M4 Mini will not wake from sleep via monitor connected keyb/mouse

[HiVolt]

I have my new M4 Mini attached to a Dell 49" Ultrawide monitor via USB-C, and into the monitor's USB ports I have plugged in the USB receivers for my logitech keyboard and mouse.

I have noticed that the M4 mini will not wake up from sleep when moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard. It worked perfectly fine on the old 2018 Intel mini as well as on my PC also hooked up to the same monitor, which has a built in KVM switch. I have to wake it up with a bluetooth connected apple keyboard which I do not like, I prefer the mechanical keyboard.

As this is my first Apple Silicon Mac is there some setting I have to check? I went to the Energy section its very bare. The monitor doesnt have any special settings, and like I said it worked before on 2018 Intel mini even up to Sequoia.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Davefevs]

My new base model Mini wakes up from a press of my Keyboard connected via bluetooth.

 

[CharlesShaw]

It worked perfectly fine on the old 2018 Intel mini as well as on my PC also hooked up to the same monitor

You mean the Logitech dongles were also plugged into the monitor's ports when you used the Intel mini? Are they active when the monitor powers down? (Btw, thanks for reminding me that my LG 4K monitor also has a couple USB A ports that are active when connected via USB-C. I have an ancient USB-A mouse I keep around for troubleshooting.)

M4 mini is also my first Apple Silicon (also replacing a 2018 Intel mini), but I recall that my 2018 mini had stopped waking with my Logitech keyboard and mouse, and my fix was to turn off FireVault. Have you tried pairing them directly to the Mac with BT instead of the dongles?

I chose to just repurpose my Mac Magic Keyboard that I'd been using with my iPad Pro, and treat myself to a Magic Trackpad. I work from home with a work-provided Windows laptop connected to my monitor and Logitech MX stuff, so I decided to let the Mac to feel different from when I'm working, so I'm in no hurry to see if they work on the new Mac yet.

 

[HiVolt]

Yeah the usb ports are active. i've been using the dell monitor as a KVM switch (by switching inputs it also switches the usb ports) with the old 2018 mini and my PC for 5 years or so since i've had this monitor, and it would wake up no problem.

Yeah I can pair the mouse and keyboard to the mac via bluetooth but that defeats the purpose of easy switching of the monitor's KVM function.

As for FileVault, I disabled it during the installation.

 

[EugW]

Are you sure it's the Mac mini that's not waking up? Perhaps it's the Mac mini not properly sending the signal to the monitor to wake up. Cuz that's what I think is happening with my M4 Mac mini running through a Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 hub. However, I *think* wake from sleep is working fine when the monitor is directly connected to the Mac mini, not through the hub.

M1 Mac mini --> Plugable TB4/USB4 hub --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep works fine.
M4 Mac mini --> Plugable TB4/USB4 hub --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep doesn't consistently work.
M4 Mac mini --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep works fine (so far at least).

My keyboard is an Apple wireless Bluetooth model, and the mouse is some cheap RF wireless one that is plugged into the hub. Actually it's plugged into a USB 2.0 hub that is in turn plugged into the Plugable TB4/USB4 hub.

If my wake from sleep continues to work fine if I bypass the hub, then I'm OK with that, but it "wastes" a rear Thunderbolt port. Right now I have the 3 Thunderbolt 4 hubs populated:
1. TB4/USB4 hub
2. External SSD
3. Monitor

I wanted to add an external Time Machine drive, but I guess I'll have to hope it works well through the TB4 hub, or else I will have to plug it into one of the front USB ports which kinda would look ugly.

 

[EugW]

M1 Mac mini --> Plugable TB4/USB4 hub --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep works fine.
M4 Mac mini --> Plugable TB4/USB4 hub --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep doesn't consistently work.
M4 Mac mini --> Huawei MateView 28" monitor: Wake from sleep works fine (so far at least).

