Mac mini 2018 bluetooth problems

[Ben J.]

I got my very first mac mini a few weeks ago, coming from 2008 cheesegrater via imac 2017:
Mac mini, quad core i3, 3.6 GHz (Late 2018), 16 GB RAM
Everything's been great except the bluetooth performance is terrible!

Mice and keyboard is laggy and stuttery the second I get a few feet away from the mac, or the second something gets in the way. I searched the web and found that I'm not alone. It seems that it is a known issue with the 2018 mini, and the only thing you can do is accommodate this bad performance by shortening distances, having no obstacles; and things that help is like turning off wifi and using fewer TB/USB ports.

I tried everything, including using an external bluetooth dongle instead of the built-in, to no avail. I've ended up with fine-tuning the placement of my two mice and two keyboards, all apple, and positioning the mini high on the wall so that all devices have direct line without obstruction.

OK, I get it to work somehow. But now, I find there is a tendency that after hours of working good, the bluetooth connections start getting choppy and laggy again, and the only remedy is a restart, which fixes it immediately. It seems it is not only bad design of the mac mini, something in the os/software is also degrading the bluetooth performance!

I had my previous mac, imac 2017 21", running almost the same os, apps and configuration for months with none of these problems. And both the imac and the old mac pro would work fine bluetooth-wise in the same room as I am now, and even from the other room, thru a wall.

Any help/suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[Boyd01]

Bluetooth issues on the new Mini have been extensively discussed in this 25-page thread:

Mac mini 2018 Bluetooth issues?

I just upgraded to a 2018 Mac mini and everything has been great...except for bluetooth. I first noticed with my Magic Trackpad - it will only consistently work when plugged in via a lightning cable. If I unplug the cable it connects fine, but it will randomly stop tracking and start back up in...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Ben J.]

Thanks.
Yes, I'm aware of that thread, and others, and I've read thru most of it.
Never found any real solution, so I've ended up, like I said, perfecting the positioning of devices to get things to work.

The point of this thread is to hear if anybody has an idea what could be causing bluetooth to degrade over hours, and a restart immediately restores performance.

 

[deksawyer]

I've noticed that if my old 2011 imac is on (and it's 2 feet away from the mini until I sell it) the apple mouse/kb on my 2018 mini are flakey and drop connection often.

I've only been running the mini for a week, but I've noticed this phenomenon twice in that time...

 

[ElectronGuru]

I fixed mine by configuring WiFi to have separate names for 2.4 and 5 then making sure the mini only connects to 5.

I have usb3 boxes but by coincidence they are inside a metal cabinet. Not sure if that also helps. But definitely do the WiFi trick.

 

[Ben J.]

I fixed mine by configuring WiFi to have separate names for 2.4 and 5 then making sure the mini only connects to 5.

I have usb3 boxes but by coincidence they are inside a metal cabinet. Not sure if that also helps. But definitely do the WiFi trick.

Thanks.
Yes, in my search for a solution to this, I've read about people changing the frequency of the wifi channel to help bluetooth performance.

But I would think that this is irrelevant to me as I have shut wifi off.
Wouldn't you agree?

 

[MevetS]

Ben, I had Bluetooth issues, similar I think to what you are experiencing, where Bluetooth would seem to be working and then start acting 'wonky'. I literally have every port in my 2018 Mini in use (and them some). And WiFi is enabled. And I no longer have these issues. On my desk I also have a iPhone XS and a 2018 iPad Pro, both with WiFi and Bluetooth enabled. I also have my work computer, a Dell laptop running Windows, connected via WiFi and using a Bluetooth mouse. So I've got a lot going on in a small space. And I no longer have Bluetooth issues. So it is possible to get this worked out.

Are you using any USB hubs? I use several. Some folks have reported that some hubs and-or cables can be problematic, so you might try disconnecting hubs and seeing it that makes a difference. And as I note below, I removed one hub from my setup that may have helped.

