Product Description
The BELKIN F1DS102U OmniView lets you control two USB computers from a single monitor, USB keyboard and USB mouse, eliminating the need to disconnect and reconnect these deviceswhen switching between computers. This also reduces the cable clutter on your desktop. The Audio feature lets two computers share a single set of speakers and microphone, instead of unplugging and re-plugging them! Built-in cable management Sleek vertical design Color - Midnight Gray Note - Cables available separately - you need one set of cables for each computer you connect to the KVM!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent doorstop, that's about it.......2004-11-23
If there was a "zero star" rating, I'd give that. Doesn't even deserve the single star.
We argued with this device for two days, and were never able to get it to work.
First, it does not come with any of the cables necessary to work it. Once you include the cost of the cables, you're looking at $150.00 total.
Second, it simply doesn't work. It did not recognize the USB keyboard that we plugged into it, yet if you if unplugged it, it started with the constant beeping. There was supposed to be a firmware flash that would fix the problem, but the flash does not work. Finally, we found a workaround, by plugging the keyboad into one of the auxiliary USB ports, and plugging a USB camera into the keyboard port.....that worked. For about 8 hours. Then, at 4 o'clock in the morning, when the whole house is asleep (and all of the computers are powered down, mind you!!) it starts up wiht the incessant beeping again, for no reason that anyone could find.
About 5 hours later, (we were awake by now, at least) while trying to figure out a network issue, it suddenly stopped working. No beeping, no nothing....just the keyboard and mouse became completely unavailable to either PC.
While trying to fix that, it started with the beeping again. My husband REMOVED THE POWER CABLE......and it still kept beeping.
I have to say, this has been the most disastrous piece of equipment we have every purchases for any of our PCs. And we're not alone. Do an internet search on this device, and you'll see that the vast majority of people who have attempted to use this device have discovered it's been a massive waste of money.
Unreliable, no support for repeating keys.......2004-10-01
Four points:
First, the setup for this product is a nightmare. I can only guess as to what the magical sequence of events was that actually caused the thing to eventually be seen by both computers. It was a long frustrating process.
Second, it has no support for repeating keys, meaning you can only hold down a key for about 5 seconds before it stops sending the signal. This may not seem like a big deal, but there are many applications which require you to hold down shift or control. Try ctrl+clicking a number of files for example, or holding down backspace while you erase a bunch of characters in your word processor. Forget using Photoshop® or other graphics applications (trying to add to an existing selection by holding shift, for example, is very frustrating.) Gamers will also find this a huge inconvenience.
Third, whenever we experience a power bump, or sometimes for no reason at all, the thing will start beeping incessantly. The only way to get it to stop is to pull its power, which is no small task for me considering there's a million wires behind my desk where this thing sits.
Fourth, tech support is a joke. I called about my second point, and although I find evidence on the web of people having this problem all over the place, they seem to have no idea about it. The tech support rep thought for a few minutes, then put me on hold for several minutes, then came back and said he didn't know, he'll email me some information if he ever finds anything out about it. By the way, there is a firware upgrade, but it doesn't address the repeating keys issue, and it turns your left ctrl key into a hotkey for the switch...why, I have no idea. The left ctrl key is one of the most commonly used keys.
Sorry I don't have a good alternative to offer (someone previously mentioned IOGear, but I can't speak to that), but I would strongly discourage this product.
Terrible product -- terrible support.......2004-09-14
Do not waste your time with this product. This product do not do justice to Belkin's reputation for good products. The build quality is great... but that's about it. Keys stick, Mac keyboard support is very limited even after updates to the firmware. Even with the most expensive cables from Belkin itself I experienced video gosting. The solution given to me by support folks was to lower the refresh rate and the resolution I'm using on my monitor!.. on a 21 inch monitor do you really want 800 x 600?
Try the IO Gear solution instead, that's what I'm using now and have been using for about a year now. The only one thing that the Belkin KVM did that the IO gear does not do is automatically switch not just the keyboard and mouse but the other USB ports. You have to switch those via the key strokes and the on-screen menu. But the ghosting is not so prominent and at least things are not buggy.
Hope this helps.
