What are Cat5 KVM Switches?

When standard KVM switches are compared to Cat5 KVM switches, the main difference between the two is how target computers are connected. Cat5 KVM switches use Cat5 cabling instead of older-style bulky 3-in-1 coax KVM cables. However, in order to toss those large bulky cables aside, a simple conversion is needed from the target computers? peripheral ports to a Cat5 or RJ-45 connection. This conversion is made possible by an Interface Module or Cat5 KVM switch dongle.


Once a dongle is connected to the computer, a Cat5 cable is linked from the dongle to one RJ-45 computer port on the back of the Cat5 KVM switch. Single-user Cat 5 KVM switches allow the local user to plug directly into the Cat5 KVM switch with a standard keyboard, mouse, and monitor.


KVM over IP switches also utilize Cat5 dongles to connect the servers/devices to the switch, but can be accessed in-band over the network infrastructure. Depending on the KVM over IP solution, access on the remote end will require client software or an internet browser session.