2018 Mac Mini bluetooth and Wi-Fi interference

Jan 21st: “. I have nothing new from my Mac Min 2012 setup to my new 2018 setup.”

April 9th: “...everything worked fine on the mac mini 2014. ...and NO USB-C or USB 3 cords in use when this happens. “

April 14th: “AND, the USB-C hub is also wrapped in foil as well.”

There are contradictions in your updates, nevertheless it does look like your setup is suffering from “peripheral obesity”. The mini ‘18 has 6 USB ports, the use of a hub is mostly unnecessary. The LAN port easily delivers 1 Gbps - no issue.

The point is, when you’re moving from an older Mini, you should spend some time optimizing your configuration. Leave the old for the new wherever possible. Maybe your next update should be a USB inventory (so it can be slimmed down), and also your Router/WiFi setup (if you’re up to it).

Are there LED bulbs nearby? If so try without the LED bulbs burning. I know, it sounds stupid, but sometimes it makes a difference.

The LED issue may be valid, not necessarily that of the actual bulbs but a combination of the bulbs and what they are installed into. Did some checking on frequencies etc and it was noted that the support architecture that supplies and coverts the incoming power can create disruptive frequencies. Is that enough to make Bluetooth flacky? I think that this as well as the fact that the Bluetooth installation in the Mac minis is rather weak contribute to it's off and on failure.

I have this same issue, and it isn't just the Magic Mouse. My Apple wireless keyboard and trackpad all disconnect and reconnect seemingly at random. The problem is more pronounced when the CPU is under heavy load, so I suspect there might be a thermal issue.

Inexcusable, really, to have ZERO functioning inputs at random times. I've found that plugging a charging cable into the keyboard will oftentimes "wake up" all three devices, but it's still a pain, and interrupts my workflow.

Seriously ****** off about this. Macs are supposed to get out of the way so I can work, not make demands on my time and attention like some discount Windows machine.

Unfortunately, that solution didn't hold up longterm. I ditched the apple magic mouse and bought a bluetooth mouse (BlackWeb form Walmart $24.99 in Canada). So far, it hasn't dropped out yet. Had it about two weeks. Hopefully, this is it.

My new MacMini is also having Wi-Fi problems. Very poor Wifi speeds - only 2 Mbps. I put my laptop right next to it and its Wifi speed is 20 Mbps.

Sounds to me like an antenna problem.

Hopefully, apple will own up to it, fix it, and issue a recall on older models.

I would add my two cents as well. Exact same problems here.

HOWEVER... I have nothing new from my Mac Min 2012 setup to my new 2018 setup. All cabled are identical. The ONLY thing I changed was the mac mini itself and its power cord. No devices (hard drives, usb hub, monitor, speakers, etc) were even moved. So since the only thing that changed was the mac, that's the problem. Makes sense to me.

Very disappointed with Apple.

Same issues here (switched from 2011 Mac Mini with no issues to 2018 Core i5).

Because of the pitiful internal storage in the new units I have a 1Tb SSD (Samsung Evo 960 in a carrier) connected via Thunderbolt port for photo & media, a USB-C hub connected which adds an SD port & a couple of extra USB3 ports (branded Lenovo).

No printers in the vicinity but there is an XBOX One X which is turned off / connected via Ethernet.

The Macs WiFi has been stable throughout but I’ve only owned it for 2 weeks so later versions of OSX may have patched issues here.

On Bluetooth issue, everything just dies. Keyboard / Mouse just bombs out and their green lights flash furiously. Sony WH1000 headphones turn themselves off. Issue lasts for about a minute then slowly recovers itself and things fire back up.

Not or surprised given how glitchy modern tech is, but this seems basic and avoidable. It’s hardly state of the art tech. Is it BT v4 or v5? Surely these latest versions should be evolved, well developed and resilient by now!

Thought Id share as I haven’t managed to fix it yet and get the issue daily.

This is what gave me the clue:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8511706

Ultimately, it is a Mac Mini 2018 problem. Does your windows computer require that the 2.4GHz band be disabled? Other devices?

I did not know about option key + WiFi icon gave that type of information. That is cool.

I have attached screenshots. When it was done the two computers were physically about 6 inches from one another.

I want to also note that prior to doing this, I reset the follwoing:

(1) Bluetooth Module

Press shift-option and click on bluetooth icon,

then select debug -> Reset the bluetooth module)

(2) SMC

Shut down computer, then press power button and hold for 10 seconds,

then release, then press power button for 1 second to turn on computer.

After doing these the WiFi speed improved somewhat, from 2 Mbps to 10 Mbps. However, this is still half the WiFi speed that I am getting from the laptop at the same location.

Now, to the WiFi diagnostics. It is interesting to see that the Mac Mini actually has a stronger WiFi signal at -59 dBm (lower negative number is stronger) compared to the laptop WiFi which is -66 dBM. However, the noise on the Mac Mini is much higher at -74 dBM versus -93 dBm.

Can someone please explain what this means?

Hey Chris, did ordering a 5Ghz modem resolve the 2.4 interference for you? I'm trying to make a decision on whether to buy a brand new V2 magic mouse that might work more reliably bluetooth-wise with my 2018 macbook pro than my v1 one (constant disconnects), or whether to get a new router instead that will support 5Ghz. Thank you!

Hey Chris, thanks a lot for your response! I do have my wifi printer ('Brother' in that case) next to me, so that might be something to consider and try out. As for monitor cables, I'm currently using thunderbolt to display port - which does a great job in and of itself. You know how frustrating it feels to buy a new Apple system and then things really don't work... so I've been up and down the forums and (after trying all the software-stuff like debugging, resetting, clearing, reinstalling OSX etc) it seems it all comes down to either V2 Magic Mouse and Keyboard or 5Ghz network. If you say you got the latter and it works, perhaps it's thanks to that now? I just don't feel I want to throw €250 at Apple for new Mouse and Keyboard when the old ones work perfectly with all other computers - and when a 5 Ghz router would be 'only' €80,- by comparison. I just don't wanna make another futile investment.

It's asking for the password to your router. All most recent routers have security in the form of 2 or 3 methods. Apple wants you to use the WPA2 version. Usually you can find it on the bottom of your router (or combo modem router). As soon as you give this you will connect.

Warren, thx for the reply and info, but I have one problem in that it's not pairing from set up. I am now on my old Mac Mini and it works fine, but when I swap mini's I can't get past making an account on the new one. So I am still at the set up screens. I can't get to any area where I can do anything. I did replace batteries and hold down power button till I got a blinking light, but nada. I am going to go get a USB keyboard for now I guess but I'm torn whether I should just return it because I'm afraid the BT will be a long term issue. I am in kinda rural Spain in the mountains at the moment so it is a long drive to go get anything which makes it an even bigger pain.