Bluetooth Range Problem

[Dark Dragoon]

Ok so I've got my new Mac Pro (2.66GHz, 2GB RAM, Bluetooth, Airport, 250GB HDD, 1 Superdrive), but it's bluetooth doesn't seem to be working properly.

The Mac Pro is currently sitting on the floor, in almost exactly the same place as where my Mac Mini (G4 1.42Ghz, 512MB RAM, Bluetooth, Airport, 80GB HDD) used to sit. The Wi-Fi is fine. But the Bluetooth range is really bad.

On the Mini I could easily connect via bluetooth to my phone, mouse, keyboard, graphics tablet and PDA from anywhere in the room (around 4m).

With the Mac Pro the Mighty Mouse (new) strugles if it's more than half a meter away, my graphics tablet works up to about a meter away further than that and it becomes sluggish. The PDA and Phone have connection difficulties over about two meters away.

I've had a look inside the Mac pro, I assume that the small raised circuit board with one wire connected is the bluetooth module. I've tried pressing the wires connection in and wiggled it, but this hasn't helped. The wire goes under the Airport chip (assuming it's the one with two wires attatched) and then behind the motherboard.

Is the bluetooth mean't to be this bad on the Mac Pro?
Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can fix this, or should I contact Apple?

[YoYoMa]

I have been wondering if this is normal as well. I use my bluetooth keyboard about three to four feet away from my Mac Pro and sometimes I'll have letters stick. When typing "I'll have letters stick" it'll come up "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII''''''''llllllllllll hhaaavveee letttterssss sstttiickkk." I'll also be told that the Keyboard "has been lost" sometimes and I'll have to start pressing a bunch of keys to get everything back online again.

I thought bluetooth range was over 30ft? Is anyone actually using the Apple bluetooth Keyboard/mouse at a range of six or 10 feet (or even four feet for that matter)with no problems?

[Dark Dragoon]

Well on my Mac Mini I could use Apple's bluetooth keyboard at around 12ft from the machine without any problems. I hadn't tried using it any further away as I wouldn't have been able to see the screen.

Though my PDA and phone worked fine up to about 20ft with my Mini.

Maximum I can get at the moment with my Mac Pro is around 4ft with the keyboard and around 2ft with my Mighty Mouse.

The cables that are connected to the wireless cards are as follows:
Cable 1 - Bottom Airport connector (furthest away from the hard drives)
Cable 2 - Not connected
Cable 3 - Top Airport connector
Unlabelled Cable - Bluetooth module

Can someone with working bluetooth and wi-fi tell me if their cables are plugged into the same sockets.

[gallinger]

I am having the same problem as all of you. My mouse and keyboard are aprox 5 feet away from the mac pro and keyboard seems to work fine. But some times ill get the stuck keys too. my mightymouse is the worst though. its really slow and drags. I HATE IT. if anyone has a solution to this problem please let me know. oh and also I find if i make it so the mouse and keyboard are facing the mac pro it works better. I just want to to work like it should.

[YoYoMa]

Called the Apple number. They say they have no idea what the problem is and don't have a record of it. They insisted I go to the Apple store and get it fixed there. The only problem is I don't have a bluetooth mouse to demonstrate it on, and my keyboard might actually be pretty difficult to demsontrate the problem on.

Also, is there anyone else out there having trouble using their bluetooth mouse (or experiencing sticky letters with via bluetooth keyboard)with a Mac Pro from about seven feet away. Could anyone else try this and let us know how far you can go and still have it work perfectly? It would be really helpful. Thanks.

[gallinger]

Mine are like this but i dont have an apple store near me to bring it to. I dunno what to do.

[freezerburrn]

My keyboard works really well, but it's the mighty mouse that is acting up. I don't understand what the problem could be, because it was fine up until today (Sept. 10)

[YoYoMa]

Can you guys tell me how far you can move from your Mac's until you begin to notice problems? It would help me a lot, thanks.

Also, if anyone out there is not having problems, an estimate of how far you can go would be very helpful as well.

[jameskohn]

I received my 1st mac Pro on 9/1/06, and immeditately notoced the bluetooth issue. Unless the wireless mighty mouse is virtually right on top of the Mac Pro, performance degrades drastically. Tech support came on site, replaced the bluetooth card. Problem persisted, no improvement. Apple suggested changing the antenna, but the tech told me that would require serious surgery on a brand new machine. I called Apple,they pronounced the machine "D.O.A.", and sent me out a new one. The new one arrived today and has the exact same problem. †he machine is great otherwise. One of the reasons I bought it was so I could use a 30" Cinema Display, which is terriffic too. Now I'm thinking a 24" iMac may be the answer as I don't really require "pro" features. I was really excited about this machine(s), so I'n very disappointed. Horribly long hold times at AppleCare add insult to injury.

[YoYoMa]

Those hold times truly are terrible. So they never were able to tell you the cause? I'm worried about taking my machine over there tmmw, the techs don't seem too knowledgable to me.

[Dark Dragoon]

I've been speaking to AppleCare today, they don't seem to be aware of the bluetooth problem.

They are supposedly going to phone me back tomorrow to arrange to have the machine collected. Though it sounds like they are just going to replace the bluetooth module.

