Configuration Profile for hidden wireless network

ugenswani
New Contributor

We are relatively new to the Jamf / MDM scene. I have a weird issue that I thought maybe someone could explain.

I deployed a staff member into a Mac with Jamf Pro. We have his machine in a static group, and there is a configuration profile for a hidden wireless network that we push to our non-Windows devices that we scope for that group.

This new staff person randomly was not getting that profile for the wireless network pushed all of a sudden. Other profiles we have set up for that group were still pushing, but not that one. It worked for a week or so, then yesterday it stopped.

After inventory updates, etc it still wouldn't push. I was only able to fix it by specifically excluding that machine then "unexcluding" it. When I removed the exclusion for that machine, it immediately connected to that network again.

Is this just a bug / quirk? A known issue? Something we are doing that isn't best practice? Just curious what those that have been using this longer could do to explain.

Thanks!

3 REPLIES 3

Waldroup151
New Contributor II

I able to reproduce this issue consistently. When the configuration profile is installed, the SSID is added to the bottom of the list of 'Preferred Network'. If the SSID is not one of the first 15 preferred wireless networks, it does not appear in the Wireless menu. If I move the SSID up the list, so that it is within the first 15 preferred networks (index positions 0 through 14), the becomes available in the Wireless menu, almost immediately.

 

This is no longer an option in System Settings - yet we still see this issue.

sdagley
Esteemed Contributor II

@ugenswani I don't have any input on why your Configuration Profile isn't deploying properly, but I will point out that Apple doesn't recommend the use of hidden SSIDs as they do not actually provide any security value because truly interested attackers can find the SSID even if it is hidden.