One thing I noticed was that if the battery level was low on my Magic Trackpad V1 or my Sactechi Compact Keyboard then Bluetooth issues occurred. Installing new batteries (trackpad) or recharging (keyboard) restored complete connectivity.

I also made two changes in my setup that may have helped.

1. I removed a cheap four port USB C hub (2 USB3 and 2 USB C ports).
2. I retired several Firewire hard drives, connected using Apple dongles to go from FW -> USB 2 -> USB 3 or C (I don't exactly recall which).

I say may have helped because my Bluetooth issues went away after I made these changes. But I've not run any tests to see if reconnecting resulted in the problems returning.

It is very frustrating trying to get things to 'just work'. Good luck and I hope you get things sorted.

 

[Ben J.]

I have explored this for weeks now, as I have mice and keyboards both close and across the room. I've found that these things help the performance:
Place the mini so that there are no physical obstacles.
Turn it on it's side so that the underside faces front.
Turn off Wifi.
Don't use USB ports. Connect USB devices to adapters connected to the Thunderbolt ports instead.
These things combined helps so that I now can sit across the room, like four meters away, 12 feet, and magic mouse/keyboard works fully reliably.
I think the most important factor is the use of the ports. I'm now using none of the two USBs and just two of the TBs.

 

[stiligFox]

I had a USB 3.0 external drive that was causing problems on my mom’s 2018 Mac Mini. I wrapped the cable in aluminum foil and voila, no more interference.

USB 3.0 was so horribly designed by Intel - the fact that the standard shipped with it causing interference in the 2.4ghz range infuriates me. But I’m betting that’s the problem you’re having. I had the same problem on a 2015 MacBook Pro - I couldn’t use a Bluetooth mouse at all due to USB interference!

 

[Ben J.]

I had a USB 3.0 external drive that was causing problems on my mom’s 2018 Mac Mini. I wrapped the cable in aluminum foil and voila, no more interference.

USB 3.0 was so horribly designed by Intel - the fact that the standard shipped with it causing interference in the 2.4ghz range infuriates me. But I’m betting that’s the problem you’re having. I had the same problem on a 2015 MacBook Pro - I couldn’t use a Bluetooth mouse at all due to USB interference!

Thanks.
Yes, the most dramatic improvements that I had seemed to come from not using the two built-in USB ports. Thanks.

 

[Cavebear]

If my Magic Mouse 2 or Apple BT Keyboard are more than 18 inches from the Mini they skitter, lag, drop "frames" and all-but loose connectivity. My set up

• Items are charged at 80% or higher.
• All are brand-new from Apple Store
• No Wi-Fi enabled, ethernet only.
• Hub, no hub, no difference.
• I've had Macs since the SE / 20 and OS 7. I write for tech issues, but Apple Care talks to me like I'm a 1D-10T case.
• Meanwhile, I can leave my iPhone on one side of the house, put on my aftermarket headset and walk out into my front yard and never lose anything. Don't tell me there is nothing wrong with this Bluetooth Chip. I purchased an aftermarket BT adapter, but its not OSX compatible. So its Cupertino's way or the highway. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ben J.]

If my Magic Mouse 2 or Apple BT Keyboard are more than 18 inches from the Mini they skitter, lag, drop "frames" and all-but loose connectivity. My set up

• Items are charged at 80% or higher.
• All are brand-new from Apple Store
• No Wi-Fi enabled, ethernet only.
• Hub, no hub, no difference.
• I've had Macs since the SE / 20 and OS 7. I write for tech issues, but Apple Care talks to me like I'm a 1D-10T case.
• Meanwhile, I can leave my iPhone on one side of the house, put on my aftermarket headset and walk out into my front yard and never lose anything. Don't tell me there is nothing wrong with this Bluetooth Chip. I purchased an aftermarket BT adapter, but its not OSX compatible. So its Cupertino's way or the highway. Any help would be appreciated.

