server crash because the KVM doesn't respond to the displayport during switch... The KVM does not respect the display port standards...

Not working with Ubuntu

Ive used this kvm-switch for 1.5 years now and it has been stable and robust so far with two 24" screens and four computers. So I would recommend it but with a warning. One glitch is that both screens go black for 1-2 seconds as the switch gives off a little blipping sound. Ive read on a forum that faulty DVI-cables could be the reason but I have checked several times and the cables are perfect. So I still endure randomness of the screens going black and turning back on. Sometimes without a single turn-off during a whole day and sometimes 3-5 times an hour. I would be so grateful for a solution for this. The second glitch is that I have tried to use larger 27" screens recently that DON'T have DVI-ports and I tried using several different DVI-Displayport adapters and DVI-VGA adapters. There is no signal. I would REALLY REALLY appreciate a solution to this problem because without a solution that would mean that I cant use any screens that dont have DVI. Please help.

Stable but with two glitches

just installed this, connecting two Dell Precision T3500 computers to a 30" Dell Monitor (2560x1600 resolution). Switching between the two computers is very easy and quick. The housing is nice, sturdy metal and doesn't slide on the desk when you press the selector switch. Keep in mind that your power saving settings may affect the one computer you are not accessing, it might go to sleep. The image on the monitor is clean and rock steady. Windows does make the funny sound it makes when a USB device is connected and disconnected, but that is not the fault of the KVM switch, just a Windows thing.

works well, easy to set up

If you know what you are doing, it is easy to set up and operate. Used this model for nearly a year. No issues.

Works as Advertised

Worked for about 2 days, and roughly 30 switches before Port 1 stopped working entirely. StarTech is one of the only companies to make this type of KVM, so it's unfortunate they're our only option. Get your stuff together StarTech. Your QC seriously needs to step it up.

Still bad Quality Control

I have this combined with a MSTMDP123DP on the output port to switch between my desktop and laptop in my home office. It drives a pair of 1080P Dell S2419HGF monitors very nicely, though when combined with my RX580 either the monitors, graphics card or KVM won't allow for freesync through the DP path. Not a deal breaker but keep in mind that Freesync seems to be more commonly supported on HDMI and not DP links. This KVM also works best when one of the computers is not active. Switching disconnects the monitors, keyboard and mouse from one computer and connects them to another. Upside is that there's no emulation to mess with the PC's ability to use drivers for either mouse, keyboard or monitor but it is not for frequent switching between terminals. My use case is work laptop during the day, play desktop at night, so it works well for me. Your mileage may vary. USB3 support and leaving the monitors connected to the source would make this a perfect little KVM. All things considered is meets my needs very nicely.

Support for MST hub downstream

Despite my best efforts, computer #1 always detects as 1024 x 768 resolution (it's a super-high-end screen running the most recent NVIDIA powerhouse graphics card so, erm . . . yeah, I think this could do better).

Well, one of the 2 works . . .

Support about 40 of these and work most of the time but have a high level of failures from keyboard/mouse not working to screens not always detecting. Have to buy several replacements each year. Wish there was an alternative on the market

Frustrating

Just got this switch up and running but my Logitech Keyboard/mouse K330/M215 suffers delays unless on the desk 1' away from switch. When I use the devices from the keyboard drawer maybe 2' away I get delays.

Problems with Wireless Mouse and Keyboard

I bought 2 to do multiple setups for Deployment. Both have issues: flashing the screen (mostly off) and not catching a signal on start up so never seeing a screen. Lastly one of the two only works with two or less of the ports connected. I cannot find a firmware update or support for these issues.

Flashes on 3 different HP monitors

Failed to output 1080p switching back and forth between sources. I can switch the refresh rate and the KVM will work but as soon as I switch inputs and back again it stops working until I change the refresh rate agian. I've used StarTech KVMs without too many issues, from VGA to DVI flavors and this is the first to not work consistently.

StarTech 2 Port Quad Monitor Dual-Link DVI USB KVM Switch with Audio & Hub

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