ATEN KE6940 DVI KVM over IP Extender Review

Today Tyler tells us all about ATEN's KE6940, a DVI KVM over IP extender - or another way of saying a really high-end network controlled KVM device.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: ATEN
2 minutes & 59 seconds read time
TweakTown's Rating: 87%
TweakTown award

The Bottom Line

ATEN's KE6940 is one of the top KVM over IP solutions I have used. Configuration is rather simple, and the seamless integration of the OSD makes this a joy to use. The price may scare some away, though.
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ATEN is a well-known vendor in the corporate and residential markets delivering connectivity and management solutions. With that said, ATEN is a market leader in over IP KVM solutions, and as such, has recently released the dual DVI solution, the KE6940.

The KE6940 is IP based KVM extender allowing access to your PC from a remote console. The KE6940 supports dual displays with DVI connectivity and resolution support up to 1920x1080 at a color depth of 24-bit. The KE6940 includes a few unique features, including the ability to be rack mounted with the included hardware, along with built-in AES 128-bit encryption and 15KV ESD protection.

MSRP of the ATEN KE6940 KVM over IP is set at $2179.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Scope of delivery for the KE6940 includes a full line-up of accessories. As you can see above, we have two sets of DVI cables, along with two power adapters. To the right, we have the reading materials, and at the top is each of the modules.

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We first take a look at the receiver modules or KE6940R. On the front of the unit, we have several LEDs to denote everything from power to LAN and remote or local access. Towards the bottom of the unit, we have buttons for graphics and video modes, along with the OSD for configuring the KVM.

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The rear of the receiver houses all the connections for the user end. Here we have, from left to right, the power input, along with an additional ground. Moving on, we have the audio jacks and three USB ports, in addition to the gigabit LAN port and dual DVI connections.

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Moving over to the transmitter, we have quite a few connections here as well. These include dual DVI, USB and audio at the top right.

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The rear of the transmitter allows for users to connect their keyboard, mouse and monitor at the PC if needed. Here we have the same connections found on the receiver above.

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After setting up the KVM, we headed into the OSD to get an idea of what options were available. The network menu allows you to configure the IP address to your liking.

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Over on the properties tab, you can switch between extender and matrix mode, along with configuring settings for the RS232 port. Over to the right, we have the IP address setup for the transmitter for each device.

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The system menu allows you to default the unit to factory settings if needed, along with changing the name and description of the unit.

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Moving over to the transmitter, we have options to enable multicast, along with language and OS settings. You can also setup the EDID for your monitors, if needed. At the bottom of this menu, we have display options, which we have set to 24-bit DVI-D with unlimited bandwidth. The rest of the menus follow what we found with the receiver.

The ATEN KE6940 is one of the most unique KVM solutions I have used myself. After unpacking and separating all the cables, it's fairly easy to think setup might be a bit complicated, but once I started setting it up, everything fell into place quite seamlessly.

To test this setup and how well it works, I pulled the secondary machine from my wife's office and replaced it with the ATEN receiver, reconnecting her monitor, keyboard and mouse, while she was away at work. Now her computer is typically under her desk tucked away where you can't see it, so she had no way of knowing I switched systems out. To tell you the truth, I figured she would come home and wonder why her PC was slow and lagging, but to my surprise, she had no clue her system was no longer under her desk until I showed her the small blue ATEN box.

Overall, after using this setup for a few weeks myself, I did notice a few hiccups in communication, but nothing that was ever terrible. In fact, my wife was able to game over this setup with no issue. Not that this setup is made for gaming, but it does offer quite a solid and seamless experience.

ATEN KE6940 DVI KVM over IP Extender Review 100
TweakTown award
Performance 90%
Quality including Design and Build 90%
General Features 90%
Bundle and Packaging 90%
Value for Money 75%
Overall 87%

The Bottom Line: ATEN's KE6940 is one of the top KVM over IP solutions I have used. Configuration is rather simple, and the seamless integration of the OSD makes this a joy to use. The price may scare some away, though.

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

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CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Tyler joined the TweakTown team in 2013 and has since reviewed 100s of new techy items. Growing up in a small farm town, tech wasn't around, unless it was in a tractor. At an early age, Tyler's parents brought home their first PC. Tyler was hooked and learned what it meant to format a HDD, spending many nights reinstalling Windows 95. Tyler's love and enthusiast nature always kept his PC nearby. Eager to get deeper into tech, he started reviewing.

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