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ivanwi11iams

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
4,535
3,083
Georgia, USA
Any idea why this f-key item shows on the screen from time to time?
When it happens, my hands/fingers are not even on the keyboard. Rather odd...

Screenshot 2021-11-24 at 22.51.47.png
 
You probably hit Fn+Esc keys, which switches the Media control keys with the standard F-Key settings. It's in the Logitech Options app settings.
 
If you have any Bluetooth devices connected, maybe one of them is malfunctioning. Same can be true of USB devices, so they could be the culprit. What keyboard(s) are you using when it happens?

Or if you have BT devices paired but not connected, maybe one of them is unintentionally turned on and connected, even though you think it's not. More than one person has posted on MR about "mystery keystrokes" or "mystery clicks", and it often traces back to a BT keyboard or mouse located in a backpack or closet, which they believed was turned off.
 
If you have any Bluetooth devices connected, maybe one of them is malfunctioning. Same can be true of USB devices, so they could be the culprit. What keyboard(s) are you using when it happens?

Or if you have BT devices paired but not connected, maybe one of them is unintentionally turned on and connected, even though you think it's not. More than one person has posted on MR about "mystery keystrokes" or "mystery clicks", and it often traces back to a BT keyboard or mouse located in a backpack or closet, which they believed was turned off.
Hmm, interesting. I am using MX Keys and MX Master 3. Both are connected via a unifier dongle. My Bose headset is connected to the Mac Mini M1, via Bluetooth. However, it is off (confirmed), and even off when this issue happens.

Rather odd...
 
How far away from a Wifi router are you when the problem occurs? Is the Wifi operating on the 2.5GHz band or the 5GHz band?

The 2.5GHz band is shared by a lot of common devices, including Bluetooth. If there's interference, odd things can happen. If you can temporarily disable 2.5GHz, and the problem goes away, then interference is likely.

I don't know what band your "unifier dongle" is operating on, but if it's 2.5GHz, other things could be causing interference or spurious decoding of radio signals.
 
How far away from a Wifi router are you when the problem occurs? Is the Wifi operating on the 2.5GHz band or the 5GHz band?

The 2.5GHz band is shared by a lot of common devices, including Bluetooth. If there's interference, odd things can happen. If you can temporarily disable 2.5GHz, and the problem goes away, then interference is likely.

I don't know what band your "unifier dongle" is operating on, but if it's 2.5GHz, other things could be causing interference or spurious decoding of radio signals.
WIFI router is downstairs, am upstairs. And, I use the LAN on the Mac Mini M1, versus WIFI. Not a fan of WIFI.
Thanks for the info on the dongle side of things.
 
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