DO NOT BUY!.......2004-02-28
I've never been so disappointed by a product. This unit has more bugs than the amazon (the rainforest, not this site). After 5 seconds it resets the signal from the keyboard input. So, say you're playing a game or scanning through a video, every 5 seconds you have to re-press the key. It also gets confused when switching back and forth between Mac and PC, making the all-important function key, alt key and control key unresponive or completely dead on the Mac. Supposedly you can update the bios to fix this (using a proprietary cable that you have to plug into the antiquated parallel port), but when i attempted it, it killed the switch completely. Belkin tech support's answer to the death of my $90 investment was "replace the unit". I know there aren't a whole lot of other options, but ANYTHING is better than this.
Mac compatability availble, only if you have a PC.......2004-01-07
Just bought one of these so I could use 2 Macs at my desk and control them from one keyboard/mouse. One of the reasons I bought this prudoct is because the box said it's Mac compatible, it's not a complete lie, but your in for some work if you're trying to use it with 2 Macs. I bought this on a friday and came in on the weekend to install it, all that fun work of crawling around under the desk connecting a bunch of cables etc.
It's now Tues. (I wasn't in the office on Mon.) and everything was acting weird. As I was typing I would suddenly be stuck in Caps Lock mode when I hadn't hit the Caps Lock Key. Numbers would appear as I typed and reapeat across the screen and I hadn't typed any numbers either. And volume and eject keys did not work at all. After some experimentation I found that the right shift key was acting like a Caps Lock Key and the arrow keys were producing numbers when I used them, sometimes repeating numbers until I diconnected the keyboard (disconnecting the keyboard produces a nasty beeping noise from the KVM box that my boss can hear across the office with his door shut.)
Off to the website, the FAQ has one question, it's not mine. In all fairness the firmware update I need is on the website but it's only AFTER I call tech support and ask to talk to a supervisor that I realize it's what I need. The description of the software update is so poorly worded that it is impossible to determine that it is the solution to my problem. When I do call Tech support (one hour wait, not an 800#, longdistance call) I am told that this doesn't support the Mac special function keys (volume, eject.) I bought my Mac in 2001 and I remember seeing these keys on macs sometime in 2000. As near as I can tell this product was released in 2002. When I talked to a supervisor at Belkin they were trying to claim it was after mac changed there keyboard layouts that they started getting these complaints. It's been 3 years with this keyboard, thats a really lame excuse when your box says you're mac compatable and the copyright dates on the box and literature say 2002.
In order for this product to work with a mac keyboard I have to connect the keyboard to one of the other USB ports. But as I mentioned earlier, not having a keyboard connected to the keyboard port of the KVM produces an earsplitting beeping noise. To get rid of this noise you can either connect another keyboard to the keyboard port completly negating the reason for buying this in the first place. Or I can upgrade the firmware so the stupid thing doesn't beep when there is nothing connected to the keybord port. You can ONLY preform the firmware update that will make it work correctly on a mac by disconnecting the KVM and connecting it to a PC. Let me repeat that, you need to have a PC to preform an upgrade so it will KINDA work on a Mac.
Product Description
The F1DS102T OmniView SOHO Series 2-Port KVM Switch from Belkin is the simple solution that lets you control two computers, whether USB or PS/2-enabled, with one keyboard, monitor, and mouse. This switch reduces desktop clutter and prevents you from wasting money on redundant accessories, not to mention looking sharp in its own right 10-second AutoScan function Keyboard and PS/2 emulations for error-free boot-up Flash firmware upgrade support PC99 color-coded connectors for matching cables to appropriate ports quickly and easily LED indicators Limited 2-Year Warranty Free Technical Support NOTE - CABLES NOT INCLUDED - See recommended items sidebar
Customer Reviews:
Absolute Garbage.......2007-06-07
Even putting aside the fact that it's ridiculously overpriced and doesn't come with the required cables (which you get to furnish yourself at extra cost), it is unusably slow.
When switching between inputs, the video input switches after only a second, but it takes, on average, OVER TEN SECONDS before you can use the keyboard or mouse. Yes, 10 seconds of sitting there wiggling the mouse in frustration before the switch will actually let you use it.
Without exaggeration, this is the single worst piece of hardware I have ever bought or used. Avoid at all costs
Might work, might not.......2006-02-05
I had an older version of this (1.0) which worked just fine to switch between a Mac (USB) and a PC (PS/2). I got a second one which was 1.1. I've never been able to get the 1.1 unit to work reliably on a PS/2 system, although the USB system seems okay. The mouse becomes very erratic after switching with no way to recover other than a reboot. Working with Belkin technical support, I heard that they'd changed a IC in the 1.1 version which caused the behavior differences. After the usual grasping at straws (change mouse, change mouse drivers, etc.), they admitted that they couldn't get it to work for me. Their only suggestion was that I should change my computer to use USB. Well, if you have two USB-only computers, I think you can get a cheaper unit.
