KVM / Extender needed… with no lag

Question

I need to extend a PS/2 and Mouse, KB and VGA 220 feet (cat5 in place) to an audio editing console that is in a remote rack in a closet.

Audio from the unit is alredy extended. So thats not a problem.

My currect KVM system (avocent) has just enough lag to make audio editing painfull.

So the requrements are.

• must be over CAT5 (not IP)
• little or no lag (its used for audio editing so needs to be real time / instant repsonce)
• Ps/2 support (USB not needed) and VGA support

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I have one of these Belkin KVM extenders. It runs fine over CAT5 (not IP), I've never experienced any lag on it (however I don't have it on a long run of CAT5). It has both PS/2 and VGA.

There is a adjustment screw on the side that lets you tune the display (i.e. remove the shadow effect).

I'd certainly recommend it, however bear in mind that I never seen any other similar devices in use to be able to compare them.

Answer 2

We've always used Raritan KVMs and we have a couple of their Cat5 extenders:

Cat5 Reach

I've never noticed any lag in anything I've done, but then I've never tested it w/ audio since I'm using it to get to our KVM in the server room from my office.

It's not cheap, though, it looks like it's $300 for each end.