Bluetooth connectivity issues

It is a lot better, but I still get a mouse failure about every third day now. It appears to happen when the fan spins up and the CPU is busy. It's even more interesting that after the fan calms down after the process that caused the heating stops, the mouse does not recover. Software handling a power problem, I imagine they pulled out the earlier handler just in time for the Mac Mini to need it again.

Thanks for taking the time to reply but I am puzzled by your response as the link doesn’t answer the questions posed. Having read conflicting suggestions about the cause on different forums (bluetooth module, power supply to usb, fan, rf interference etc). It seems from the experiences of other posters that most if not all of these hardware design issues are causing the problems but the significant improvements I have noticed since update have been caused by software changes. Has the update improved your experience of the issue? Any idea how software changes could have helped to mitigate these hardware issues? It’s ok if you don’t understand the problem well enough to explain it, I’m sure somebody will eventually.

I do believe that during a reboot, or forgetting your Bluetooth device and reconnecting, an initialization routine is run. For a while I bet they reinitialized every so often, for reliability. I think they removed this section of code at one point to make Bluetooth gaming response faster, since their hardware had all the kinks worked out. Then, the Mini. Whoops!

Going farther out on a limb, Apple appears to be having classic IT-itis. IT is an interesting beast. First thing they do is to compartmentalize, and implement a ticket system so they can review their workers. Sounds great, right? Actually, this is terrible. At that point, IT is more interested in IT than the company. Why was Steve Jobs so great? He would not allow an IT group to fester at his company, you made a mistake, you were fired. No hiding in a bureaucracy. So, how does this fit our Bluetooth problem? Easy. The error crosses between two IT groups, hardware and software. In the classic IT help ticket system (which they always use), it is impossible to create a ticket where two different support compartment groups work together on a problem. Yup, that's all it is, and it's everywhere at Apple now.

Hey you think Apple is bad? Comcast gets "worst company on the planet" awards every year for exactly the same reason. :-)

Please, no apology is necessary as there was no offense. We are all learning something new every day about this ongoing issue, and I had thought it may provide context as to how we got here. If that was not clear, then I am the one who should apologize for not making the intent crystal clear.

"Have you systematically examined your wifi router and all USB-3 devices?"

Yes, exactly. In fact, I tried it with no WiFi, no external device, no bluetooth keyboard or mouse, no added software. Only an external monitor, a usb keyboard and just plain Mac mini as it came out from repair.

Have you been able to discover the connection between the USB-3 hub and the BT issues? Is it radio interference? If so, doesn't it tell you something about Mac mini's weakness to such interference?

I am not jumping to conclusions. I wish I could find a culprit other than the Mac mini but no matter I tried I couldn't. So far Apple support couldn't either. All my other devices (Macbook air, iMac, iPhone) work fine in the exact same location.

Thanks for the links but I have read both articles and sorry, they don't help.

I understand interference may be the issue but why is Mac mini is so weak while other apple devices perform without a glitch?

I did try and may continue to try all sorts of different things to find the golden combination of things that will finally make Mac mini work. I see many people report doing just that here, but why should anyone have to do that? Why shouldn't Mac mini just work (with another apple product, in my case airPods)?

If Apple thinks that Mac mini 2018 is weaker to interference than other Macs, then why not just announce it and give everyone the chance to make an educated choice.

P.S. K380 keyboard is not my main issue, I just gave it as an example of weakness of Mac mini bluetooth.

The point is...

When Apple developed this machine are you telling me that they did not realise how people would use the device??? Nonsense.

With limited storage on the lower end models it would have been clear that users would need to be using external HD's and non Apple accessories.

From what i am reading Apple no longer understand what their customers want or need and all they can say is "We think you are going to love it" sound familiar.

NO APPLE, "WE ARE NO LONGER FEELING THE LOVE" and your silence/avoidance of this issue confirms your lack of customer centricity.

Same thing here. Originally, I had a Matias keyboard and a Magic Mouse 1, as well as a USB Hub and a Magic Trrackpad connected to the Mac. After reading all of the recommendations, I invested in a new Apple Keyboard (€110), a Magic Mouse 2 (€100) and a lot of USB-C cable to get rid of the USB-Hub. Result: it's almost impossible to work with the Mac! All BT devices connect multiple times per day. It's completely ridiculous.

I am considering buying an external BT adapter to fix what what is obviously Apple's problem. Had a 2011 iMac before and it has served me well.

I tried this and stopped using the outermost USB port. Does not make any difference at all.

I plugged then a USB hub in (passive) and I have the feeling this makes things worse. All of my bluetooth devices are disconnecting at the same time just to reconnect 10 seconds later.

It starts to annoy me more by the day and I'm thinking about getting rid of the MacMini. Problem is that I cannot think of an alternative device.

On my wife's iMac 21 inch Late 2013 her Magic KB is reporting 53 and the mouse 45.

On my Mac Mini 2018 my Magic Mouse reports 60; the keyboard 48; and the Logitech mouse 51.

On both the devices are within 18 inches of the computer.

Has anyone heard anything from Apple on this? Have they acknowledged an issue?

Sooo... Did Apple release a statement on this? I just bought one, having the same problem. I'm probably not even 1m away from my mini and the keyboards don't work, and my airpods drop connection frequently. I'm using a wired keyboard now. I had a 2009 iMac before that worked perfectly. This is unacceptable for the price we're paying, honestly.

I have issues with my Magic Mouse which I did not have on the Mac Mini 2012, I have to disconnect and connect it every day....

Did you get your Mac mini replaced and it solved the problem?

I am waiting for a replacement to be delvierv