Honestly, maybe Mac Mini M1 is not for me

[tubular]

I have a 2018 i7 mini, and I have had to be careful about where I put external SSDs, because apparently some can, if they're too close to the mini, can interfere with BlueTooth.

 

[sublunar]

I have a 2018 i7 mini, and I have had to be careful about where I put external SSDs, because apparently some can, if they're too close to the mini, can interfere with BlueTooth.

Do you mean the main unit has to be far away from the SSD? Or is the cable itself an issue?

 

[tubular]

Do you mean the main unit has to be far away from the SSD? Or is the cable itself an issue?

I've got a cable going to a SATA III SSD in an external enclosure. For whatever reason, setting it adjacent to my mini caused BlueTooth problems, but stretching it out so it's about 18 inches away cured it. I don't know if the SSD, the enclosure, or the cable is the culprit, and I stopped investigating once I had a working solution.

Now, why the haha, circatee?

 

[circatee]

I've got a cable going to a SATA III SSD in an external enclosure. For whatever reason, setting it adjacent to my mini caused BlueTooth problems, but stretching it out so it's about 18 inches away cured it. I don't know if the SSD, the enclosure, or the cable is the culprit, and I stopped investigating once I had a working solution.

Now, why the haha, circatee?

Because I have been there! I was doing all sorts to get Bluetooth and such to work correctly. Oddly, I saw someone mention something similar about 'things' being within range of the MM.

Also, I will add, during the setup phase of the MM, I had a cheap wired keyboard and mouse, along with a 24" monitor.
That MM worked flawlessly during the setup process.

Now, once I switched to my main setup, i.e. a Samsung 49" via HDMI, Logitech MX Key and MX Master 3, plus installing Microsoft 365 suite, and a few other needed apps, then things seemed to start to not be as fluid...

 

[tubular]

This won't stop me from going to the next Mac mini update, though, even if it's the same problem.

 

[circatee]

What I find 'funny' is this, Apple has more than likely sold quite a few, maybe in the hundreds of thousands, of Mac Mini M1's, and surely for most customers, it just works.

For those said customers, I would love to know their setups, and experience with the Mac Mini M1 unit.

 

[Loyola]

What I find 'funny' is this, Apple has more than likely sold quite a few, maybe in the hundreds of thousands, of Mac Mini M1's, and surely for most customers, it just works.

For those said customers, I would love to know their setups, and experience with the Mac Mini M1 unit.

I am hoping mine just works when it arrives late next week.

 

[scoobysnax]

Ended up returning mine for the exact same reasons as the OP. Bluetooth connectivity was frustrating. I also have the MX Keys mouse and keyboard and every time the Mac Mini went to sleep, my peripherals disconnected and I had to plug in an old magic keyboard just to enter my password.

Tired of having to jimmy-rig this thing in order for it to work as expected.

 

[Kenjutsuz]

I have a 2018 Intel Mac Mini that’s rock-solid right now.

Used to have Bluetooth issues, but since I moved it from under my monitor, in front of my keyboard & mouse, to a mount under the desk, I’ve had no problems at all.

I think the distance solved the problem. Plus my desk is without the tangle of cables.

IMHO its the placement of devices near the Mac. Always hated wireless devices..interference with signal. Just my experiences.

 

[colinsky]

What I find 'funny' is this, Apple has more than likely sold quite a few, maybe in the hundreds of thousands, of Mac Mini M1's, and surely for most customers, it just works.

For those said customers, I would love to know their setups, and experience with the Mac Mini M1 unit.

I've had my 16/512 m1 Mini for a month now, and so far it just works. 5K LG Ultrafine central monitor with two Dell 2560x1440 monitors. LG is connected via Thunderbolt; one Dell via HDMI, the other via USB with a Startech adaptor.

About twice a week I get the pixel displacement on the LG 5K, but putting the Mini to sleep for two seconds has always fixed it so far.

 

[Kenjutsuz]

I've had my 16/512 m1 Mini for a month now, and so far it just works. 5K LG Ultrafine central monitor with two Dell 2560x1440 monitors. LG is connected via Thunderbolt; one Dell via HDMI, the other via USB with a Startech adaptor.

About twice a week I get the pixel displacement on the LG 5K, but putting the Mini to sleep for two seconds has always fixed it so far.

Sleep as in "Hot Corner"? About to buy a monitor with least of problems other users in MacRumours Forum have incurred. LG brand seems seems to have probs. Leaning towards 27" Samsung? Want all possible ports. Input from fellow forum members would be apppreciated. Not bad mouthing on LG.
TIA

 

[circatee]

Ended up returning mine for the exact same reasons as the OP. Bluetooth connectivity was frustrating. I also have the MX Keys mouse and keyboard and every time the Mac Mini went to sleep, my peripherals disconnected and I had to plug in an old magic keyboard just to enter my password.

Tired of having to jimmy-rig this thing in order for it to work as expected.

I totally hear you. I will confess, I was sort of determined to get the Mac Mini to work properly.
Based on multiple conversations and forum research, I even tried a MacBook Pro M1. For my particular use, not for me. Even more so, since I would need to purchase a CalDigit dock to 'make it all work correctly' as a daily work from home/desk setup.

No, just no. Those CalDigit docks are expensive. See my latest thread, here:

Mac Mini, take 4

This is now take 4, I believe, with a Mac Mini M1 (MM). However, this time around, I setup the unit with a wired keyboard and mouse, then perform the latest updates to Big Sur. With that, this MM is now on 11.4. Post the above, I installed software: Microsoft 365 Office suite Logitech...

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