Rose Electronics

CrystalView CAT5 Mini 

What is a KVM Extender?

A PC is (by definition) of course a Personal Computer, so it is designed and built assuming that you will sit in front of it when you use it.  PC video signals are optimized for a typical cable length of about 1.5 metres, and, although you can buy long video extension cables, you will find that the image fades and becomes increasingly shaky and blurred with cable length.  Keyboards and mice using the older PS/2 standard can sometimes be extended to 10 metres, but at other times you will find  they don’t work with even a two metre extension. USB is an extremely difficult interface to extend, it simply does not work at any cable length beyond 5 metres.

KVM Extenders take the outputs from a PC – the Keyboard, Video and Mouse signals as well as (optionally) USB, Audio and serial ports - into a local sender device which encodes the signals into a format which can be passed down a suitable connection medium (normally a cat5 UTP cable or possibly a fibre optic cable).

At the far end of the link the UTP or fibre cable is connected to a remote or receiver unit which decodes the signals and presents them as native connectors. The effect is that your PC now speaks to a little box, which speaks to another little box some distance away, in another room. You connect your Keyboard, Video monitor and Mouse (along with USB, audio etc. if required) to the remote receiver and use the computer as if you were sitting there in front of it.

In practical terms, apart from the fact that a KVM extender works reliably (whereas randomly extended cables  typically will not), you will only have one cable to run between the PC and the KVM rather than many, so the cabling job is easy and tidy.

Why would I use a KVM Extender?

There are many reasons why you might want to situate a CPU (central processer unit – the base part of a PC) some distance from the User peripherals. These are just some of them.

A PC is noisy and generates heat, so if you want to use it in a quiet environment such as a small office or a bedroom, an extender allows you to do so without having to put up with the background noise of whirring discs and fans.

A PC is valuable and has sensitive data on it.  If you lock the PC away and have only the KVM accessible, you protect your investment and your data.

A PC is a sensitive machine.  If you work in a dirty, cold, wet environment, but need to access a PC, it makes sense to site the CPU in a clean environment where you can expect it to function correctly, whilst accessing it from where you need to.

A PC is quite bulky and takes space on or under a desk.  KVM extenders are routinely used in situations such as bank counters, where PC access is required but there is no room for a complete PC.

Basic KVM extenders from Rose Electronics Ltd. include:

• CrystalView cat5 Mini

CrystalView is the well known name of a KVM extender family marketed by Rose Electronics, USA.

The CrystalView cat5 Mini KVM Extender allows you to position a CPU up to 150 feet away from the KVM station using common twisted pair CAT5 cable.

This is a good and economical solution to KVM Extension where signal quality loss over long cable lengths is not an issue.

Access to your computers is made convenient in a variety of situations. You can locate users away from hazardous industrial environments; locate CPUs away from areas vulnerable to theft of hardware and data; reduce noise and heat; increase desk and floor space.

The CrystalView Cat5 Mini extender is available with either PS/2 or USB ports for User access.

The dual access versions provide for a second KVM station at the local unit giving access to the CPU from either the local or remote unit.

   Download the CrystalView cat5 Mini datasheet