Mac USB & FireWire
Review: MoniSwitchUSB
Dan Knight - 1999.12.08
I've been using a different mouse and keyboard this week. I didn't have to, but I wanted the full USB experience.
I've been using the old ADB version of the MoniSwitch at work and at home for about a year. All my computers at home use ADB, and most use Apple's 15-pin video port.
But at work, it's a different story. There I have a couple of
Blue G3s in my cubicle: my work machine
and the company backup server. Both have an ADB port, so I've continued
using the MicroSpeed keyboard and
Kensington Mouse I know
and love. I had to use video adapters, and that prevented me from using
the 1280 x 1024 setting on my Sony Multiscan 500PS monitor.
When Eric Prentice of Dr. Bott LLC approached me about reviewing the MoniSwitchUSB, I jumped at the opportunity.
The MoniSwitch is known as a KVM switch, since it connects a single keyboard, video device (monitor), and mouse to multiple computers. Eric was kind enough to include a Griffin iMate adapter, giving me the option of using my familiar mouse and keyboard with the MoniSwitch.
I tried that at first, proved that it worked, then replaced them with a Macally iKey and the original round Apple mouse that came with the G3. The iKey is a decent keyboard, but that mouse is another story. Smooth movement, large mouse, but just the wrong shape.
But back to the MoniSwitchUSB, which is far more attractive than the old version.
The original MoniSwitch was beige (not even Apple platinum) with blue printing and a black knob. It's about 8" wide and 2.5" high. The connectors on the rear are at an angle, and there was a tendency for the ADB cables to come loose when you moved the switchbox. (I solved that by slightly crimping the MoniSwitch end of each ADB cable.)
MoniSwitchUSB is an attractive silver box with black printing. It has LEDs to let you know it's active and which computer is selected. It's about 2.75" wide and 6" tall. The video inputs use the standard Apple 15-pin connector, so it should be easy to connect legacy Macs. And for compatibility with today's Macs, the MoniSwitch comes with four 6' VGA-to-Mac video cables. This lets you connect it not only to Macs, but also to PCs. (Dr. Bott can supply Apple DB-15 to DB-15 cables, too. Since I'm using Blue G3s, the VGA to DB-15 cables are what I need.)
The USB cables are also 6' long, so the MoniSwitch needn't be placed too close to your computer. This can be very helpful if you have a cluster of machines or tower computers sitting on the floor.
Output includes both Mac and VGA ports. There is a single USB port for connecting your keyboard, mouse, or other USB accessory.
The MoniSwitch draws its power from the host computer, so there is no power supply to plug into the wall. It simply passes power to your USB hardware - thus, it may be necessary to buy a powered USB hub if you wanted to have more than a mouse and keyboard connected to the MoniSwitchUSB. Documentation specifically recommends the Macally iHub7 as "the only USB hub known to us that passes on the power on signal from the USB keyboard to the attached computer."
Functionally, the biggest differences between the old ADB version and the MoniSwitchUSB seems to be a delay of several seconds while the computer polls and mounts the USB devices, along with support for some resolutions I couldn't use with the ADB MoniSwitch and various Mac-VGA adapters. (Hint: if you have the clock in the menu bar showing seconds or flashing the time separators, that will stop updating while your computer polls and mounts the USB devices. It will resume flashing or displaying seconds when the devices are mounted.)
The MoniSwitchUSB is available in two- and four-computer versions, at US$139 and $199, respectively. Each version includes any cables necessary to connect it. An optional PCI Mac Kit ($40 extra) includes a PCI USB card and a Mac-video-to-VGA cable - it's an inexpensive way to add USB to PCI Macs that don't already have it.
Dr. Bott LLC also sells Mac video cables and USB-to-ADB adapters, which can be used to connect even older Macs to the MoniSwitchUSB.
After spending several days with the MoniSwitchUSB while testing
some non-Mac USB keyboards, the only improvement I could suggest would
be putting a power key on the MoniSwitch itself, since PC keyboards
tend to lack the key required to power up a Macintosh.
12/21/99: Dr. Bott LLC has announced a new MoniSwitchADB which has the same styling as the MoniSwitchUSB.
Manufacturers and distributors: Interested in having your product reviewed? Please read our review policy.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Dynamac, introduced 1987.02. This AC-only portable has a backlit electroluminescent screen.
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content
- Does iOS Doom the Mac?, Apple Again #1 Smartphone Vendor, Massive 16 iPad Charger, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.03. Also Sleipnir browser lets you share links locally, iPro brings Schneider lenses to iPhone 4, and more.
- Time to End 13" MacBook Pro?, Refurb MacBook Air from $699, Enable TRIM in OS X, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.03. Also Auro Pro Express SSD upgrades for 2010/11 MacBook Air, Sleipnir browser syncs bookmarks with iOS, Prey laptop recovery tool, and more.
- Apple Refurbs a Great Deal, iOSificiation a Fundamental Shift for Apple, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.03. Also IT workers embracing Apple, battery-free wireless mouse, freeware alternatives to commercial apps, and more.
- Kill Caps Lock, but Leave the Rest of My Keyboard Alone (Mostly), Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2012.02.03. It's too easy to hit Caps Lock by accident, but why change a keyboard layout that billions of users are comfortable with?
- 25 Years of AppleShare Networking, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.02. Macs have always had built-in networking, but Apple didn't have server software for Macs until 1987.
- Disk Expert Helps You Find and Delete or Archive Your Biggest Files, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 2012.02.02. If your hard drive, flash drive, or SSD is filling up, Disk Expert can help pinpoint the biggest files, which you may be able to delete or archive.
- Tiger or Leopard for PowerPC Macs? Does It Matter Anymore?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2012.01.31. Does it really matter whether you run OS X 10.4 Tiger or 10.5 Leopard on your increasingly left-behind PowerPC Macs?
- MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro, Looking for a Vertical MacBook Stand, and SE/30 Internet Tips, Charles W. Moore, Charles Moore's Mailbag, 2012.01.31. Whether a MacBook Air makes as much sense as a MacBook Pro, finding a vertical stand for a MacBook, and tips for getting an SE/30 on the Internet.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 Deals
- Best MacBook Deals
- Best Time Capsule Deals
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