The wait time was fairly short for me and I was escalated quite quickly.

I'm also wondering if I made the right decision in getting a Mac Pro, I was very much in-between getting an iMac and the Mac Pro. Though once this is sorted I think I'll realize I made the right choice.

btw does your Wi-Fi work correctly, I've just realized that I'm getting a very low signal with the Airport Express only around 3 meters away. Possibly the aerials are connected wrong.

[YoYoMa]

I'll be going to the store tmmw. I'd really like to know how far a working Mac Pro bluetooth keyboard and mouse can work so I can compare when I get there. Can someone please chime in with some intel, thanks.

[jameskohn]

10 meters (about 30') is the "generally accepted" range for bluetooth devices. It's hard to say with a keyboard and Mouse, because you need to be able to see the display to know if the device is working at 100%. I can tell you that on my other Macs (PowerBook G4, iMacG4, and iMac G5) 10 feet is absolutely no problem. Beyond that it's hard to say, but my wireless Apple mouse works flawlessly as far away as I can still see the display on my PowerBook. Furthermore, it doesn't seem to matter if something (like my body) is between the mouse and the computer.

I am assured by a terrific Apple phone sales rep that they are aware of the problem and are working on a fix (firmware update?) furiously. I've decided to keep the MacPro based on his representation that it's reasonable to expect a fix within a week or two. I must also say that Apple customer service was, hold times not withstanding, very cooperative in organizing return shipping for the 2nd MacPro that had the same problem. It makes me feel so much better about spending this much $$ on a (defective) computer when Apple is this cooperative. At their best they are a joy to do business with. On the other hand, waiting on hold gets pretty tired after 20 min, 1/2 hour, AN HOUR!!...

[YoYoMa]

Whoa, great news!

[YoYoMa]

Well, I just got off the phone with Apple for the third time and they suggested that I push the SMP reset button. I can' t tell if it worked or not yet being my problem is so intermittent, and my room isn't large enough to test the distance. You guys might want to try it though, just in case. I haven't experienced any glitches in the past fifteen minutes or so. I'll be sure to let you know if I do however.

The button is in the little RAM box at the bottom right of the computer. You want to unplug everything from the computer and leave everything unplugged for about ten minutes. Then push the button that says SMP reset, it's near the top of the RAM cage. Once you do that, connect everything up and you're ready to go. Let me know if it works, I'll do the same.

[gallinger]

I was testing the range out with my razr cell phone and I would take pics off the phone to my computer. I had the phone up to 25 feet away and it work fine. But still my mouse and keyboard suck. Maybe its the mouse and keyboard?

[YoYoMa]

I don't know what the odds are that you would get both a bad keyboard AND mouse.
The button didn't work for me btw, you can still try it if you like. I really don't want this to be a hardware issue. I'll not be going to the Apple store tmmw, I'll give it another couple days. I got the specialists phone number that I spoke with and I'll see where things go from there.

[seh2000]

Hi!
I have range issue as well, but I use mainly the Bluetooth with my mobile phones (SEK750i & SE800i) when I move either of the handsets more than 1.5 meter away from the MBP the conenction is lost...
S

[Dark Dragoon]

Apples decided to replace my machine.
I just hope that the new one won't have the same problem.

[YoYoMa]

Well, I got the Bluetooth mouse to see how much I liked it and confirm that it wasn't the keyboard and the signal is awful! Unless I'm one or two feet away the signal is unbearable. Now I'm worried I'll need a replacement and it looks like there is no way to avoid going to the Apple store.

[jameskohn]

I've already had a second new Mac Pro, and it did the exact same thing. y the way, is anybody else experiencing line noise, i.e. buzzing through the speakers, with the Mac Pro?

[YoYoMa]

Jamescohn, can you tell me what the Tech told you on the phone about the problem? I'm on the phone right now and I'm really not sure what to do.

[hal0n]

the only problem i've had with my mac pro and bluetooth keyboard and mighty mouse is that sometimes cat fur will get under the mouse, and the tracking goes down to nill. I use the mouse at 2 meters...

[digitaltrader]

I am having bluetooth range issues as well and already replaced the battery in the mouse and got a little better response for a few hours. The mouse skips as if the signal is very poor and the keyboard constantly has to be re-added to function. Are we supposed to be turning these units off when away from the computer? We should all notify apple as they need to know that this is a widespread issue.

[jameskohn]

I called AppleCare yesterday and was escalated to a "product specialist" right away. Hold time was better, but still not good, about 20 min to get through to Apple Care, another 10 min to get the product specialist. When I did get him, he was not aware of the bluetooth range issue. He quickly went to the bulletin boards and confirmed that there is an ongoing issue unresolved out there. After he went through the case history he emailed me a program that collects all sorts of data from my machine, which I was then able to email back to him. He promised he would be back to me by the end of the day Friday, if not sooner. I'm trying to wait until I hear back from him until I just give up and send this machine back, but I'm losing patience. I must say that Justin, the product specialist, was very cooperative. He even offered to send a wired keyboard and mouse for me to use until the issue gets resolved. When they're good, they're good!

[jameskohn]

Tech is on his way to replace antenna. Will have results by 3pm eastern time.