My keyboard is an Apple wireless Bluetooth model, and the mouse is some cheap RF wireless one that is plugged into the hub. Actually it's plugged into a USB 2.0 hub that is in turn plugged into the Plugable TB4/USB4 hub.

I removed that USB 2.0 hub and wake from sleep with the monitor plugged into the hub seems to work again now. Interesting. We shall see if this holds up. If so then great, cuz then I'll have a free port to plug my Time Machine drive into the back of the Mac mini.

 

[HiVolt]

Are you sure it's the Mac mini that's not waking up? Perhaps it's the Mac mini not properly sending the signal to the monitor to wake up. Cuz that's what I think is happening with my M4 Mac mini running through a Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 hub. However, I *think* wake from sleep is working fine when the monitor is directly connected to the Mac mini, not through the hub.

Yeah I believe that it's the mini that's not waking up, because as soon as I push a key on the Apple BT keyboard, I hear a click from my Apple Watch that unlocks the screen, and then the monitor wakes up. Unfortunately I don't have a USB-C to USB-A port adapter to see if these Logitech dongles would wake up the mini when not plugged in via the Dell monitor. I may pick up an inexpensive USB-C hub with USB-A ports, i will probably need it some day anyway.

I tried all 3 TB ports on the back thinking one of them may be special (like the middle for DFU Restore), but they all behave the same way.

The setup is identical to how it worked on the 2018 Intel Mini.

BTW I also wish the Mini's LED would pulse like they used to back in the day when it sleeps. They got rid of that on the 2018 mini as well. I wish there was a setting for this. Such a simple things they take away from us.

 

[EugW]

I removed that USB 2.0 hub and wake from sleep with the monitor plugged into the hub seems to work again now. Interesting. We shall see if this holds up. If so then great, cuz then I'll have a free port to plug my Time Machine drive into the back of the Mac mini.

Nope. Not consistent. The only way I can consistently wake the Huawei monitor up is to have it directly plugged into the M4 Mac mini, and not through the Thunderbolt 4 hub. (With the M1 Mac mini, wake worked fine through the hub.)

Yeah I believe that it's the mini that's not waking up, because as soon as I push a key on the Apple BT keyboard, I hear a click from my Apple Watch that unlocks the screen, and then the monitor wakes up. Unfortunately I don't have a USB-C to USB-A port adapter to see if these Logitech dongles would wake up the mini when not plugged in via the Dell monitor. I may pick up an inexpensive USB-C hub with USB-A ports, i will probably need it some day anyway.

I tried all 3 TB ports on the back thinking one of them may be special (like the middle for DFU Restore), but they all behave the same way.

The setup is identical to how it worked on the 2018 Intel Mini.

BTW I also wish the Mini's LED would pulse like they used to back in the day when it sleeps. They got rid of that on the 2018 mini as well. I wish there was a setting for this. Such a simple things they take away from us.

I really miss the slow pulsing LED in sleep mode too. Not only is it a cute touch, it also helps troubleshoot wake issues with these devices.

I have an old small dongle that I bought like 7 years ago that converts USB-C to 2 x USB-A and 2 x USB-C. It actually works reliably, but it's only 5 Gbps through the USB ports, and drives connected to it reflect that slow speed. So, I've ordered another one from AliExpress that has the same number of ports, but supports 10 Gbps. Hopefully it works as reliably as the current one I have. It cost all of $12 shipped.

 

[jasg49]

Similar problems here with an M4 Mini & Dell U3014 monitor connected via DiaplayPort. BT Apple KB and mouse.

Using the 'Sleep' menu results in an unwakeable display/Mac? Timeout sleep is fine so I have set a short time limit.

Dell monitor has a pulsing power button when sleeping but when Mini put to sleep manually, that monitor light goes off and monitor cannot be turned back on. Unplugging DisplayPort cable or monitor power is the only solution.

