castelletta
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Poor Bluetooth reception and jerky mouse

I want to share my findings upon the poor reception of the internal Bluetooth module on my 2009 Mac Pro. The mouse in particular seems to suffer the most from the low BT signal.

It has to be said that if you succeed to place your Mac Pro in a particular position you can obtain optimal mouse reception. It seems that the field covered by BT signal is very irregular (due to the aluminum case?) and I think also altered by other metal objects that can exist on your desk (or inside/under you desk and his structure).

This can explain why some users tell of fantastic BT reception with their Mac Pro and others (majority) complain about awful Magic Mouse tracking.

In my situation I've been forced to plug-in a D-LINK DBT-120 dongle. It performs very well and maintain always connection with mouse and keyboard upon restart......unfortunately the same peripherals can't awake my Mac Pro during the sleep mode. A little uncomfortable (because you have to press the power button) and I thing very strange since this dongle is considered the only BT dongle fully supported from Apple.

I tried other dongles but all seem to lose connection. Some after restart, others after sleep mode.

For sure it's a shame that the most powerful and most expensive machine that Apple is selling right now is so badly performing in the BT compartment and it's more unforgivable since Apple seems to push very much their wireless peripherals.

Ok Apple, it's not easy to grant a powerful BT antenna in the metal case of the Mac Pro? Well please provide or support an external module that fully support all Mac OS functions (key selection on startup, wake on sleep ... etc) and consistently. I don't think it's a science fiction task.

I'm waiting your experimentation in placing your Mac Pro differently.

Please share your experiences....thank you

MacPro 2009 - 8 core, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Nov 12, 2009 8:24 AM

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castelletta

Q: Poor Bluetooth reception and jerky mouse

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  • by Robert Stone2,

    Robert Stone2 Robert Stone2 Aug 4, 2011 7:11 AM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 4, 2011 7:11 AM in response to castelletta

    This totally fixed my problem.  Thanks so very very much.  I have an early 2008 MacPro and have had very poor bluetooth reception since I bought it.  I even dragged the thing into an Apple Store once to have them look at it and they weren't able to do anything.  So I've been stuck with a hard wired keyboard and mouse ever since.  Now it works like a top.  It even recognized my laptop 20 feet away!

  • by Digital Hippo,

    Digital Hippo Digital Hippo Sep 21, 2011 2:15 AM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Sep 21, 2011 2:15 AM in response to castelletta

    Sorry to do the classic forum thing of not reading everyone's replies and then answering - Simple fix for the Mac Pro Quad lousy BT reception follows:

     

    Get any old USB Mac compatible Bluetooth dongle - Available on eBay for pennies. Plug it in. Nothing to change - no settings, it just seems to use it as the default receiver straight away.

     

    Things that were messing around, the Handyscanner, Blackberry, Apple Keyboard all work once and for all and don't lose reception every five minutes. Incidentally My Mac Pro is under my wooden desk, and the BT aerial can be no more than 60cms away from the keyboard.

     

    Shouldn't have to do it should we - The original G5 Bluetooth antenna was external so was the Wi-Fi (Why change that eh?) But life's too short to put up with jerky mice and disconnecting keyboards. Do yourself a favour, and Apple, do 'yourself' a favour and send out BT dongles to everyone who purchased a MacPro and has this problem. It's not a secret, it's one of those really rare moments of bad design, and a lack of insight that antenna shielded by metal don't work that well. As we all know/knew.

     

    I really like the bloke who took his Mac apart, broke it, and then reported it as a fix with 'how to break your Mac and void your guarantee' photo journal. A real pioneer.

  • by kdjc95,

    kdjc95 kdjc95 Oct 4, 2011 12:55 PM in response to Digital Hippo
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 4, 2011 12:55 PM in response to Digital Hippo

    that is good idea, a cheep dongle is easy enough.

    my 2010 mac pro is the same,

    hey Apple, I know you scan these posts,

  • by kdjc95,

    kdjc95 kdjc95 Oct 4, 2011 12:58 PM in response to John Birchfield
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 4, 2011 12:58 PM in response to John Birchfield

    JB, thanks for that 'nobelyknole' link,

    that really goes into informative detail, and gives 3 solid fixes too.

     

    Bad Apple, Bad.  fix the bluetooth -- free of charge.

  • by tslr,

    tslr tslr Oct 25, 2011 8:32 PM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2011 8:32 PM in response to castelletta

    Mac Pro 4.1 2009 4 core

     

    When I first stated using my new mac pro my blue tooth reception worked great.  I am a recording engineer and the MPro in an isorack which is behind a wall 6 to 7 feet from my track pad.  I could also take the track pad into my main tracking room which is 12 to 14 feet away behind another wall with no problems using the track pad and wireless keyboard. 

     

    It worked great until this summer 2011.  It seemed like after I did a Java update/around 10.6.8 my reception went away completely in my tracking room and was constantly losing contact at my desk.

     

    I searched the net and found many people haveing problems.

     

    I still thought it might be sofware OS related until today,

     

    I bought the ebay antenna and cable that Nobelyknole recommended.  I was putting the antenna on when I realized the mount was spinning and I snapped the cable.  I was dissappointed.  I tried to resoldring but you realy can;t do it with out a new end. 

     

    After much cursing, I put the old blue tooth connector back on for now and put the Mac back inside the iso case in the other room.

     

    My reception is back like it was when I got the mac Pro which is great.

