Bluetooth does not see mouse

[lbsimon50]

I have been reading this forum for about a couple of years, since I got my first Mac (after using Windows since 1992). But this is my first posting.

To prevent unnecessary questions - yes, I did do a search for the problem on the Forum.

I have a 15" 2016 MBP running Big Sur, but the problem started while it was still running Catalina, which brings me to think that the issue with the mouse is hardware rather than the OS. Anyway, when I got the Mac I bought a Logitech M557 mouse that was supposed to run with Macs. And it did. As soon as I turned it on, the Mac immediately recognized it and I was able to use it. About three months ago it started momentarily freezing on the screen or jumping, and it got to the point of being unusable.

I decided that it was just broke down, and instead of diagnosis the problem I just bought a no-name mouse for a Mac for just $13 on Amazon. Presto! Problem solved, no more issues. That is, until a couple of days ago when I had to reboot the machine, and the new mouse exhibited the same behavior as the old one.

At that point I tried to pinpoint the culprit and detected something weird. The Bluetooth settings show me the presence of the both mouses (mice?) with one of them as connected. And the connected mouse works, just erratically. But the Mouse Settings do not detect any mouse.

Just to present a full picture, I use this MBP through a docking station, with an an external peripherals, such as drives, ethernet, HDMI monitors, etc. Only the mouse and the keyboard are running directly off the MBP's BT.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

-Leo

 

[MacInWin]

Any other BT devices nearby? Wireless landline phone? Security system wireless sensor? Anything else in that frequency band (Remote controls, etc)? At the frequency BT uses, a few inches can make a huge difference in interference pattern, which can cause erratic behavior. And by a few inches, I mean 1 or 2. So, could it be something interfering with the mouse/Mac link?

 

[lbsimon50]

Does not look like it. The only BT device on the same desk is my iPhone. But it would not explain why BT settings see the mouse, while the mouse settings do not.

 

[ferrarr]

When did you upgrade to Big Sur? I know you said the issue started before Big Sur was installed.

I don't ever remember having mouse settings, for anything other than a Magic Mouse.

Are either of the two bluetooth mouse rechargeable, or do they run on batteries?

Do the batteries need to be replaced?

Can you test with new batteries for comparison? I've noticed some times batteries do not have enough power, but still allow devices to function (improperly).

 

[lbsimon50]

Sorry for a late reply, was very busy. Update:

I took the Logitech mouse to my wife's 2018 MBP. "Set Up Bluetooth Mouth" immediately saw it, identified, and a Connect button appeared. So now I suspect the issue is my MBP hardware, but I have no idea what can be done about it.

And to answer Bob's (ferrarr) questions:

Yes, there is a Mouse in System Preferences. If you open it, at the bottom of that window is a button "Set Up Bluetooth Mouth...". That's the one that works in my wife's mac but not in mine.

One of the mouses is rechargeable from a USB port, the other - regular AA batteries. Just in case I recharged the former and put fresh batteries in the latter. No changes in behavior.

I installed Big Sur around last November, I think. At least a couple of months after it was released.

-Leo

 

[MacInWin]

You might try an SMC reset.

 

[lbsimon50]

I read about it, and it looks like it is a kind of complicated. Is it a long process? Of course I have a Super Duper system and iCloud backups.

 

[MacInWin]

A few seconds. Not long at all. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

 

[lbsimon50]

Just did the SMC reset. It worked, no more jumping mouse! Thanks Jake.

 

[Rod]

Wow! Just goes to show simple remedies actually work sometimes. Well done Jake.

 

[MacInWin]

Hardware issues are often just an SMC problem. Lucky guess.

 

[lbsimon50]

I am a real novice with macs. Digital’s (remember that company?) CP/M since 1984, MS-DOS since 1987, Windows since 1992. Shows my age, I guess...

 

[MacInWin]

CP/M was Digital Research, as I recall. "Digital" was shortened from Digital Electronics Company, or DEC, and was a different company altogether.

I ran CP/M on a Radio Shack Model 1 I had hacked. Lovely operating system. Too bad DR didn't treat IBM better when they came to visit in Monterey, CA. IBM was looking for an OS for the first gen PC, very hush-hush. Gary Kildall, owner of DR, was an arrogant SOB who decided to go flying while IBM dealt with his wife. She wouldn't sign the NDA that IBM required, so they left and went to visit Bill Gates in Seattle. Gates thought they wanted his BASIC interpreter, but when he realized they wanted the OS instead, he bought Seattle Computing, the developer of DOS, bundled it with his BASIC interpreter and entered into an agreement with IBM. The rest is history.

 

[lbsimon50]

You are right, CP/M was Digital Research, and I do not remember what I used it on. Memory failure. That demonstrate my age even better!

DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) had VAX/VMS. I worked there for 11 years, left shortly before it was acquired by Compaq.

 

[MacInWin]

Your are correct, Digital Equipment Corporation. That's my memory gone down the memory hole.

What I liked about CP/M was that the 100 byte bootloader looked to see how much memory was installed, then installed the rest of the OS at the top of memory. So you could change the amount of memory and the system adjusted. MSDOS had a limit of 768KB at first because Gates didn't think any PC would ever need more than 1MB. So he appropriated the address space from 768k to 1Meg for system drivers. Then when memory came along and was cheap, MS had to figure out how to jump over that system block in systems with more RAM. Made for some ugly systems for a while. CP/M enforced relative addressing for all system functions, so they could adjust. CP/M was a much better OS, but couldn't compete once IBM picked MS. How history could have been different, if only...

 

[lbsimon50]

Please don't drag me down that memory lane, or we will be talking until tomorrow!!!

 

[BobHas]

CP/M was Digital Research, as I recall. "Digital" was shortened from Digital Electronics Company, or DEC, and was a different company altogether.

I ran CP/M on a Radio Shack Model 1 I had hacked. Lovely operating system. Too bad DR didn't treat IBM better when they came to visit in Monterey, CA. IBM was looking for an OS for the first gen PC, very hush-hush. Gary Kildall, owner of DR, was an arrogant SOB who decided to go flying while IBM dealt with his wife. She wouldn't sign the NDA that IBM required, so they left and went to visit Bill Gates in Seattle. Gates thought they wanted his BASIC interpreter, but when he realized they wanted the OS instead, he bought Seattle Computing, the developer of DOS, bundled it with his BASIC interpreter and entered into an agreement with IBM. The rest is history.

DEC >> Digital Equipment Corporation.

 

[lbsimon50]

After about a month of perfect work, today the mouse started acting up again - jumping all over a screen. I checked the Mouse settings in the System Preferences, and neither of my two bluetooth mouses could be found in the Setup Bluetooth Mouse section, while the Bluetooth setting at the top of the Mac's screen does show them together with the keyboard. I said No Problem! Now I know how to fix that, and did the SMC reset.

Except, this time it did not help.

Any more helpful hints, please?

 

[lbsimon50]

This mouse behavior drives me nuts! Any ideas, guys?

 

[MacInWin]

Guessing here, but how is the trackpad on the MBP? And is the case bulging at all? You can check for a bulge by putting a ruler or straightedge across from left to right, either just above the trackpad or just across the top of the trackpad and it should sit flat all the way across, not rocking and touching on both edges. If there is a bulge, it could be the battery swelling, in which case I would suggest a new battery as swollen batteries are actually dangerous over time. Plus, they push up on the bottom of the trackpad and keyboard, leading to all kinds of strange behavior of the trackpad, mouse, keyboard, etc.