2012 Intel Mini had no problems.

Similarly, I used to have both 2012 & 2009 Minis connected and could switch back and forth. With 2009 replaced by M4 I can no longer do that. Once I switch to 2012, I cannot go back to M4 without unplugging M4.

 

[IvyKing]

On the flip side, I am not having any problem awakening my M4 Mini with pressing a key on a wired keyboard connected through the monitor. My keyboard has a USB-A plug, so the USB-A ports on the monitor was the easiest way to connect. The monitor is an Apple ThunderBolt, so that might explain the difference in outcomes.

 

[HiVolt]

I got a cheap USB-C dongle with USB-A ports, and the logitech keyboard/mouse receivers hooked up to it directly do wake up the M4 mini.

Just will not wake it when the logitech receivers are connected via the Displayport/USB-C cable going to the Dell U4919DW 49" monitor once it goes to sleep. And it doesn't even matter if I leave the monitor input on USB-C. I can wake it by hitting my Apple BT keyboard.

I hope that it's some sort of bug that Apple fixes, as it appears that there are several different wake from sleep bugs being mentioned here.

 

[EugW]

I got a cheap USB-C dongle with USB-A ports, and the logitech keyboard/mouse receivers hooked up to it directly do wake up the M4 mini.

Just will not wake it when the logitech receivers are connected via the Displayport/USB-C cable going to the Dell U4919DW 49" monitor once it goes to sleep. And it doesn't even matter if I leave the monitor input on USB-C. I can wake it by hitting my Apple BT keyboard.

I hope that it's some sort of bug that Apple fixes, as it appears that there are several different wake from sleep bugs being mentioned here.

Proper wake from sleep support with external input devices is not mandatory for either Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3 hubs. It's just optional, meaning it's going to be very hit and miss. It only became mandatory with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4. That isn't to say it's perfect with TB4/USB4 but there would be a higher chance it would work if you plugged the input devices into a TB4/USB4 hub, but I see you already got some cheap USB hub that works. In my case I'm lucky. I have my RF mouse plugged into an ancient USB 2.0 hub I had lying around, which is in turn plugged into my USB 3 monitor, and it works fine for wake from sleep.

 

[zterm]

Dell monitor has a pulsing power button when sleeping but when Mini put to sleep manually, that monitor light goes off and monitor cannot be turned back on. Unplugging DisplayPort cable or monitor power is the only solution.

I'm experiencing the same issue with a Dell U2713H monitor connected to my Mac Mini using a USB-3 to DisplayPort adapter. I have an old Apple Extended wired keyboard plugged into one of the USB-A ports and a Logitech MX Master 3S connected via Bluetooth.

I also tried using an old Apple Bluetooth keyboard, but that didn’t work either. Once the Mac Mini turns off the monitor, the only way to wake it up is by unplugging both the power cable and the USB-3 to DisplayPort cable from the monitor.

This is extremely frustrating.

 

[IvyKing]

Proper wake from sleep support with external input devices is not mandatory for either Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3 hubs. It's just optional, meaning it's going to be very hit and miss. It only became mandatory with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4.

Emphasis added by me.

This sounds like the explanation for why wake on sleep works with the USB-A ports on my Thunderbolt display, but isn't working for some monitors or hubs. This why I was hoping the Mini would have a couple of USB-A ports, even if they were restricted to USB 2.0 speeds. USB-A is NOT going away.

 

[jasg49]

A little more research. I have a 2012 Mini connected to Dell U3014 via a MiniDisplayPort cable and an M4 Mini connected via USB-C to DisplayPort.

With 2012 alone: 1) Sleep works 2) Timeout sleep works 3) Can switch monitor to different input and back woth no problems. USB keyboard wakes just fine.

With M4 alone: 1) and 3) fail - resulting in a monitor that seems to be powered off - no pulsing power button. For 2) Apple BT Kb & mouse wakes.

Cannot have Minis powered up without M4 eventually being unusable.