Did you try not using the two USB ports at all?
Turning it on its side so the underside faces out?

 

[Cavebear]

• Hub, no hub, no difference.

means whether I used the USB ports or not didn't help the issue. I even tried using one port, then the other, then both, then neither.

I moved the mini as close as possible, put it on its side with the belly facing the mouse and keyboard -and that has been more stable. This is not a placebo effect. The freezing/skittering/lagging was constant until I tried this. Either your mouse is responsive or it isn't. There's not a lot of grey area on that.

I've never encountered an Apple product that didn't work, or couldn't be fixed by an OS Update / PRAM dump. This is frustrating. Thank you for the tips. The side sleeper is the best fix yet.

 

[Ben J.]

• Hub, no hub, no difference.

means whether I used the USB ports or not didn't help the issue. I even tried using one port, then the other, then both, then neither.

I moved the mini as close as possible, put it on its side with the belly facing the mouse and keyboard -and that has been more stable. This is not a placebo effect. The freezing/skittering/lagging was constant until I tried this. Either your mouse is responsive or it isn't. There's not a lot of grey area on that.

I've never encountered an Apple product that didn't work, or couldn't be fixed by an OS Update / PRAM dump. This is frustrating. Thank you for the tips. The side sleeper is the best fix yet.

I have explored this for weeks now, as I have mice and keyboards both close and across the room. I've found that these things help the performance:
Place the mini so that there are no physical obstacles.
Turn it on it's side so that the underside faces front.
Turn off Wifi.
Don't use USB ports. Connect USB devices to adapters connected to the Thunderbolt ports instead.
These things combined helps so that I now can sit across the room, like four meters away, 12 feet, and magic mouse/keyboard works fully reliably.
I think the most important factor is the use of the ports. I'm now using none of the two USBs and just two of the TBs.

Quick update:
Since not using the USB3 ports, everything's been working good.
I've also had wifi turned on for a few days now, and it doesn't affect BT performance.
Any USB connections are on a hub connected to a TB port on the mini.

This is with three sets of apple magic keyboard/mouse at different distances from the mini. Up to twelve feet away.

 

[Cavebear]

After several rounds of escalation through Apple Support, they believe the BlueTooth module needs to be replaced. So I'll drop it off and they'll need it for 3 to 7 business days to do the repair. They explained that its not as simple as exchanging the part. So, that's all I know.

 

[Norbi99]

After several rounds of escalation through Apple Support, they believe the BlueTooth module needs to be replaced. So I'll drop it off and they'll need it for 3 to 7 business days to do the repair. They explained that its not as simple as exchanging the part. So, that's all I know.

Don't hold your breath. They replaced the whole motherboard in my Mac Mini Nov 2019 and it still had the same issue. Unless they have some newer motherboards which have the issue resolved, chances are you will still have the problem.
For me using USB3 with any external storage makes the magic trackpad (grey) and keyboard un-usable. Replaced my enclosures with USB-C and it works ok, but I still get the keyboard and trackpad disconnects at least once a day.

 

[jazz1]

Ben, I had Bluetooth issues, similar I think to what you are experiencing, where Bluetooth would seem to be working and then start acting 'wonky'. I literally have every port in my 2018 Mini in use (and them some). And WiFi is enabled. And I no longer have these issues. On my desk I also have a iPhone XS and a 2018 iPad Pro, both with WiFi and Bluetooth enabled. I also have my work computer, a Dell laptop running Windows, connected via WiFi and using a Bluetooth mouse. So I've got a lot going on in a small space. And I no longer have Bluetooth issues. So it is possible to get this worked out.

Are you using any USB hubs? I use several. Some folks have reported that some hubs and-or cables can be problematic, so you might try disconnecting hubs and seeing it that makes a difference. And as I note below, I removed one hub from my setup that may have helped.

