Thinklogical have developed a fiber optic KVM extension system called the VelocityKVM. Velocity seems to come from the fact that the data transfer rate is extremely high, due to the use of fiber optic connections. But what is a KVM extension anyway?

KVM stands for Keyboard-Video-Mouse and has first been attributed to the building of KVM switches. These switches allow users to connect a single triplet of mouse/cable/display and use them to control any computer connected to that switch.

The VelocityKVM isn't exactly a KVM switch, but it's close enough. It can be used to control a computer over a distance of up to 40 KM, which is indeed pretty impressive. It's true that there are hundreds of ways to solve this problem by the use of an Internet connection, but the VelocityKVM provides a more reliable and secure solution.

In order for such a solution to work, the VelocityKVM comes with two devices: a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is used by the person who controls the remote computer, and the transmitter is used on the computer's location. The two devices are linked together using single-mode fiber since, compared to cooper or multi-mode fiber, it provides a more reliable solution when used on long distances. In this case, the limit is placed at 40 kilometers.

Users can connect two DVI-D cables to the VelocityKVM, but because of bandwidth limitations, the maximum resolution of the video signal cannot exceed 1920x1200 pixels. The device also allows keyboard and mouse PS2 connections, along with USB 1.1 devices (USB 2.0 is optional). As you can imagine, most of the bandwidth will be eaten up by the video feed between the transmitter and receivers.

Single-mode fiber is also considered to be the future solution for digital television feeds, since it's extremely reliable over long distances and the available bandwidth can be used for Full HD transmissions.


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