     

    I did clean a couple years of dust.  I did add a new drive into the last bay while I was doing the antenna modificatiion.

     

    Figure that one out.

     

    I'll post back if my reception goes away again.

  • by denise CLARK,

    denise CLARK denise CLARK Oct 26, 2011 11:40 AM in response to X423424X
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Audio
    Oct 26, 2011 11:40 AM in response to X423424X

    Yep me to, very dissappointed in apple!

  • by denise CLARK,

    denise CLARK denise CLARK Oct 26, 2011 11:51 AM in response to mkdehaan
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Audio
    Oct 26, 2011 11:51 AM in response to mkdehaan

    Hi there, i'm interested in trying your fix for the blue tooth problem . are you in the UK? i think where you are will make a difference to the router setting number. thanks!

  • by violet_13,

    violet_13 violet_13 Dec 7, 2011 9:45 PM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 7, 2011 9:45 PM in response to castelletta

    This fixed it for me on a 2007 Mac Pro 1,1.

  • by Mark Hollingsworth,

    Mark Hollingsworth Mark Hollingsworth Dec 17, 2011 10:05 AM in response to violet_13
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 17, 2011 10:05 AM in response to violet_13

    Apple replaced the Bluetooth module, then the case. Still wouldnt work. I measured the signal strength, it ws very poor.

    Turning the case sideways solved it. Not as convenient, but next they wanted me to take it to an Apple store, which is some 100 miles and a ferry ride away.

     

    I sort of gave up.

  • by cuz789lol,

    cuz789lol cuz789lol Dec 17, 2011 10:42 AM in response to Mark Hollingsworth
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 17, 2011 10:42 AM in response to Mark Hollingsworth

    Yea... Gave up too. Bought a $13 bluetooth dongle and attached it to my Cinema Display... Shouldn't have had to for a $5000 machine in my opinion but it was getting to be more trouble than it was worth.

  • by Holger_S,

    Holger_S Holger_S Jan 20, 2012 6:39 AM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 20, 2012 6:39 AM in response to castelletta

    Hello all,

     

    any news on this topic?

     

    Or does we accept that Apple sold us non working BT in Mac Pros as usual?

     

    Sad, sad ... It is a blame.

     

    But ok - it is time to buy my next desktop in 2013 and than I will not spent money to Apple desktops, if this is not fixed.

     

    Holger_S

     

    I am not interessted in content, I am interested in a working machine without bugs.

  • by HeartsHaven,

    HeartsHaven HeartsHaven Jan 23, 2012 5:03 PM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 23, 2012 5:03 PM in response to castelletta

    Apple should be listening with some solution by now... blah blah blah... we are all dealing with the same Apple Mac Pro bluetooth issue and i know i am not crazy... well at least about the bluetooth in my Mac Pro 1.1 since i got my MagikTouchPad... had the wireless keyboard but prefer my wired anywayz so not until the MTP did i notice the FLAW of design... EMPATHY to ALL of us dealing with this issue...

     

    i have been following this thread for about four months and i decided to purchase a Cirago BTA-6210 v2.1... worked for about a week and then it just went away after a reboot... have not been able to get it back yet... calls to Cirago have not been answered yet (two so far - on a friday and today) maybe because of The Water Dragon Chinese New Year... but they are local in Sunnyvale California (60 miles away) so i can wait... i will add to this after i speak to them...

     

    so today i decided to turn my box sideways and all is fine... it is a pain in the a$$ having to move the box and change all the connections with limited space... Apple should be ashamed that the top of the line has to be turned sideways for the bluetooth to work... "Hey thanks for buying a Porche but you have to drive it in reverse. You'll get there but just not how you expected. Extended Warranty?"

     

    "Holger_S" nailed it...

    "I am not interessted in content, I am interested in a working machine without bugs."

     

    Apple, do you care anymore? since 2006 you knew and almost 6 years later, still no help or fix...

    SHAME ON YOU! i wanted my next desktop to be a Mac Pro... hmmm... FIX IT FIRST!

    exhaling...

  • by Graham Bailey,

    Graham Bailey Graham Bailey Jan 26, 2012 2:50 PM in response to HeartsHaven
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 26, 2012 2:50 PM in response to HeartsHaven

    I gave up too - I have a magic mouse, trackpad and bt keyboard gathering dust - went back to and still using original wired kb and (useless) wired mouse that I regularly whack on the desk because it stops scrolling (there is a fix on utube where you turn it upside down and really roughly rub the scroll button on desk or??? )

     

    - I really like apple products - but now Steve is gone, my brand "loyalty" has gone too unless they FIX the **** issue.

    It's a simple fix too -

     

    Apple - you did it with the G5.

    How much will it cost you if you don't?

    Do you care? "Applecare"

  • by Graham Bailey,

    Graham Bailey Graham Bailey Jan 26, 2012 2:53 PM in response to Graham Bailey
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 26, 2012 2:53 PM in response to Graham Bailey

    I never new d.a.m.n was a curse word!! (the 4 **** above)

  • by ejb5oh,

    ejb5oh ejb5oh Feb 7, 2012 5:00 PM in response to castelletta
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 7, 2012 5:00 PM in response to castelletta

    Same issue here apple.  Jerky mouse.  Very frustrating.  I just bought my macbook last friday.  Pretty expensive machine to have to deal with a stupid issue.  I hope you fix it, as I still can return my computer.

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