[gallinger]

when you hear back from that justin guy, let us know what happens and how the program that he sent you worked. I would really like to get mine resolved also.

[jameskohn]

New antenna installed, bluetooth still not working properly.

[YoYoMa]

I've got a replacement on the way. If it has the bluetooth problem as well I am going to be SO upset!

Interesting about the antenna not fixing the problem. The only thing left is the motherboard.

[NATO]

I have found the built-in Bluetooth to be a bit lacking in my opinion. My Mac Pro sits under my desk, and when using it to connect an Apple Wireless Keyboard, Wireless Mighty Mouse and Mobile Phone, the mobile phone caused the mouse to seriously lag.

I cracked her open, pulled the bluetooth module out and am using the DLink USB Bluetooth adapter I've been using on the old Power Mac G5. Works a treat :)

[jameskohn]

The USB bluetooth adapter is the answer. If you saw how the antenna runs underneath the motherboard, you'd be amazed that any signal escapes the box at all. I'm not sure how Apple is going to fix this one. On the G5 Power Macs they had an external antenna to get the bluetooth signal out of the aluminum enclosure. If I had it to do all over again I would just forego the built in bluetooth and use the USB dongle. For $20., the problem can be solved/avoided. I can't take the bluetooth module out of my Mac Pro because it is not a user serviceable part, so messing with it would void the warranty... It's what Apple should do for everybody until they have a legitimate fix.

[jameskohn]

There are three "Discussions" going on simultaneously about this issue. plus another on the MacRumors website. There is definitely an issue. Whether Apple realizes it or not I am not sure, but I thnk they do. They do stand behind the products, and it seems that once someone at Apple are actually takes ownership of the issue the customer gets good service. I certainly have.

So far they have replaced my bluetooth module, replaced the internal antenna, and replaced my Mac Pro; none of which solved the problem. They have now set up an appointment for me at the Apple Store to have one of their technicians actually observe the problem. They are telling me that the Apple engineers are now claiming it's an "environmental" problem, i.e. interference from some external source, peripheral, etc. I'm quite sure this is not the case because I have twice disconnected the machine, brought it to a room with no electronics on the other side of the house, and the same problem persisted. Meanwhile, my iMac G5 does fine in the same place (on my desk) that I have my Mac Pro.

If we want this issue resolved sooner rather than later, the product specialists at AppleCare have to get the calls and then in turn notify engineering. Just because there are so many people posting these complaints on various bulletin boards doesn't seem to legitimize the problem as far as Apple is concerned. I am watching everybody go through the same process as I have, all with the same lack of success: new bluetoth module, new antenna, new Mac Pro. Call AppleCare, get to a product spcialist, and request they get the issue to engineering.

Interestingly, I notice that the Apple Store online has stopped selling the wireless Mighty Mouse. Maybe it works with iMacs and laptops because it is always right next to the computer, but when the computer is further away it soesn't work. Hmmmm.

[moogs]

oh wow, they did stop selling it. wonder what they're gonna put with my mac pro. hmmm

[Cowinacape]

Just chimming in here, as I have a MP comming with the BT as well, and want to be able to follow what happens with the original poster, and new updates with this situation, here's hoping they get this sorted quickly for the O.P.

[jameskohn]

Wireless Mighty Mouse is again available at the Apple Store online.

Remember, if Apple's engineering area doesn't hear about it directly, the problem doesn't exist. Call AppleCare, get to a product specialist, request that he notify engineering.

[greenmac]

well, I dont know about typing, I cant get far enough away. but i know mouse and keyboard work from over 10m away through 3 walls!
How did I test that, put iTunes on, hit spacebar, music starts and stops as soon as I hit it, same with mouse, double click starts song again.
I received my Mac Pro 14th sept, and I'm in Australia.
But my phone, well that is a different story, has to be within 1 metre, but thats my phones problem.

[waremaster]

Ok so I've got my new Mac Pro (2.66GHz, 2GB RAM, Bluetooth, Airport, 250GB HDD, 1 Superdrive), but it's bluetooth doesn't seem to be working properly.

The Mac Pro is currently sitting on the floor, in almost exactly the same place as where my Mac Mini (G4 1.42Ghz, 512MB RAM, Bluetooth, Airport, 80GB HDD) used to sit. The Wi-Fi is fine. But the Bluetooth range is really bad.

On the Mini I could easily connect via bluetooth to my phone, mouse, keyboard, graphics tablet and PDA from anywhere in the room (around 4m).

With the Mac Pro the Mighty Mouse (new) strugles if it's more than half a meter away, my graphics tablet works up to about a meter away further than that and it becomes sluggish. The PDA and Phone have connection difficulties over about two meters away.

I've had a look inside the Mac pro, I assume that the small raised circuit board with one wire connected is the bluetooth module. I've tried pressing the wires connection in and wiggled it, but this hasn't helped. The wire goes under the Airport chip (assuming it's the one with two wires attatched) and then behind the motherboard.

Is the bluetooth mean't to be this bad on the Mac Pro?
Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can fix this, or should I contact Apple?