 

[EugW]

Emphasis added by me.

This sounds like the explanation for why wake on sleep works with the USB-A ports on my Thunderbolt display, but isn't working for some monitors or hubs. This why I was hoping the Mini would have a couple of USB-A ports, even if they were restricted to USB 2.0 speeds. USB-A is NOT going away.

I wonder if a powered hub would help in some situations. Is the monitor @HiVolt has shutting off power to USB during sleep?

I just ordered a cheap USB-C hub with two 10 Mbps USB-A ports and two 10 Mbps USB-C ports, for like US$10 or something, but made sure to get one that accepts external power. Not one to charge a laptop, but one to power the ports. I just have to provide my own 5V 2A USB-C power source. I think I’ll use an old school Apple 12 Watt adapter.

 

[HiVolt]

Proper wake from sleep support with external input devices is not mandatory for either Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3 hubs. It's just optional, meaning it's going to be very hit and miss. It only became mandatory with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4. That isn't to say it's perfect with TB4/USB4 but there would be a higher chance it would work if you plugged the input devices into a TB4/USB4 hub, but I see you already got some cheap USB hub that works. In my case I'm lucky. I have my RF mouse plugged into an ancient USB 2.0 hub I had lying around, which is in turn plugged into my USB 3 monitor, and it works fine for wake from sleep.

Then how did it work properly with this monitor hub with the 2018 Intel Mini? This is going over one USB-C cable from the Mini to the Dell monitor carrying the Displayport and USB signals.

The only reason I want this to work is because I use the KVM switch feature of the monitor to easily switch between the Mac and PC and have one keyboard/mouse.

 

[HiVolt]

I wonder if a powered hub would help in some situations. Is the monitor @HiVolt has shutting off power to USB during sleep?

No, it does not. the USB ports remain powered during the monitor sleep. I checked with one of those USB power testers. It lights up and shows 5v DC power.

 

[EugW]

Then how did it work properly with this monitor hub with the 2018 Intel Mini? This is going over one USB-C cable from the Mini to the Dell monitor carrying the Displayport and USB signals.

It isn't that it's not supported in USB 3, but it was an optional feature and I guess different companies implemented it differently (or not at all). In USB 4, it's supposed to follow a common standard.

Anyhow, I wonder if the Intel Mac mini used an Intel chipset or some other third party chipset, whereas it's different with Apple Silicon.

BTW, the behaviour would change depending upon which Intel model. I remember back in the day, USB-C dongles that worked with the 2015-2016 MacBooks didn't work with the 2017 MacBooks. Because of this Amazon sellers started specifically advertising if their dongles worked with 2017 MacBooks. (I know this because I own a 2017 MacBook.)

 

[CharlesShaw]

How about if you set power settings so that the Mac never sleeps? I mean, it's a very small amount of energy. Mine never sleeps because it's a server (which is how I justify having it) and my tiny electricity bill is still tiny. It's an M4 mini and the top is cold to the touch, unlike the 2018 space heater mini it replaced.

 

[cjsuk]

This is an issue with the USB controller in some of the Dell monitors. The Dell U2723QE I just got rid of had the same problem when connected to both Dell machines and Apple ones via USB-C.

The Dell monitors are bloody awful and I'll never go near one ever again.

The only positive thing is it didn't violently explode like the $300 Dell dock I had before.

 

[jasg49]

This is an issue with the USB controller in some of the Dell monitors. The Dell U2723QE I just got rid of had the same problem when connected to both Dell machines and Apple ones via USB-C.

I came to this conclusion as well. An HDMI cable solved my initial problem with DisplayPort.

 

[zterm]

I came to this conclusion as well. An HDMI cable solved my initial problem with DisplayPort.

In my case, connecting my M4 Mac Mini to a Dell U2713H via HDMI defaults to YPbPr instead of RGB, resulting in noticeably worse image quality compared to using USB-C to DisplayPort.