One thing I noticed was that if the battery level was low on my Magic Trackpad V1 or my Sactechi Compact Keyboard then Bluetooth issues occurred. Installing new batteries (trackpad) or recharging (keyboard) restored complete connectivity.

I also made two changes in my setup that may have helped.

1. I removed a cheap four port USB C hub (2 USB3 and 2 USB C ports).
2. I retired several Firewire hard drives, connected using Apple dongles to go from FW -> USB 2 -> USB 3 or C (I don't exactly recall which).

I say may have helped because my Bluetooth issues went away after I made these changes. But I've not run any tests to see if reconnecting resulted in the problems returning.

It is very frustrating trying to get things to 'just work'. Good luck and I hope you get things sorted.

I really feel for you on this one. I had been interested in the 2018 MacMini, but the reports of this BT issue, and excessive CPU heat throttling have put me off. I’ve fallen in love with my Logitech MX Keys keyboard and MX Master 3 Mouse. I wouldn’t want to give them up.

Apple just won’t replace the unit? Of course if it is a universal hardware issue for the model I guess that won’t help. I don’t know people, I’ve been an Apple fan since the //+, and while no company is perfect, I think Apple needs to do better regarding these kind of deep issues.

 

[Cavebear]

After a five-day repair, I just got my mini back. They had to replace the BlueTooth module, and I think a lot of other components. (Since the SDD is soldered in, perhaps everything.). It seems to be working. The tech testing it put the keyboard 18 feet away in a room with multiple BT devices on. I am optimistic this solved the problem. Be advised I had to wait for an appointment, then they had to test it again. Then they had to order the parts. Then I had to drop off after the parts were in. Then I waited for five days. On one hand, they serviced it for free. On the other hand, losing a production machine for 21 days doesn't work for most people.

 

[Ben J.]

After a five-day repair, I just got my mini back. They had to replace the BlueTooth module, and I think a lot of other components. (Since the SDD is soldered in, perhaps everything.). It seems to be working. The tech testing it put the keyboard 18 feet away in a room with multiple BT devices on. I am optimistic this solved the problem. Be advised I had to wait for an appointment, then they had to test it again. Then they had to order the parts. Then I had to drop off after the parts were in. Then I waited for five days. On one hand, they serviced it for free. On the other hand, losing a production machine for 21 days doesn't work for most people.

Congratulations!
I think the real test is how it performs with external storage and peripherals connected to the ports. That's the problem many of us are experiencing. USB3 ports in particular.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[Cavebear]

I shelled out for the OWC dock as I can't deal with the USB issues on the machine. The doc also gives me Optical Out, micro-card drives, and a headphone jack that I can easily access. Unfortunately, they're $329 as of this writing, which was about $299 more than I wanted to spend.

 

[Ben J.]

Dock or no dock, let us know if using TB/USB ports affects your bluetooth performance, please.

 

[pritcee]

So I just got a cheap $2 bluetooth dongle, hooked it up to my usb 3 hub and it seems to solve my stuttering audio issues. lol. I don't know if it will hold in the long run, but so far its been doing okay!

 

[Mac... nificent]

A bit of good news to report. People testing 11.2 are saying that it has a new bluetooth firmware update which has fixed their Bluetooth issues. Hopefully this will be what we've all been hoping for....

 

[Easttime]

A bit of good news to report. People testing 11.2 are saying that it has a new bluetooth firmware update which has fixed their Bluetooth issues. Hopefully this will be what we've all been hoping for....

This would be huge if it pans out. Big Sur 11.2 is in beta. I’ll have to read up on firmware updating. But I always thought the Mac mini 2018 BT problem was hardware not software?

 

[Mac... nificent]

Yep, help is on its way;

M1 Mac Bluetooth problems finally set to be resolved – Apple - 9to5Mac

Apple has reportedly set that a fix is imminent for the M1 Mac Bluetooth connectivity problems reported by many users of the first ...

9to5mac.com