Bluetooth connectivity issues

I had these issues and they seem to be fixed by update to 10.14.3 which is weird, I was convinced it was hardware. Same usba hub now works with devices charging off it and I can use all the usb ports without interference. Would love to know exactly what caused the issue and how they fixed it. Anyone else find the update has fixed it for them?

"no bluetooth keyboard or mouse, no added software. Only an external monitor, a usb keyboard "

Didn't you have issues connecting to Apple BT devices? Since this may be caused by third party USB devices, I don't understand why you were testing this without any BT devices attached but an USB keyboard (Apple?) was attached instead?

You should plug in just an Apple wireless BT keyboard or mouse (one at a time to make sure the problem is not in the keyboard or mouse itself) and tested it w/o any USB devices or wifi connected to the Mini and see if the connected Apple BT device works. Keep in mind that for the lack of a better term BT connection can be "corrupted" at the software levels so make sure you do the regular things, such as forget device, re-boot, etc to rule that out. Instructions for this are available on line.

BT and Wifi routers are well known to be affected by USB-3. Just Google it. For example:

https://www.bluetoothandusb3.com/the-explanation

https://www.pcmag.com/commentary/315173/wireless-witch-the-truth-about-usb-3-0-and-wi-fi-interferen

So the question is who is responsible to make a device that is immune to all the interference created by all the devices ever made? May be this is more difficult with the Mini because its physical dimension? I don't know, but once I threw away that cheap USB hub, my mini is working like a charm.

Also keep in mind that USB ports are found on HD, wifi router, printer, ... many unexpected places so really look around hard. The key is to find an environment that is away from all of these, and then bring the USB back back one at a time. The distance between the Mini and the wireless device also makes a difference but moving to a new location and keep them as close as possible can also address that. Good luck.

Not that the Mini may be "weaker" but as someone tried to remind you that USB interference is a standard set by FCC and Apple has to comply and this can apparently *change from time to time*. Mac is generally highly reliable and it seems to be the case with the one you have. Be patient, you will figure it out, but you have to start the test with a no wifi and no USB state (unless it is from Apple). You cannot test this with your 3rd party USB keyboard connected, because that could be the source of interference. Do you still have an old wired Apple keyboard and mouse? You need to start the test with only Apple products and then add 3rd party device back one at a time. Does your monitor has USB-3 ports? If so, this could be the source of interference ... Assuming you already follow standard procedures to clear out software side of the problem (turn BT on and off, forget device, reboot, rest PRAM ... that sort of things), then the problem is a 3rd party USB-3 device or wifi router. When you get a brand new computer, it is expected to have some incompatibility issues with old third party devices, and this is part of the cost of upgrade that it is not just the up front cost of the new computers but also the cost of replacing peripheries ...

I probably reported this on this thread or another one already, but I managed to fix this hugely frustrating issue. Perhaps my experience can help.

Having purchased a brand new top spec MBP 2018 this January, I ran into the same bluetooth problems as many users report from this current set of hardware. Constant dis- and reconnects, at times every couple of seconds. Basically completely unworkable. Tried all the flushing caches, reinstall OSX, debugs etc to no avail, for days. Department store refuses to take Apple Products back even within the first 2 weeks of purchase, only offering 'repairs'. Utter disaster.

Then, ultimately, I did what I had dreaded doing all along. I completely erased my hard drive, thereby losing 2 full days of work it had cost me to set up my system after transferring and installing my work space by hand (to keep it clean - rather than simply migrate via Time Machine). Then I reinstalled the OSX.

Before doing so I had also purchased and connected a new router capable of 5Ghz networks. Bluetooth uses the 2,4Ghz band, as do most common wireless connections and routers. Those can apparently get crowded therefore. The router wasn't cheap (€150) but I figured it'd be cheaper than a new Apple Keyboard plus Magic Mouse 2 (€250) with the added benefit of an improved wireless connection. Also I refuse to throw expensive peripherals away just coz Apple wants me to buy brand new ones.

Result: I've had no problems ever since, using my old MM and Keyboard happily. The problem drove me literally nuts for a couple of weeks.

(That aside, other problems have appeared I never faced: the Mac has shut itself down on occasion overnight 'because of a problem'. In all the years I've had my MBP Late-2013, this never happened once. It has now happened 4 times already with a brand new MBP 2018. So there you go, Apple.)

Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference

Apple cannot fix what is wrong. In all probability you have a cable leaking RF in the 2.4Ghz frequency, which is used by both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. We know this to be true by your own words : when you connect your Apple bluetooth accessories by wire the problem goes away. This necessarily proves the problem is wireless in nature. If the problem is wireless in nature, then something is interfering with the wireless signal. If something is interfering with the wireless signal, the most likely culprit is a faulty cable. To Wit :

If you're using USB 3 devices with your computer, you can limit their potential to interfere with nearby wireless devices:

• Use a high-quality, shielded USB cable with each USB 3 device.
• Move your USB 3 devices—including any USB hubs—farther away from your wireless devices.
• Connect USB 3 devices to the ports farthest from your computer's Wi-Fi antenna. For example, if your computer has ports on the back, prefer the USB ports closest to the middle. If your computer has ports on the side, prefer the USB ports closest to the front.
• Turn off any USB 3 devices that aren't in use.

Apple cannot, does not and will not warrant the fitness of products they do not manufacture. Therefore, it is not logical or reasonable to demand a "fix" from Apple. The "fix" for which you search is unplugging every cable within 30 feet of your Mac, and plugging them in one at a time until you find the faulty cable(s).

Good luck !

As it has been said earlier or maybe in another thread - the USB and Bluetooth have power shared, thus, when certain devices are plugged in and heavily used the signal for the keyboard /mouse is too weak for that period of use. That’s the first issue.

Secondly, if the WiFi signal of the router you connect to is 2.4ghz then that will cause erratic behavior for the Bluetooth keyboard /mouse. The fix here is to connect to the 5Ghz band for your router (I was fortunate to have that option with my brand of router)

this is has been the results of my investigations and the other option if you have lots of data transferring over USB is to get a powered USB hub. But I haven’t tried that.

I'm curious: did you test it with just the new router before doing the re-install? I ask because all I did was change my router and make sure I connect only to the 5GHz network and that solved my problem completely. That's all it took.

MKberlin I'm quite sure it's the full re-install indeed. I took my mac mini to all different places and setups and everywhere the trackpad or keyboard would disconnect. In some places it would sometimes take more than an hour to show the trouble, but it would always happen. Until now after the full re-install.

I also had an issue with my login screen: my mouse pointer would be super slow and buggy in the system login screen and on my keyboard I sometimes needed to strike a key 5 or 6 times to make it appear in the password field. Very annoying, but that seems to be fixed as well now.

My Mac Mini started out with intense Bluetooth problems. I traced it to low power on the internal power bus that runs BOTH the USB and the Bluetooth interfaces, which is why it’s so hard to diagnose. First, I added a powered USB hub to reduce power consumption. Unfortunately, I also later found that the fan spinning up under load has the same effect. Apple did a fix of sorts in the last update, but this also made mouse actions in games more sluggish because the reconnect routines (which is what was removed and caused the problem) needs to be gone for the next big Apple initiative.

Yes, it’s an Apple problem, but across at least four groups who aren’t talking together. Luckily, Diablo works good enough for me, even with the laggy mouse.

The real fix is a higher wattage power supply.

Zapping the PRam seems to fix the problem for a while for me. I've had to do it a couple of times but my Apple trackpad was unusable otherwise. It kept un/re-connecting every few minutes. Seems to be okay after zapping PRam a couple of times.

Has anybody looked at the connection quality of their bluetooth devices? I just checked by OPTIONB-clicking the bluetooth icon in the stratus bar and inspecting my connected mouse, keyboard and trackpad.

The values I see are between -45dB and -63dB for RSSI.

Looking at different sources on the web I find comments that anything below -50dB is considered a bad connection.

My mouse is about 50cm away from the macMini! How can that give me -63dB?

What values do you see there?

I don't even have the WiFi turned on on my Mac Mini, I use the Ethernet port, always have. I still have had the same issues with Bluetooth not working well, if at all.

So far for me I have had fewer issues with the Logitech UltraThin mouse then the Magic Mouse. I also get very limited range with my BT headset compared to that I was getting off the iMac. That part I can understand since the iMac BT antenna could have been at the top of the display but the mouse and KB issues are inexcusable as they are within a foot of the computer.

FWIW it works much better with the outer USB port unoccupied and the backup hard drives relocated under the desk but still nowhere near as well as it should, especially for an Apple product.

I actually had nothing on the USB ports. I also have the latest Apple keyboard and mouse.

It was the router 2.4ghz frequency that was affecting my setup

changing the router WiFi to 5Ghz looks like it’s worked for me. So weird. I’ve have the same setup as you.

Would love to hear if it worked for you too