Upgrading from 2019 to 2020 MBA Made External USB Mouse and Keyboard Stop Being Detected After a While

[Capeto]

Hey there,

As the thread title states, when using my MBA my external mouse and keyboard will stop being detected after a while, and the only solution is to fully reboot my computer, only for it to happen again after anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours.

I just switched from a 2019 MacBook Air to the 2020 model since I was still within the return period, and this issue did not occur with the 2019 MBA despite having the same setup. I had originally imported from a Time Machine backup made from my 2019 MBA when I first noticed the issue, so I did a full swipe and MacOS reinstall thinking maybe some drivers were messed up, but the issue still persists.

My current setup is as follows:

MacBook Air (2020)
└ USB-C Hub
    └ USB-C Power-In (Included 30W Charger + Cable)
    └ HDMI-Out to external monitor
    └ USB2-to-4K (HDMI) adapter to external monitor
    └ USB Splitter (other end goes on my desktop PC)
        └ USB2 Mouse
        └ USB2 Keyboard

Here are some things I have tried:
* Switching the splitter from my MBA to the PC and back to the MBA. The PC will detect the mouse and keyboard, but they won't be re-detected by the MBA
* Disconnecting and reconnecting the mouse and keyboard into the splitter
* Connecting the mouse and keyboard directly into the USB-C hub

Once they stop being detected, they are no longer detected by my MBA, no matter how many times I unplug and plug them back in

Additionally, the issue still arises when the MBA boots up and the mouse and keyboard are directly plugged in to the USB-C hub (without the USB splitter), indicating that the splitter is not the issue.

When the mouse and keyboard stop responding, the power-in, HDMI-Out, and the USB2-to-4K adapter still work normally, indicating that the USB-C Hub is not the issue either.

I've already tried resetting both the SMC and the NVRAM/PRAM, with no success. I've checked that Mouse Keys are not enabled. This issue is becoming a real PITA, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[Capeto]

For anyone who might have the same issue, the problem seemed to be the USB2-to-HDMI adapter drawing too much power. For some reason, it worked fine with the 2019 MBA, but not the 2020, and I didn't get the notification that one of my USB accessories was drawing too much power until I unplugged the USB-C power-in from the dock (while the dock was still connected to the MBA).

So far, it's been working fine without the USB-to-HDMI adapter connected, but if it stops working again I'll let you know.