My "older" BT Apple Keyboard continually connects and disconnects.

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Level 1

49 points

My "older" BT Apple Keyboard continually connects and disconnects.

I know there a quite a few answers on this. However, I have determined it's not the keyboard but the MacBook itself. I know this because I bought a new keyboard thinking that was the problem. It worked great for about a week. In fact, if I have been traveling and come back to my office, I use the keyboard successfully for about two plus hours. Then, almost exponentially it gets worse and worse, like about every ten seconds.

I have new batteries, deleted and uploaded again, turned the MacBook on and off. Again, I feel positive it's the Mac and not the keyboard.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

MacBook Air 11″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Aug 23, 2021 10:14 AM

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Answer 1

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Tesserax

Level 10

148,595 points

Aug 27, 2021 8:25 AM in response to Tom Perkins1

Well, then the next area to look at is the notebook itself ... as you suspected.

I would try the following:

Reset the notebook's SMC. You posted in the MacBook area, but your tagline shows that you have a MacBook Air. Which exact model is it? Also, if it is a MBA, is it a M1 or Intel model. How you reset the SMC will be different. Ref: How to reset the SMC on your Mac - Apple Support. If that doesn't help, then try the next item.
Create a new user account. Log out of your current account, and then, log back in with the new account. See if this resolves the keyboard disconnects. Ref: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - OWC. If that doesn't help, go on to the next item.
Boot up your notebook in Safe Mode. Ref: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support

If none of these help, then your last step would be to contact Apple Support directly. To do so, simply select the "Get Support" link in the upper right-hand side of this forum's web page. Good luck!

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Answer 2

Tesserax

Level 10

148,595 points

Aug 23, 2021 10:56 AM in response to Tom Perkins1

It may be possible that the issue is interference in the nearby area that is preventing a solid connection between the BT keyboard and built-in BT on your notebook.

For example, BT operates in the same radio band as 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. Is your notebook situated near a wireless router? Have you tried resetting your notebook's NVRAM?

Ref: Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Tom Perkins1 Author

Level 1

49 points

Sep 14, 2021 4:38 AM in response to Tesserax

Pardon the delay in responding. I was "experimenting". I think I FINALLY figured out what was happening. The second keyboard I purchased was used. As stated, it too did the same "burping" with the keys off and on. Last week on a hunch I bought a generic Apple keyboard. It worked! However, I waited a week before giving the victory sign. So, I'm thinking I got two bad old Bluetooth Apple keyboards or maybe the last upgrade (Big Sur) has a bug in it that no longer syncs those keyboards.

Thank you for your help in walking through this problem. I was worried that my old MacBook Air was dying.

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Answer 4

Tom Perkins1 Author

Level 1

49 points

Aug 27, 2021 5:40 AM in response to Tesserax

THANK YOU for your quick response. I did, indeed, follow your link but no change. Now i have two keyboards. (-:

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My "older" BT Apple Keyboard continually connects and disconnects.

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