Gefen's DVI3000HD KVM extender with six-mile range

A lot of people like/need to do their computing away from the actual computer, and for most applications up to several hundred feet, a regular old wired or wireless KVM extender will do, but if for some reason you'd like to situate your machine up to six-and-a-quarter miles away, only the DVI3000HD from Gefen is up to the task. This new 1,280 x 1,024-capable extender uses single mode fiber optic cables to connect a transmitter situated by your PC to a receiver box located next to your workspace, and sports USB 1.1, DVI, and RS-232C ports for breaking the signal out to your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and/or serial devices. As you might expect, super-long-distance computing like this doesn't come cheap, so both boxes and the included cables -- available now for pre-order -- will set you back a cool two grand.

[Pancake @ Jun 9th 2006 12:11PM]

Call me when they get it up to 1920

[Craig @ Jun 9th 2006 12:15PM]

I can see this selling like hotcakes, now everyone can run two computers 6 miles apart. Although it is almost certainly only for like trade shows...

[OnA Pest @ Jun 9th 2006 12:18PM]

I wonder what your local authorities would say as your digging a trench 6 miles between your house and your ...monitor mouse and keyboard(whereever they may be)... to hide your fiber optic cable?

[blah @ Jun 9th 2006 12:26PM]

OnA Pest: They *might* say, "Dag gum! Now *that's* ambition!" /rimshot

[chris @ Jun 9th 2006 12:46PM]

I doubt very few installs will actualy reach 6 miles, but if you need to go beyond the "few hundred feet" copper gets you, you don't have much choice. And why bother with some new special copper tech to get another 100 ft or so, going fibre make so much more sence

[schmod @ Jun 9th 2006 12:56PM]

If you can afford to run 6 miles of fiber, you can afford $2000 as if it were pocket change.

On the other hand, one would have to wonder if it would be a better idea to do this via IP. Using a dedicated fiber line for a KVM seems like blatant overkill to me.

[mathew @ Jun 9th 2006 1:20PM]

"Please insert your Windows XP CD."

"%*&%^!"

[John @ Jun 9th 2006 2:34PM]

This isn't really all that new. When I was working at NASA back in the late 90's we used remote KVM's very similar to this that worked over either single or multi-mode fiber. It didn't have USB or DVI, but hell... they didn't really exist back then.

We used them to remote SGI challenge and onyx boxes to peoples' desktops for doing CAD and visualization work. For some reason, they didn't like having dishwasher or refrigerator sized boxes next to their desks.

[aws910 @ Jun 9th 2006 2:43PM]

Any setup that would require this must be either excessively cool, or excessively retarded. I'm thinking the latter.

[Sam @ Jun 9th 2006 2:57PM]

Here it is for less than the $2k mark.
http://sewelldirect.com/gefen-ultra-kvm-extender-dvi3000.asp

They also have ultramatrix KVM's that work over IP.

I'm not sure I can imagine a scenario in which this would be absolutely necessary (at least not for 6 miles) - but I could see it useful for anything over a few hundred feet (like another poster said).

The thing that gets me is that on Gefen's product site they say it is god to be used to seperate you from your noisy PC. If you're going to pay $2k for a KVM why not just buy a new, quiet computer? And what kind of computer is so loud you need to be six miles away anyhow?

[Matt @ Jun 9th 2006 7:19PM]

What would this be used for? Why would anyone chose this over the 1640ft version? For $2000, buy a laptop and remote into it. That would work for normal applications, but not video or games.

[GhostDoggy @ Jun 10th 2006 9:35AM]

Um, the physical transport is SMF so why is it SO limited in bandwidth that it only supports SXGA resolution? In my job, I routinely stretch SMF over miles for 10GigE bandwidths, and even in ATM we are talking OC192 as yesterday's news. I guess those transceivers are cheap (and slow).