Works great for me!.......2006-01-06
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!!
Great device!!!.......2005-10-21
In its defense, I have had absolutely no trouble with my Belkin switch. It recognizes everything I have hooked up to it. And best of all, it never glitches on the switchover. I have had switches before that mess up the video and you would have to keep hitting the switch button over and over to get it to switch. Maybe it didn't work with some of the other people's hardware. But that's no reason to call it a piece of junk. It's by far the best switch I have encountered.
Complete garbage of a product.......2005-06-26
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.
Product Description
The OmniView SOHO Series KVM Switch with Audio from Belkin allows you to control two DVI/USB computers from one USB keyboard and mouse, and one DVI monitor. It makes choosing your connected computers easy with convenient switching through either the press of a button or a simple keystroke. Its innovative design offers built-in cable management and creates a sculpted new look for your desktop - while saving you time, space, and money.
Customer Reviews:
Thi suck very badly.......2007-02-19
Im typing this rview through my belkin omniview.I have impcbble spelling, but thfuing thing dropsalmost everkestroke. If you don't mind your writing loking like ths ten go aheadand buy it.
Belkin KVM F1DD102U Worked Well For Me..........2007-02-19
I am surprised by the amount of negative feedback for this KVM? I was using it with my new Mac Pro/ Dell 8400 with no problems. Yes, it needs a wired keyboard. Also, I never noticed missing keystrokes (from my wired keyboard). Yes, it will beep if no wired keyboard is attached. My only problem was when I upgraded to a 24" 1920 x 1200 display, which exceeded the FIDD102Us specs, that some video streaking occured. Because of this I switched to a Gefen EXT-DVIKVM-241 which handles up to 1920 x 1200. Other than this drawback, I really liked the F1DD102Us design and features.
Unreliable, poor online support, expensive, doesn't work........2006-01-04
Shame on you Belkin, why does this product have so many flaws?? Firstly, the missing keystrokes, causing you to send emails with missing characters, meaning you have to spell check everything even if your spelling is perfect. But you still send 'an' instead of 'and'. Arghh
On one of the PCs I am using, on boot up, the keyboard NEVER works. I have to go into the device manager for that PC to uninstall the driver that is not functioning properly, and reinstall it, and if the PC gods are looking down favourably on me, the keyboard starts to work. Otherwise I have to resort to other methods to breath life into the dang thing.
The firmware upgrade, I thought OK, maybe this could solve all my problems, but using a parallel cable, both of my PCs don't have a parallel port! Why not use a USB connection??? Arrgghh.
If you are thinking of buying a 2 port switch box, do what I am going to have to do, look elsewhere.
Poor Video and Audio.......2005-12-12
I purchased this product to share my DVI monitor and Logitech Bluetooth keyboard/mouse between my two main machines - the exact use promoted by the manufacturer. I successfully patched the firmware to eliminate the incessant beeping, but am extremely disappointed with the DVI video at 1600 by 1200 (severe streaking and noise), and the audio is totally unuseable given the severe hum and noise. BTW, I am using Belkin KVM cables.
Don't even THINK about purchasing this unit!
Utter Garbage.......2005-10-26
Warning: This unit has flaws that can render it useless.
My intention was to share my DVI monitor with my USB keyboard and mouse between my PC and Mac. Simple enough, this unit fit the bill according to the specs. However, as soon as I hooked everything up per the directions, the unit started beeping like crazy and would not stop. I had to disconnect all the cabling to get it to stop as everyone in my office ran to my desk to see what the noise was all about. Alright, 20-minutes Googling for support lead me to the conclusion that I needed to perform firmware upgrade. WARNING: DON'T DO IT!
Attempting a firmware upgrade on this unit from XP will most certainly render it a paperweight. There is no fixing the unit after the firmware upgrade fails, and it will under XP. When I tried the update I the utility reported "tramsit error." Note the spelling on the word "transmit" - that is how Belkin spells it in the utility. If they cannot spell correctly in a vital utility such as a firmware upgrader, what chance is there the code is quality? Anyway, that was the kiss of death. The unit was dead and had to be sent back for RMA. Unacceptable!
I would not recommend this product to anyone. It is the WORST.KVM.EVER.
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