Ever had trouble getting your Mac to recognize third-party peripherals, like a keyboard and mouse? Today’s featured setup is built around a brand-new Mac Studio mounted neatly on a pegboard behind a Samsung super ultra-wide display. But the Apple desktop computer refused to pair with a Logitech keyboard and mouse, according to the owner.
He said he had to go and buy Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse to establish working input devices. So what happened?
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Wall-mounted Mac Studio won’t pair with third-party peripherals
Redditor Lexphalanx complained about the hassle over getting his new Mac Studio to work with Logitech input devices in a post titled, “After 2 trips to the Mac store, the Studio has been successful integrated into my setup.”
Here’s Lex’s description of what happened:
Maybe some other people could or have tried to set up their Mac Studios with a third-party wireless keyboard and it worked for them, but it did not work for me. It kept prompting me to turn on my keyboard for pairing but would not recognize it, I tried using the USB receiver, and although the Mac Studio recognized that something had been plugged in, I had never set up that USB receiver to receive input from my logitech keyboard, my keyboard was already paired to three other devices none of which were that receiver, and I could not pair it to that receiver before setting up my computer. Maybe if I had used the receiver before I could have completed the set up without having to take another trip to the Mac store to ‘borrow’ a keyboard and mouse duo. I guess this is just the price I pay for refusing to ever use/own wired peripherals. Either way it’s done.
A commenter asked why he needed the Apple keyboard and mouse.
“When you set up the Mac Studio for the first time, it does not allow you access to the Bluetooth menu, the only way to continue the set up process is with an Apple keyboard and Mouse, or wired ones,” Lex replied.
Lex emphasized how much he hates wires. It wasn’t particularly clear if he tried the input devices’ USB-C cables or insisted on making Bluetooth work. You’d think he could tolerate the cables for a few minutes during setup. But the post’s discussion introduced doubt as to whether they’d work in this situation.
A Redditor pointed out that Lex should’ve been able to plug in his Logitech keyboard using its USB-C cable, even if only temporarily to get through the set-up process.
But someone else who has the same keyboard said the USB-C connection is only for charging. “I found out the hard way that it doesn’t work as a wired keyboard at all,” they said.
“Couldn’t you have just used the 2.5Ghz dongle instead of Bluetooth?” asked another commenter.
“The dongle requires you to have access to the Bluetooth menu to set it up, since you have to pick which hot key it is paired to,” Lex replied. “You can’t do that from the initial set up screen. I guess Apple does not want the computer to be receiving communications before you have secured it. It only trusts a hard-wired connection or their own technology until FileVault if a password is enabled, I dunno.”
Personally, we haven’t had this problem with a Mac. But it’s clear from a bit of research that it’s not uncommon. Fortunately, there are plenty of tips to be found online to troubleshoot situations like this.
Sources for tips on what to do if you’re having trouble getting a device to work with your Mac:
- Impossible to pair wireless keyboard after update to Monterey 12.0.1 (Apple Communities)
- Can’t pair 3rd party keyboard (Apple Communities)
- Bluetooth drivers don’t load until after login? (Apple Communities)
- If you see USB Devices Disabled on your Mac (Apple Support)
- How to quickly fix Mac Bluetooth not working (Setapp)
And, last but not least, we bet somebody out there covets that Alita: Battle Angel desktop wallpaper on the super-wide display in the photo above. You can find it here. And for the cool Mandalorian helmet and all of the setup’s gear, see the list below.
Photo: Lexphalanx@Reddit.com
Shop these items now:
Computer:
Display and webcam:
Input devices:
Accessories and decor:
- Ikea Skadis pegboard
- Star Wars Mandalorian helmet
- Yu-Gi-Oh LOB Exodia game card set, “The Forbidden One“
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
