Why do my bluetooth devices stop working on my MacBook Pro

I have this intermittent problem with Bluetooth devices on my MacBook Pro.

Even with a fresh set of batteries, occasionally my MacBook pro just seems to "lose" one or the other of them. The Bluetooth preferences says they are still connected, but the computer is not processing any input from them. If I disconnect a malfunctioning device from the preferences tab and reconnect from the preferences tab it always starts working, but if I turn the device off and back on it never starts working.

Solution 1:

This is a known issue that has been fixed in OS X 10.5.8.

Improves overall Bluetooth reliability with external devices, USB webcams and printers.

Solution 2:

I have this happen with my Mighty Mouse occasionally. My suspicion is that there's a bug in Apple's Bluetooth daemon (at least in OS X 10.5, because it didn't happen in 10.4). Turning off Bluetooth and then turning it back on again seems to get it back to normal (until the next occurrence).