Just thought I would chime in on this one. I just went down to my local Apple store and picked up the Bluetooth module, Keyboard and Mouse and installed the module myself. I used wire labeled #1 on the module and range is no problem at all as others have stated at 15ft I can barely see the screen but all still works fine and installation was a snap. Both keyboard and mouse working great in Mac OSX and windows in Bootcamp.

[YoYoMa]

Your cable was labeled 1? Strange, mine was labeled BT. Also, there is a tutorial online teaching how to install it and it says the correct cable is labeled 2. Strange.

[waremaster]

Your cable was labeled 1? Strange, mine was labeled BT. Also, there is a tutorial online teaching how to install it and it says the correct cable is labeled 2. Strange.

There is a wire with a label "BT" on it however that wire seems to be attached to the backside of the motherboard and I didn’t want to pull very hard on the wire so I used #1 as it was the only other one that would physically reach and it had the right connector on it. Since it is an antenna and there is no electricity actually powering anything it certainly wouldn’t harm anything. I haven’t got the Airport Express card in my mac so I have 2 and 3 available for that and those two wires appeared a bit shorter and would easily reach the Airport module.

I just tested the bluetooth range of my mac pro with a treo 650 cell phone and I can discover the machine from 30 ft no problem :) I must have done something right.

[TheFuzz]

i tried my older BT apple mouse and it's working fine from 10ft+. now, back to my mighty mouse :)

[Fearless Leader]

i had the same problem with my g5. I finally got a usb adapter amd get about 25 feet of range.

[waremaster]

i had the same problem with my g5. I finally got a usb adapter amd get about 25 feet of range.


On the G5 it's not as much of a problem going to an external module unless you need to hold the C key down to boot to a cd. But on the Mac Pro it's nice to be able to hold down the option key to bring up the boot menu as well as be able to hold down the C key to boot to cd. The internal modules are initialized at powerup as system devices the usb modules dont get initialized untill usb gets initialized.

[NATO]

Does anyone know if there are any issues with having two bluetooth modules installed at once, for example the internal Bluetooth module and a USB one?

[jameskohn]

I'd love to know if I could have an external usb adapter at the same time as the internal module. I could use the external adapter until Apple comes up with a fix. I've asked, but nobody seems to know.

I took my Mac Pro to the Apple store today. The wireless mighty mouse had much better range there, leading us top believe it's some sort of "environmental" issue in my home office. But I came home and killed every breaker in the house, unplugged phones, microwave, etc. No go, problem still persisted. Like some other folks, I also get an intermittent buzz thorugh my speakers that was never there before. I know they used a new power pack in the Mac Pros and I'm wondering if they're ultra sensitive to line noise, etc??

Anyway, as much as I love the Mac Pro and the 30" Cinema Display I bought with it, back they go. New iMac on the way. Bummer; getting a new Mac should be a blast but instead it's been a nightmare.

[NATO]

You CAN have a USB Bluetooth Dongle plugged into your Mac as well as the internal module, I have done this with the Apple-Supported D-Link Bluetooth module and it works fine. The reason I pulled the internal module out was simply one of simplification, the keyboard and mouse worked fine with the USB one.

I'd just like to know if there's any downsides to having two bluetooth modules constantly on, but it definitely works.

[jameskohn]

Indeed you can! I could have sworn that I tried that when I had an AppleCare tech online, but apparently I didn't... Anyway, I've plugged a D-Link USB adapter into a usb port on the back of the Apple 30" Cinema Display, re-paired the keyboard and mouse, and it seems to be working just fine. Not a particularly elegant solution, but it will do until Apple figures out why all my other Macs work with their bluetooth mouse but the Mac Pro won't. We're getting there, slowly.

[jameskohn]

Not so fast, I knew this was too good to be true... Upon restarting the Mac Pro, mouse and keyboard want to pair with the internal bluetooth module. Have to go through re-pairing with usb adapter every time. Need to get the internal module out of there before usb bluetooth will really work. Or, just not turn off the computer...

[Dark Dragoon]

Just recieved my replacement Mac Pro, the Bluetooth range is slightly worse than on the previous one. :mad:

The Mac Pro also came with a scratched up disk in the drive labeled "Apple Computers DVD 9", anyone know what this is? The drive won't mount it. :confused:

I've called AppleCare (got through straight away), engineerings been contacted. I'm now waiting for them to call me back.

[jameskohn]

OK: Apple tech was here this morning and removed the internal bluetooth module. The USB adapter works "OK" when plugged into a usb port on the back of the Mac Pro, but it works 100% when it's plugged into a usb port on the back of my Cinema Display. Range is great, performance is great. I know this is not a perfect solution, but it is a good temporary fix until Apple figures this thing out. There is definitly something funky about the Mac Pro & bluetooth.

[YoYoMa]

I got the new Mac Pro today. Bluetooth is slightly worse than before. Also, whichever hard drive they gave me is much louder as well. (I'll be checking on that in a minute.)

I am very disappointed and I'm not sure where to go from here. If I want the module removed then I'm gonna have to take this thing to the Apple store in the middle of the mall and trust the teenagers to do a better job than I would, not to mention another hour long phone call with Apple to get refunded for it.

