One Dongle For Keyboard And Mouse

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Karlyn Hemmerling

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Aug 3, 2024, 1:27:39 PM8/3/24

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Question: How do they coexist without interfering with each other? (Is there a limit to the number I could have in an office space?) And what if it all gets mixed up, Is there a simple method of sorting them all out?

--EDIT: One lesson has certainly been learned. I should never have installed the keyboards and mice before the move. We don't know when, but I know it will happen eventually. I should have just kept these new ones in their original boxes and made the upgrade part of the eventual move, one at a time.

There are at least two types of Logitech dongles (the modern ones, without "pairing" button). The newer ones are so-called "unified receivers" and marked with orange flower-like logo. The "unified receivers" can be modified with Logitech software and can be paired with any qualified device.

Older dongles (of exactly same shape) were paired only to the particular device, so they must be kept together, and usually the devices have an internal compartment to hold the dongle. Yes, it is inconvenient.

Each Logitech RF device has an unique identifier out of 65,000 available, and proprietary Logitech RF communication uses 78 channels (in 2.4GHz band). This white paper from Logitech indicates that interference-free communication can work up to 78 devices in 10m proximity.

The USB dongles are usually "Logitech unifying receivers" and, while initially paired with a particular device, are not permanently tied to it. You can pair a device with the dongle using Logitech's software.

The dongle and the mouse/keyboard have a "connect" button on them, usually red. Press the connect on dongle, then on the keyboard. Repeat for the mouse. Now they are "connected" and won't talk to or hear other dongles, mice, or keyboards. No clue about limits though.

OK. I found out how to do it and don't want to take base apart to get at the dongle. I upgraded my keyboard/mouse by using an external dongle for them and all seems to be working. But now the HP wireless keyboard/mouse are useless (want to use on my old desktop) without the dongle. Can I get a new/replacement?

Thanks for the help. I did contact tech support and found out that they do not sell the receiver/dongle separate and I would have to buy a new keyboard/mouse combo (with a new dongle). Bummer. I did not get a clear explanation as to what technology the dongle uses (bluetooth, 2.4 ghz, etc.), so I'm putting the subject aside for now.

Hi! Thank you for the quick reply. No dongle for either. I had a logitech dongle but it might have been from another mouse/keyboard combo for another k235. Are dongles specific to the keyboards/mice they come with?

Subject says it all for the most part. I have an external USB hub connected to one on my Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports on my MacBook Air early 2020 model running Catalina 10.15.4. At random times during the day (2-3 times a day) my Logitech G602 mouse and external Apple Keyboard will stop responding completely and only a reboot will restore functionality. The USB 2.0 HUB under System Information->Hardware->USB completely disappears until the MacBook is reported. Disconnecting/reconnecting the USB Hub does not resolve the issue. I have attached a screen capture of what the USB device looks like normally when things are working correctly. This MacBook Air has replaced a late 2019 MacBook Pro that was running Mojave and then Catalina 10.15.4 for the last 2 days of use. Using the same USB hub and external devices I did not experience this issue with that configuration. Granted I only was running Catalina for 2 days with the MacBook Pro 2019.

Yeah, on my MacBook Air 2020 my wireless usb mouse cuts out too when using the 2.4ghz USB A receiver plugged into the USB A ports on my USB-C hub. My workaround is using a USB-A to USB-C adapter, and plugging that into the USB C port on my hub, and for some reason that solves it. But when the receiver is directly plugged into the USB A ports on the hub, it intermittently cuts out.

