Problem with new iMac 27 inch losing connection to mouse & keyboard

Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Baltimore, MD
Your Mac's Specs
mac book pro 2011 vintage
I having intermittent problems of the magic mouse and keyboard disconnecting from the computer. I've been on the phone with Apple support two times and so far they can't solve the problem. The computer is one month old.

The OS is 10.14.2
Nothing else in connected to the computer except the modem. (No other items plugged in the USB ports)
Sometimes while using the computer I will see a picture of a mouse appear on the bottom of the screen with the word disconnected appears under it.
About 5 seconds later a picture of the keyboard appears and the word disconnected appears under it.
Sometimes after 10-20 seconds the pictures of the mouse and keyboard will appear and the word connected appears and everything works as normal.
When the keyboard disconnects, plugging in the keyboard with the charging cable does not solve the problem of the keyboard being disconnected. Turning the mouse or keyboard off and on does not solve the problem.
I used the computer off and on over the course of a day. I have the power settings set to turn off the monitor and disk drive after 15 minutes of inactivity. I woke the computer up by pressing the return key and started to use it. About one minute into use the mouse and keyboard disconnected and I had to power down the computer to get them connected again.
One time when the keyboard and mouse disconnected I had the bluetooth status on the screen and saw that the status turned to "disconnected".
Even when the mouse disconnects I can still see the bluetooth function of the mouse on my phone so the problem has to be in the computer and not the mouse and keyboard.
When the mouse and keyboard disconnected last night there were no other bluetooth devices turned on in my house including my phone.
The charge level on the mouse is currently 57% and the keyboard 82%.
This problem may happen 1-2 times a day or not at all for 1-2 days.

Anyone else have this problem and if so how did you solve it?
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
15,452
Reaction score
3,808
Points
113
Location
Winchester, VA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 16" 2023 (M3 Pro), iPhone 15 Pro, plus ATVs, AWatch, MacMinis (multiple)
Are there any other wireless devices nearby (cell phone, land line wireless phone, ISP router, remote controls for TV/Cable, Wireless printer, neighbors with devices, etc)? All of those can interfere with BT connections. So if you have any/all of those, work to eliminate them. The indications you are seeing for disconnect/connect are all normal. I don't know what you mean by, "plugging in the keyboard with the charging cable does not solve the problem of the keyboard being disconnected." Are you talking about trying to use a USB connected keyboard and it still doesn't work? Or are you plugging the wireless into a charger? Also, what Mac?

EDIT: Never mind the what Mac, your title says it's a 27 iMac and you say it's a month old so we will assume a brand new one.
 
OP
CarrollB
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Baltimore, MD
Your Mac's Specs
mac book pro 2011 vintage
Apple support told me to plug in the charging cable to the keyboard to see if it would make the computer recognize the keyboard. It is a new iMac, installed the Friday after Thanksgiving. There are no other bluetooth devices anywhere near the computer. If my Verizon router is causing the problem then what good is the computer? I have another call into Apple support. I think they will eventually ask me to reload the OS. I really feel the problem is within the bluetooth module inside the iMac.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
15,452
Reaction score
3,808
Points
113
Location
Winchester, VA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 16" 2023 (M3 Pro), iPhone 15 Pro, plus ATVs, AWatch, MacMinis (multiple)
There are no other bluetooth devices anywhere near the computer.
That's good, any wireless telephones? Close by neighbors? The "charging cable" is plugged into the keyboard on one end. What's on the other end?

Sometimes moving things a few inches can make a big difference in signal strength. At the frequencies of BT, a wavelength is pretty short. A full wavelength is under 5 inches ( about 12.5 cm) so moving the iMac 1-2 inches one way or another (or the keyboard/mouse) can make a real difference. And given that there are at least three transmitters (iMac, KB and Mouse) all in close proximity, moving the iMac a couple of inches could take it out of a deep null in the interference pattern from the three.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
The "charging cable" is plugged into the keyboard on one end. What's on the other end?

The magic keyboard that ships with the 2017 iMac comes with a charging cable (lightning on one end, USB on the other) that attaches to any USB power source. I attach mine to a spare port on the back of my iMac and it generally will fully charge the keyboard in around an hour or two.

I don't use the magic mouse (still in the original box) so I can't comment on how fast it will charge. But the same cable can be used for that too.
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
15,452
Reaction score
3,808
Points
113
Location
Winchester, VA
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 16" 2023 (M3 Pro), iPhone 15 Pro, plus ATVs, AWatch, MacMinis (multiple)
Thanks, Charlie. I was trying to figure out if the cable was attached to the iMac, making the keyboard into a USB keyboard, but from you description I take it that like my MM with the same charging cable, when it's charging it is disconnected from the Mac. I still suspect interference, as there are a lot of signals that can interfere with BT.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
758
Points
113
Location
Ohio (USA)
Your Mac's Specs
2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
For my 2 cents - bad bluetooth module in the iMac.

Seriously, I have a 2010 Mac Pro that sits in the mists of a bluetooth and wireless signal highway. The apple wireless keyboard and trackpad never miss a lick. I did recently upgrade the bluetooth and wireless module to get airdrop and wireless ac speed, but still my old module never dropped a connection. So if my old girl can do the job and a brand new iMac is not - bad module. Oh, and my girl is running Mojave.

Unless there is some bazaar app interference - which would be weird and rare - I still think hardware.

Lisa
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Whether it's a bad BT module or not, the OP should make an appointment with his local genius bar and have them run diagnostics. If the BT module is bad, it's likely they will just swap his iMac for a new one since his iMac is brand new.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
758
Points
113
Location
Ohio (USA)
Your Mac's Specs
2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
^^^^ Yes, what he said!!!

Lisa
 
OP
CarrollB
Joined
Jan 19, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Baltimore, MD
Your Mac's Specs
mac book pro 2011 vintage
An update: I have spoken with Apple support several times. He wanted me to tell him the exact time to the seconds that the mouse and keyboard disconnect. Evidently the computer keeps a log of what's happening. Two days ago he called me, after I told him I knew to the second when the mouse and keyboard disconnected and then re-connected on that day. He had me download the log from my iMac, zip the file, and email it to him. Said he would have the engineers look at what was going on when this disconnect happened. Told me I should hear back in a couple of days once the engineers analyzed the data.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
863
Reaction score
52
Points
28
An update: I have spoken with Apple support several times. He wanted me to tell him the exact time to the seconds that the mouse and keyboard disconnect. Evidently the computer keeps a log of what's happening. Two days ago he called me, after I told him I knew to the second when the mouse and keyboard disconnected and then re-connected on that day. He had me download the log from my iMac, zip the file, and email it to him. Said he would have the engineers look at what was going on when this disconnect happened. Told me I should hear back in a couple of days once the engineers analyzed the data.

Now that's what I like to hear from tech companies!
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top