[NATO]

Take it out yourself, it's a doddle, plus its easy to re-install if you ever have to ship it off to Apple at any point.

[YoYoMa]

Yeah, you're right, and that's what I'll prob end up doing. I guess I was too annoyed to think of it at the time.
I'm still recovering right now...and preparing for the crap I'm about to hand over to Apple for this pointless return!

[freezerburrn]

When I first got my Mac Pro I had absolutely no problem with my Bluetooth Mighty Mouse as my tower was kept on top of my desk. As soon as I moved my tower down to the floor I started getting lagging problems at around 4-5 feet from the tower.

However, I found that taking out one of the two batteries in my Mighty Mouse seems to have helped a little. I suggest some of you try it out as well and see what happens. I'd love to hear if this works for anyone else.

[freezerburrn]

Nevermind about the post above. The lagging has come back.

[spconlon]

I've already had a second new Mac Pro, and it did the exact same thing. y the way, is anybody else experiencing line noise, i.e. buzzing through the speakers, with the Mac Pro?

Greetings,

I too am having the 'buzzing' sound....very annoying. Strange thing is it does it even in sleep or muted. I'm hoping the two problems (bluetooth and 'buzz') are related and fixed soon.

Sean

[johneymac]

Mine works fine!
I am using a new Bluetooth Mighty Mouse and I am also using my Bluetooth Apple Keyboard to type this now. No problems!

:(

[jameskohn]

I wonder if today's Firmware Update for Mac Pro helped the bluetooth cause at all? Has anybody completed the firmware update and checked the bluetooth connectivity?

[YoYoMa]

Well, my replacement Mac Pro not only has worse bluetooth, it also has a CD drawer that doesn't close, a really loud hard drive, a black stain on the side, and a bent hard drive slider. I absolutely hate Apple's quality control and this machine is now going back yet again. My replacement will be a completely stock Mac Pro with NO bluetooth! Instead I got them to foot the bill for an external one. Is the D-Link the best choice? I don't know much about the external bluetooth adapters.

[Macinposh]

My BT+MM problems have been a bit different.


In normal use, everything works fine.

But when the system is stressed (big filters in PS or heavy disk use,in Raid) the mouse starts to act erratically. Lags,stops,moves eratically and is generally slow.
It continues for 5-15s after all apparent action is stopped.
The wireless keyboard works flawlessy.

This is way,way different than the normal laggines of a stressed system.
Heck,in my old G4 i could move my mouse,no matter how everything was borked and beachballing.

Weird.
:confused:

[Dark Dragoon]

I wonder if today's Firmware Update for Mac Pro helped the bluetooth cause at all? Has anybody completed the firmware update and checked the bluetooth connectivity?

I have done the firmware update (the SMC update was already installed on my machine). It's made no noticeable difference.

I'm currently waiting for Apple to phone me back.

[Jeewhizz]

Same problem here :(

Jee

[Macinposh]

Ok.

Tried two different cord mouses in the CS2.


No lagging and worked like charm.



So,in short, the BT or MM is fkucked.
Any time the system is stressed,in any application, the mouse starts to act up.The keyboard works flawlessy all the time.

What a useless piece of shite that mouse/mouseware is...

[Cowinacape]

Um, not sure if my symptoms are related, so I am going to post them here and see what kind of feedback I get, I just finished sending off a couple of e-mail, and was getting killed with keyboard lag, I type what I want, and then wait up to fifteen seconds or so for the words to appear in my message. I am not noticing any strangeness (as of yet) with they mouse, so far just the keyboard, and the only open programs where Firfox, and mail, so I'd like to think I am not stressing the machine, like someone running a bunch of PS filters.

Symptoms sound familiar at all?


Edit: As I typed this the keyboard worked as would be expected. (no typing, than waiting for the words to magically appear)

[gallinger]

I found the same thing! Only I am using Pro Tools. My mouse starts to lag so bad. I hate this freakin mouse.
Ok.

Tried two different cord mouses in the CS2.


No lagging and worked like charm.



So,in short, the BT or MM is fkucked.
Any time the system is stressed,in any application, the mouse starts to act up.The keyboard works flawlessy all the time.

What a useless piece of shite that mouse/mouseware is...

[Dark Dragoon]

Just an update.

I've been told I have to take my Mac Pro to an authorised service provider, which I'm going to do today.

AppleCare seems to think that the bluetooth module might not be connected to the motherboard correctly.

EDIT: So it looks like I'm going to have to spend another 5 days without the Mac Pro while the company repairs it.

I'm now back on my Mac Mini using the bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mighty mouse that came with the Mac Pro, both are working well. Except I have no drivers for the Mighty Mouse.

[greese]

Saw this on the Apple forums dealing with the same issue. I have been lurking this thread and that one since i have a Mac Pro on the way and ordered it with BT and wirless kb and MM.

