Bluetooth Cutting Out - Apple Support is Beyond Useless

[NLLV]

I am on the phone now with Apple Support. I have my expensive Apple Care, but my Logitech M585 mouse and Logitech K780 bluetooth keeps cutting out.

It happens for a few seconds at a time, sometimes as often as every few minutes, sometimes not for several hours or a day, then it starts up again.

I have ensured that Big Sur is up to date, have deleted bluetooth devices I am not using, have reset the bluetooth via the taskbar icon, and I still get the mouse and keyboard cutting out several times per hour, at the same time.

She is in the process of telling me:

• This mouse and keyboard might not be compatable with MacOS (even though I am not using logitech software and the product pages describe them as MacOS compatible and IT IS OPEN STANDARD BLUETOOTH...)
• I might have too many USB devices plugged in. I am a video editor and online content creator. I have the mouse 18 inches from the mac, so I cannot use USB devices or too many of them suddenly?

Their solution is to bring it in to Apple and let them poke around with it.

Any suggestions before I lose my livelihood for several days?

 

[hg.wells]

Is this a new keyboard and mouse or have you been using it for a while and the issue has just started?

What have you changed recently in your environment?

 

[NLLV]

Is this a new keyboard and mouse or have you been using it for a while and the issue has just started?

What have you changed recently in your environment?

It is an existing keyboard from when I switched from windows, and a newer mouse.

I have switched to the magic mouse and keyboard and it seems stable now.

Not sure, but none of their suggestions seem to be the problem. Maybe either that keyboard or that mouse were the problem, but never had the issues on the last machine, the windows one.

 

[konstantinos34]

It could be bluetooth interference with your wifi.
If that is the case the solution is either:

1. Use ethernet for internet and close wifi.
2. If you're connected to Wifi via single channel (2.4ghz), switch to dual channel (5ghz) and the interference will be gone.

That was the solution to my problem on a macbook pro 2015 15"

Wifi and bluetooth were competing for the same frequencies. There are some macos options that you can change to change the way the OS prioritises bluetooth or wifi but they were not a solution to me. I'd either have wifi drops or bluetooth disconnections

 

[Ruggy]

It could be bluetooth interference with your wifi.
If that is the case the solution is either:

1. Use ethernet for internet and close wifi.
2. If you're connected to Wifi via single channel (2.4ghz), switch to dual channel (5ghz) and the interference will be gone.

That was the solution to my problem on a macbook pro 2015 15"

Wifi and bluetooth were competing for the same frequencies. There are some macos options that you can change to change the way the OS prioritises bluetooth or wifi but they were not a solution to me. I'd either have wifi drops or bluetooth disconnections

Something along these lines is almost certainly what it is.
Do some research on USB 3 interference.
USB 3 devices- peripherals- will scramble 2.4ghz connections near them and that includes bluetooth.
I had a problem where a USB 3 storage device connected to a router made my wifi network totally invisible.
Just moving things a bit can make a huge difference or as a start abandon all the USB cables with the blue connectors -i.e. meaning USB 3- and only USB 2 to see if it makes a difference.
It will be interference somewhere almost certainly.

 

[Fishrrman]

It sure would be nice if you told us WHICH MAC you have.

Having said that, bluetooth isn't what I'd call a reliable technology with the Mac.
Others will disagree, but that's my opinion.

AppleCare probably isn't going to help you with 3rd-party peripherals.

The Logitech keyboard/mouse you have...
Did they also come with a Logitech "unifying receiver", that plugs into a USB port?

If one did come with your setup, have you tried using it?
I guarantee that this will be SUPERIOR to bluetooth.

I'm thinking that one unifying receiver will work with both keyboard and mouse.

Also, is it possible to connect at least the keyboard using a wired USB connection?
Again, this WILL WORK when bluetooth does not.

Fishrrman's "second maxum":
"Use what works for you.
Don't use what doesn't work..."

 

[AppleSmack]

It is and it isn't Apple's fault.

My Logitech Bluetooth mouse suddenly stopped working one day. It just wouldn't pair - but it worked just fine under Bootcamp. When I updated to the next Mac OS release, the mouse started working again. So, Apple's fault.

However, Bluetooth is notoriously unreliable despite being an open standard. Logitech products often don't play nicely with standards (I use USB Overdrive which can't handle Logitech products because Logitech do things their own way). And just because Logitech say on the box that it works with Mac, it doesn't mean that it works with Mac. Bluetooth plus Logitech = boy oh boy. So, not Apple's fault.

 

[pmiles]

If you can go wired... go wired.
If you have to go wireless... go wifi or use rf.
Limit the number of bluetooth devices active at any time... like to 1.
In a nutshell... bluetooth has been a mixed bag since inception.