KVMs provide access to multiple PCs or devices through a single dedicated monitor, keyboard and mouse. With many homes now owning several computers, and with more multimedia content stored on numerous devices, KVMs are becoming an increasingly common piece of an integrator’s offerings. “Do not underestimate how much money resellers can make selling KVMs,” says George Karyotakis, CEO of Home/Office Digital Tech Solutions, Little Neck, N.Y. “The margins on these products are generally still quite high.”

Integrators and vendors peg the average margin on KVMs between 15 percent and 30 percent, and note the add-on opportunity for sales of displays, networking equipment, storage devices and peripherals that yield extra margin.

KVMs can serve a wide variety of purposes in the home. In the past, while many homes would discard obsolete PCs, many are now saving them to run applications that require low computing capability, such as word processors or spreadsheet software, or because they contain applications and games that are no longer commercially available. Consumers are also storing financial or other sensitive information on older computers and isolating them from the home network or Internet connection to secure the data. In addition, many homes are now using PCs or other devices to archive multimedia content, such as MP3 files, digital photographs and DVD movies and store backup files or other personal data. IDC predicts that by 2006, the KVM market should grow to $925 million, up from about $725 million this year.

Digital Connect Lab engineers reviewed KVMs from four vendors that serve a variety of needs in the home. The SwitchView USB four-port ($170) switch with audio from Avocent uses USB ports to allow end users to easily switch between as many as four PCs, share access to a connected printer, scanner, CD-ROM drive, digital camera, PDA or other USB device. Users can even share speakers.

The MiniView Extreme Multimedia KVMP switch ($129) from IOGEAR enables a user to operate both a Mac and a PC simultaneously, even sharing multimedia audio files and peripherals between the computers.

One of the common problems whenever multiple PCs or devices are used in a home is the unsightly overabundance of cables. Belkin’s OmniView SOHO Series four-port KVM switch with audio has a small footprint and a cable management shroud that neatly streams cables through the back of the unit. Belkin’s line of SOHO KVM switches include support for audio devices and are flash upgradable.