After reading a number of similar discussions here and elsewhere, I was prompted to more closely examine the antenna leads in my box. There are supposed to be four leads, labeled 1, 2, 3, and 'BT'. In my box, 2 and 3 were the only ones clearly labeled; an unlabled one was attached to the bluetooth module, 3 was attached to the lower Airport connector, another unlabeled one was attached to the upper Airport connector, and 2 was unconnected (tucked behind the motherboard). I disconnected the unlabeled lead that was connected to the Airport and moved it to the bluetooth module, leaving the lead formerly connected to bluetooth disconnected. I then attached lead 2 to the open Airport connector (this lead was significantly shorter than the others, and only just reached the upper Airport connector). The difference is dramatic; Airport works as well as before, but bluetooth now works as it should. Before, moving my mouse more than 3ft. from the box made it difficult to move; past 4-5ft. it became practically unusable. Now I can use the mouse effectively from across the room. It appears to me that the antenna leads were mislabled or misconnected. (Note: the antenna wires are supposed to run behind the motherboard to a plastic area on the underside of the box where the signal can escape the otherwise aluminum case). I hope this info may be of use to some of you experiencing similar problems.

maybe nothing, maybe something. i don't know since I don't have my mac yet. i just figured I would share this since it may help. It would be really nice to know this problem could just be a simple matter of reqiring a couple of things.

[gallinger]

Saw this on the Apple forums dealing with the same issue. I have been lurking this thread and that one since i have a Mac Pro on the way and ordered it with BT and wirless kb and MM.



maybe nothing, maybe something. i don't know since I don't have my mac yet. i just figured I would share this since it may help. It would be really nice to know this problem could just be a simple matter of reqiring a couple of things.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I just did this and it works perfect. thank you for finding this

[jameskohn]

It appears that, if the wires were properly labelled, they would get set up as follows:
BT: disconnected
1: to bluetooth module
2: upper airport connector
3: lower airport connector.
I'd love to know if this works for anybody else before I call the Apple Tech back here to reinstall the internal bluetooth module in my MacPro. I'm using a usb bluetooth adapter plugged into the back of my Cinema Display. It works fine, but I'd sure like to free up that usb port and use the internal BT module that I paid for!

[gallinger]

I switched mine around about an hour ago. I couldnt believe the difference. The MM & KB work perfect. this is all you have to do to fix this problem. seriously. no need to get apple support when you can do it yourself.

[eodp3]

What about those who don't have WiFi module and just the bluetooth?
I only ordered with the bluetooth module and I only have 1 wire visible, the BT one... I can't find the other wires 1,2,3..
am I SOL?

[gallinger]

What about those who don't have WiFi module and just the bluetooth?
I only ordered with the bluetooth module and I only have 1 wire visible, the BT one... I can't find the other wires 1,2,3..
am I SOL?


I only have the bluetooth module too. The other wires should be up on the left side kinda behind the optical drive. My #1 wire was a bit behind the motherboard. but once i got it and pluged it it. What a difference it made.

[Cowinacape]

Anyone have a link to a picture of this, or anything like that?

[waremaster]

It appears that, if the wires were properly labelled, they would get set up as follows:
BT: disconnected
1: to bluetooth module
2: upper airport connector
3: lower airport connector.
I'd love to know if this works for anybody else before I call the Apple Tech back here to reinstall the internal bluetooth module in my MacPro. I'm using a usb bluetooth adapter plugged into the back of my Cinema Display. It works fine, but I'd sure like to free up that usb port and use the internal BT module that I paid for!


Well I can confirm that mine is setup with #1 wire and mine works great.

[jameskohn]

#1 wire is the answer; works great!

[freezerburrn]

works for me too! nice fine

[Simon R.]

I have the same problems as you all seem to experience. Good thing that it isn't specific for me, but bad if Apple don't find a solution. I found the mouse (4 feet from Mac Pro) immediately totally unusable. I thought this was just how bluetooth mice worked. So I plugged in a USB mouse instead and am using that. The keyboard hasn't given me that many problems, just recently. Maybe because I filled all my harddrive bays, caused transmission to be worse? Dunno, but now I get the stuck keys and "connection lost" from time to time. Totally unacceptable. If this doesn't get solved soon I will get a USB keyboard. But pretty lame I shelled out for this wireless solution which works like crap then. I wonder if this is fixable by Apple at all by a firmware update. I would assume it is a hardware problem :/

[freezerburrn]

Simon, did you read the previous posts? Someone found a solution for us BT users and it works great. My mighty mouse works just as good as my usb mouse now.

[YoYoMa]

I have the Mac Pro Installation Guide that the geniuses use and it definitely says to connect the BT wire. I find it very strange that the #1 wire works instead of one that is labeled BT. I'll be buying another bluetooth upgrade chip and trying it out tonight.

[waremaster]

Just thought I would chime in on this one. I just went down to my local Apple store and picked up the Bluetooth module, Keyboard and Mouse and installed the module myself. I used wire labeled #1 on the module and range is no problem at all as others have stated at 15ft I can barely see the screen but all still works fine and installation was a snap. Both keyboard and mouse working great in Mac OSX and windows in Bootcamp.


Just thought I would remind you of my install details.

[Simon R.]