I have a late 2016 MBP and the latest OS updates. This morning, none of my Logitech USB devices (K750 keyboard, M310 mouse) worked either. I thought it might be a faulty older usb 2 hub, but testing with a new USB-C to USB 3 hub, I got no recognition of the devices. I needed to work rather than troubleshoot all day, so I bought an extended mac bluetooth keyboard and magic mouse, which work well. I am also concerned that there is something going on with the usb connectors or how the system software handles usb 2 devices. I did upgrade both the firmware and the logitech unifying software prior to going all bluetooth. Please fix this issue..it sounds like something more than external hardware. Thanks

My MBP is connected to my Dell U2719DC as a USB Hub. My accessories connected to my Dell Monitor (Keyboard, Mouse Receiver and Soundbar) stop working intermittently as well. 2 to 3 times a day and only works again after a restart.

Download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:

I understand that you are having issues with your Logitech G602 mouse and external Apple Keyboard intermittently disconnecting during normal use. I am more than happy to guide you in the right direction.

It sounds as if you've done majority of the necessary troubleshooting steps. Check out these additional resources for further troubleshooting and to test the issue in a new user as this may resolve your issue:

If you continue to experience issues, you may need to look into reinstalling your macOS. It is recommended you backup the device to an external hard drive before attempting a reinstall. Here are some resources that will walk you through backing up your device with Time Machine and reinstalling your macOS:

Hi Becky, thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I did review If your Apple wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad isn't working with your Mac as expected but nothing suggested in the article seemed to help.

Some more background, I was using Time to Machine to backup my older 2019 MacBook Pro so I used the Migration Assistant to move or restore my Documents, Files, and Applications to my new MacBook Air 2020. At the time, my 2019 MacBook Pro was running Mojave.

Earlier today I noticed an older version of the Logitech Unifying Software was installed under Application->Utilities (ver 1.2.359). This version seems to be from 2014. Not even sure how this version worked with Mojave. In ny case, I removed this version from my MacBook Air and am now just using a generic Bluetooth mouse to test with since I believe the Logitech G602 mouse and the Logitech Unifying Software ver 1.2.359 is the culprit. If all goes well with the generic Bluetooth mouse and my Apple Keyboard doesn't stop responding then after a couple of days I will re-add the Logitech G602 mouse back into the picture and install the recommended Logitech Unifying Software ver 1.3.375.

I have the same problem. Also with a Macbook Pro from 2020. I use an external monitor (Dell u2720q) with internal USB hub. This internal hub freezes USB 2.0 devices, even if they are directly connected to the Macbook itself. It happens very sporadically, depending on usage 2 to 4 times a day.

Reported a problem to Apple support and they were very helpful and communicative at first but are now very quiet and do not respond anymore. I think they suspect that there is a bigger problem, but that they are no longer allowed to talk about it from company policy.

Might have a new interesting finding here. I have had similar problems with wireless keyboard and mouse loosing connection through my USB-hub connected to my MacBook Pro 13 2015 model running Catalina 10.15.5.

They need data reports and information that they will query in a remote session. Tell them you insist on a data analysis of this bug so they don't block you in frontline. I insisted on a escalation as soon as I explained the things I found out. But I had to explain 2 times.

For example, in our setup, we're using an 8.49 Nonda USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter between the Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet and the USB-C port on the back of the 21.5-inch LG UltraFine 4K Display.

Just to close the loop on this. There appears to be compatibility issue with Catalina and the Logitech Unifying Software and driver for MacOS. Even after updating the Unifying driver to the latest version on Logitech's website the Logitech Unifying Software still does see the Logitech G602 mouse. It doesn't look like Logitech has updated the driver software since 2018. I even tried the Logitech Unifying Software on another MacBook running Catalina and the software on the other MacBook also did not recognize the Logitech G602 mouse. I even tried updating the firmware on the Logitech Unifying receiver that came with the Logitech G602 mouse but it would not recognize the receiver USB dongle. MacOS Catalina does see the mouse as a USB Receiver HID device so the mouse does work. It just goes unresponsive and disappears every few hours. I did not see this behavior with Mojave with this same mouse. I have not tried reinstalling MacOS Catalina at this point since I have moved on with a generic Bluetooth mouse at this point. But, this just appears to be a device capability issue with Catalina.