Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ldaniel32

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 17, 2015
1
0
Hello,

I've searched extensively on this topic and can't find a resolution. Would love some advice / help.

I just bought a new 2014 Mac Mini 7.1, replacing a 3-year old one. I'm using it as a HTPC and it's located in a closet in another room behind our TV room. I have a wireless mouse and keyboard that work very spotty / with lag.

I had this issue on the old MacMini, so ran a very long USB extension cord through the crawl space and behind a panel in our TV room. I put a class 1 BT dongle on it and the mouse and keyboard worked great. No problems.

Now with the new MacMini I can't get them to use the new dongle. I bought two other dongles, a Linksys USBBT100 Bluetooth USB Adapter and a IOGEAR Bluetooth 4.0 USB Micro Adapter to see if those would work and nothing.

I installed Bluetooth Explorer to select the new Bluetooth device and it works worse than using the internal Bluetooth from the other room. I figured the dongle would work fine in the same room.

Any advice on how to get this to work?
 
Did you ever get this sorted out? I also have a Late 2014 Mac mini and I would like to try a USB extender + Bluetooth dongle. I think my USB 3.0 devices are interfering with my Magic Trackpad.
 
I'm not really sure what the problem is, but just to relay my experience I had a similar issue and a new USB Bluetooth adapter worked fine. I have my mini hooked up to my Thunderbolt Display but the mini is a few meters away, underneath my TV (not much space on the desk). I was getting very laggy Bluetooth with my mouse and keyboard because of some bookshelves between the mini and my desk, so I bought a USB Bluetooth adapter, plugged it into a USB hub that is plugged into my Thunderbolt Display, selected the new adapter with Bluetooth Explorer, and have never had a problem. It even keeps the new adapter after a restart. I'm using a Logitech LBT-UAN04C2BK Bluetooth adapter, if that helps. Perhaps your long USB extension cord is getting bad?
 
OK, great news to report. I bought the IOGEAR GBU521 Bluetooth adapter/dongle, and plugged it into a ~10ft USB extension cable I had lying around. No more erratic Magic Trackpad!

It was a little tricky to change the Bluetooth controller, but I followed the excellent instructions on this website: http://www.geekguides.co.uk/414/how-to-select-a-bluetooth-adapter-in-os-x/ Poor chap had the exact same issue I did!

The only issue is that I've lost Handoff support. :mad: In truth, it's a small price to pay in order to have very stable Magic Trackpad performance. It was getting so bad at times (like before a TM backup began) that the entire computer was unusable. Bluetooth on the dongle controller does remain, even after a reboot.

Crazy to think how bad USB 3.0 interference is. Intel even wrote a paper about it: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...al-bus/usb3-frequency-interference-paper.html
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.