Freeze, yes now I did:) However... This is my first Mac ever, 2 weeks old. I know my way perfectly around PC's interior, but I got this Mac with BT + WiFi pre-installed, and it seems like quite a daunting task to fiddle around with the antennas inthere. I dont even know how to get them off the modules, or if I should take out the modules before unmounting the antennas. I don't feel like fiddling around with a screwdriver 2 mm's from the motherboard... I wonder if this is something I should expect Apple's support to fix for me? I live pretty close to an Apple Store, maybe I should call them up. I really don't want to screw anything up or lose my warranty here. I just wonder if they ever heard of this problem here in Denmark yet or if they are gonna tell me to go f*ck myself...

[waremaster]

Freeze, yes now I did:) However... This is my first Mac ever, 2 weeks old. I know my way perfectly around PC's interior, but I got this Mac with BT + WiFi pre-installed, and it seems like quite a daunting task to fiddle around with the antennas inthere. I dont even know how to get them off the modules, or if I should take out the modules before unmounting the antennas. I don't feel like fiddling around with a screwdriver 2 mm's from the motherboard... I wonder if this is something I should expect Apple's support to fix for me? I live pretty close to an Apple Store, maybe I should call them up. I really don't want to screw anything up or lose my warranty here. I just wonder if they ever heard of this problem here in Denmark yet or if they are gonna tell me to go f*ck myself...

Worst case ask the people at the apple store to attach #1 wire to the bluetooth module as evedentally somehow either the wires are mislabeled or somehow the apple techs got confused by the wire labeled BT. Or mabe a call to applecare would help in that maybe you will get lucky and they will just walk you though changing to the right cable.

[YoYoMa]

All the cables are bunched together slightly behind the motherboard right above where the bluetooth chip goes. They are very thin but you should beable to find them. Try putting the puter on it's side.

[Simon R.]

All the cables are bunched together slightly behind the motherboard right above where the bluetooth chip goes. They are very thin but you should beable to find them. Try putting the puter on it's side.

Was that for me? If so, I have no problem finding the cables/antennas, but I dare not remove them (dont even know how to) and re-arrange them - don't you need to unscrew them or something?

[freezerburrn]

When I switched the wires around I just used a needle nose plier to gently pull out the wires from the attachments and then used the pliers in combination with my index finger to push the connectors into the appropriate sockets.

So now, as stated before my wires are as follows:

BT: disconnected
1: connected to BT module
2: connected to top of Airport
3: connected to bottom of Airport

It really works like a charm now, I'm really suprised.

The only negative thing I have to say about switching the wires is I lost the darn insulator tube that went over the previously unconnected 2 wire.

[waremaster]

Was that for me? If so, I have no problem finding the cables/antennas, but I dare not remove them (dont even know how to) and re-arrange them - don't you need to unscrew them or something?


The Cables are just clipped on no screws for that.

[scoopz]

BT: disconnected
1: connected to BT module
2: connected to top of Airport
3: connected to bottom of Airport


I've got mine set up that way too now. See image attached.

[YoYoMa]

I've got my cable connected to the #1 wire and things have been going great so far. An interesting note on this third Mac Pro though is that my BT cable seems to be connected somewhere behind the motherboard.

Also, I find it very strange that the Mac Pro installation manual says to connect the BT wire to the chip, yet it's the #1 wire that works. Is there anyone out there who gets good range with their bluetooth MM and has the BT wire connected?

[scoopz]

Right I used my Apple BT Keyboard to do a rough range test when connecting the module to wire #1 and BT wire. Also did a base run with no wire connected at all.

With no wire connected to the BT module i can continue to use my keyboard up to 2m away at most.
With wire labelled BT connected it vastly increases the range from 2m to roughly 6.5m including one plasterboard wall.
With wire #1 connected i reached the extents of the inside of my house and ended up at the far end of the driveway. As the crow flies only 9m from the base but bear in mind that's gone through the same plasterboard wall as above and then gone through a double skinned brick wall.

Next time i bring my laptop home from work I'll try and do some more scientific tests including signal db/accurate distance/graph.

[Jeewhizz]

What's the score on this in regards to warranty/applecare? Am I likely to void either of them by swapping the wires?

[waremaster]

What's the score on this in regards to warranty/applecare? Am I likely to void either of them by swapping the wires?

Honestly how would they know? Worst case if you are worried about that if you ever have a problem swap them back before you either take it in or applecare comes to fix it.

[Mundy]

Question:

After switching the wires so that they are connected as depicted in the picture above, is the AirPort range still good? Everyone is talking about how it has improved their BlueTooth range, but I want to be sure that my AirPort range doesn't suffer before I do the mod myself.

[scoopz]

Question: I want to be sure that my AirPort range doesn't suffer before I do the mod myself.
I cannot comment on whether airport range changed because I installed airport and btoot at the same time but I did note that the airport has strongest signal when connected as per my photo above. I think the only testing left for me to do is to try switching wire 2 and wire 3 with each other on the wirless card.

See this thread about issues I have been having with my wirless signal but completely unrelated to the wires, problems with a microwave.

[Jeewhizz]

I've spent about 10 mins gingerly moving round the inside of the case and can't find wire 1 :( I'm not going to play with it anymore - I'd rather apple fix it.

Hopefully they'll just send someone out!

Jee

[Macinposh]

I've spent about 10 mins gingerly moving round the inside of the case and can't find wire 1




Spent the same amount of time too.


Found out that I have only 3 cables, and NONE of them are marked..


