LG N1941W Network Monitor

With the cloud looming overhead and companies turning toward “green” technologies, desktop virtualisation is becoming a hot topic once again. In June’s issue we checked out the U170 and L230 thin clients from NComputing – simple USB and Ethernet devices that can provide multi-user access to an off-the-shelf PC.

LG Electronics has built on NComputing’s thin-client technology, incorporating the access device into a compact 18.5-inch widescreen monitor.

The LG N1941W ships bundled with an NComputing X550 PCI Card and the corresponding vSpace virtualisation software, to be installed on the PC you’ll be using as a server. One card provides ports for five Network Monitors, which connect via standard Ethernet cables. Be warned however, it’s not actually Ethernet.

You can’t connect the setup to your switch, router or network card. Don’t think you can slap in a couple of Wi-Fi access points and suddenly have wireless thin clients. However, it does mean you can capitalise on existing patch and in-wall cabling.

Using the setup we tested, a single PC can serve up to 10 Network Monitors. This requires two X550 PCI cards and a powerful enough machine to support ten simultaneous users (eleven, if you have someone working on the “server”). If everyone is just browsing the web, using Office applications or stuck behind your company’s ERP or CMS, that’s really not going to be much of an issue. Get ten people trying to watch YouTube clips at 720p, and you might have a problem.