Mac Mini 2012 Bluetooth Issues

[roxics]

In the last four or five months I've started having some serious connectivity issues with bluetooth on this machine. I've had it since 2013 and never had issues before, but it's constantly cutting out and disconnecting now. It's nearly impossible to listen to anything with bluetooth headphones anymore. My mouse and keyboard are randomly cutting in and out at times as well. All of the bluetooth will just shut off and disconnect everything and then ten seconds later come back on and reconnect.

I've even reset the bluetooth and reset the PRAM. The former fixed an issue I had where the machine just would not find a certain pair my headphones anymore, but the overall issues continue to persist.

Any ideas what might be going on or how I could fix it?
I use bluetooth for my mouse, keyboard, and headphones with this machine, so it's pretty important that it works.

 

[Skeletor322]

My 2012 Mac Mini used to have decent bluetooth performance, then one day bluetooth performance really tanked. The distance I could take a bluetooth speaker was cut down by around 60%. I did all sorts of resets and bluetooth profile deletes, which did not really change anything. In my case, I eventually figured out it was a usb 3.0 device or hub that I had started using. The same thing happened with my 2015 Macbook Air 11". I recently picked up a Mac Studio, and the bluetooth performance distance is far better than my 2012 mini on its very best day.

 

[roxics]

My 2012 Mac Mini used to have decent bluetooth performance, then one day bluetooth performance really tanked. The distance I could take a bluetooth speaker was cut down by around 60%. I did all sorts of resets and bluetooth profile deletes, which did not really change anything. In my case, I eventually figured out it was a usb 3.0 device or hub that I had started using. The same thing happened with my 2015 Macbook Air 11". I recently picked up a Mac Studio, and the bluetooth performance distance is far better than my 2012 mini on its very best day.

That's strange, but come to think of it I did add a new USB hub in December. I'll have to test that.

 

[Fishrrman]

"That's strange, but come to think of it I did add a new USB hub in December."

Take the hub OUT OF "the mix", and set it aside for now.
Also remove any peripherals you added after the hub.
Do things go back "as they were before"?

Bluetooth on the Mini is a "so-so" technology. It kind of works, but that's all.
It's never going to get better, not even on the new Minis that use the same format as the 2012.
It's a "very weak" radio technology that is easily "interfered with" when other devices (that emit electromagnetic radiation) get "in the way".

I don't use bt myself.
But I understand there's "a workaround" that can help.

That is -- add a 3rd-party USB bt adapter.
Put it on the end of a USB3 "extension cable" that looks like this:

Amazon.com: Usb3 Extension Cable 3ft

Amazon.com: usb3 extension cable 3ft

www.amazon.com

(numerous choices shown)

Then, "loop the extension cord" around so that the adapter is "brought closer" to your keyboard, mouse, etc.

There may be some terminal commands needed to force the Mac to "recognize" the 3rd-party adapter instead of the built-in bt.

Yes, this seems "clunky".
But others have said it solved the problems for them.