Could it be that my pooper is from another plant,than yours guys?
Like from ireland (comp is in europe)?Is that plant even running anymore?


I mean,i have had some irregularities with BT MM,but nothing serious.
Just some occasional lagging under Rosetta programs.

[salz]

I have a intel mac pro 2.66. My first Mac. I was experiencing sluggish bluetooth mouse response as well. I was going to follow some of the advise in this forum right after the upgrade to 10.4.8. But to my surprise right after the upgrade my keyboard and mouse problems cleared up. Hope the helps someone else.

[freezerburrn]

To anyone who hasn't implemented a BT fix a user on this forum found,

has the 10.4.8 solved your BT woes?

[Jeewhizz]

the 10.4.8 update has caused a lot more lag in my BT connection now - it's almost unusable :(

[Surf and Turf]

i also am seeing a laggy coneection, especially with my mouse

[Simon R.]

My BT mouse is still as unusable as before:) Will try swapping the antennas ASAP.

[Jeewhizz]

I have spoken to applecare. The first guy I spoke too hadn't heard of the issue before. But when he spoke to another guy to get a second opinion on the matter, the other guy confirmed that apple are aware of the issues, and it's being classed as a Rev A. issue. They are keen to sort the problem out I was told!

They did want me to take it into an apple auth service center, but i refused as I have applecare, and it's barely 2 weeks old. In the end they agreed to send someone out, but they still might just take it back for testing if they can't do it onsite!

Any tips on backing up my mac pro?

[Dark Dragoon]

Well I've finally got my Mac Pro back from the Apple authorised repair shop, they couldn't find anything wrong with it. :confused:

But Bluetooth was definitely still not working properly, so I swapped the antenna leads myself. And now Bluetooth seems to be working properly. Though the Wi-Fi signal still seems a bit weak.

[quasar720]

I posted this over on the Apple Support forums but I thought I would pose the question here too. Isn't there a chance that all this mod does is swap a possibly too weak/short BT antenna for a more robust, longer Airport antenna? It would make sense that the #1 wire would be attached to a stronger antenna due to the fact that a wireless access point is more likely to be further away than a mouse and keyboard. Are we just foregoing our Airport signal strength for a maxed-out bluetooth signal boost? I mean, people are reporting being able to use their bluetooth devices from outside their homes and multiple floors away, that can't be right and I'm not sure it's even desirable. What happens if you have another computer user in your home/office who wants to use bluetooth? Isn't there a chance that your boosted signal will cause interference?

I would really like to hear what Apple has to officially say about this situation...

[Dark Dragoon]

I posted this over on the Apple Support forums but I thought I would pose the question here too. Isn't there a chance that all this mod does is swap a possibly too weak/short BT antenna for a more robust, longer Airport antenna? It would make sense that the #1 wire would be attached to a stronger antenna due to the fact that a wireless access point is more likely to be further away than a mouse and keyboard. Are we just foregoing our Airport signal strength for a maxed-out bluetooth signal boost? I mean, people are reporting being able to use their bluetooth devices from outside their homes and multiple floors away, that can't be right and I'm not sure it's even desirable. What happens if you have another computer user in your home/office who wants to use bluetooth? Isn't there a chance that your boosted signal will cause interference?

I would really like to hear what Apple has to officially say about this situation...

After I swapped the cables around the Bluetooth signal strength increased and the Airport signal strength remained moderate but usable.

Compared with my Mac Mini G4 1.42 the Bluetooth range is still shorter even after swapping the leads around. With my Mac Mini I can get a good signal 3 floors up, the Mac Pro now manages 2. From what I remember depending on the class of bluetooth device you have, Bluetooth can work up to 100m.

I don't think that the increased range is anything to worry about.

[Cowinacape]

I would really like to hear what Apple has to officially say about this situation...

I'm with you there, I gave up on the BT mouse and KB and went with a MS wireless 6000 combo key board and mouse. Once again MS delivers another great product, (really am a fan of their mice and boards) now just to sort out the interference problems with my better halfs Logitech wireless combo mouse and KB :rolleyes: (it's always something) Hopefully Apple will have something to say about this issue sooner rather than later.

[johneymac]

Well I had the Bluetooth card installed in my Mac Pro by the Apple store here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. It worked excellent! I had very, very good range with it and I ran my new Apple Bluetooth Mighty Mouse and my new Apple Bluetooth Keyboard no problem! Then about a week later I got a call form the store asking me to bring back my Mac Pro because they thought that they might have put the wrong wire on the Bluetooth Module so I returned to the store with my Mac Pro and they took the wire that was on the Bluetooth module off and put the "BT" wire on the Bluetooth module instead. After returning home with my Mac Pro and trying to use my mighty mouse and keyboard the range that I had first enjoyed was gone. The keyboard would not work very good and the mouse was worse. I opened the Mac Pro and put the wires back the way that they where and everything is back to working fine now. So I say to all who are having problems with their Bluetooth, take the "BT" wire off the Module and put the black wire on the one with no label and see if that fixes the problem. It did for me!!
Here is a link to a page that even backes me up http://guides.macrumors.com/Adding_Bluetooth_and_Wireless_to_a_Mac_Pro