MBP/AirPort compatibility with invisible SSID/network?

Anyone else have this issue/experience - I have the network visibility of my wireless router SSID set to invisible. I have a couple of PCs, PS3 connecting to it without issue. However, when I tried to setup the connection on a newly acquired MBP, it doesn't connect.

Here are the steps I used in an attempt to add the "invisible SSID/network":
1) Join Other Networks from AirPort drop down menu
2) enter my network info (network name, security (WPA), passwd. - Join
3) Connecting network.... Connection Timeout.

If I turn-on the visibility, the MBP will readily connect to the router. The MBP is running 10.6.2.

Thoughts/assistance?
Thanks!

You answered your own question. Turn on SSID. It doesn't matter whether you broadcast the SSID or not, as long as you're using strong encryption your network is safe. Use the strongest possible encryption you have available to your Mac and PCs. (Probably WPA2)

Keeping the SSID invisible and/or using MAC filtering only leads to problems and it's not necessary in order to maintain a safe network.

Regards.

Similar problem!
I have D-Link Wireless 108G Gaming Router model D-Link DGL-4300

create a wireless network with the parameters:

Wireless Network Name: xxx_fffggkkklll

Enable Auto Channel Scan: yes

Super G™ Mode: disabled

802.11 Mode: Mixed 802.11g and 802.11b

Transmission Rate: Best(automatic)

Visibility Status : Visible

MBP, iMac 24 and iPhone - successfully connected to a WiFi network

if I switching

Visibility Status : Invisible reboot my D-Link DGL-4300

MBP, iMac 24 - Connecting network.... Connection Timeout.
Not connected!!!

My old aluminum iPhone - successfully connected to a WiFi network

My network use MAC filtering

In both cases, when the network is invisible and visible.

Question?
Why IPone works with a hidden network of my router and MBP and iMac does not?

How to get to work with a hidden network of MBP and my iMac 24? What is the Secret of the behavior of more modern devices? I do not want to make your network visible only in order to connect the iMac and MacBook Pro. All other devices PC Computers work with the hidden network with no problems.

Thanks!

PS:
WIRELESS SECURITY MODE: WPA-Personal
WPA Mode :WPA or WPA2
Group Key Update Interval : 3600 second

Disabling SSID broadcast yields absolutely no benefit whatsoever. Anyone using a WiFi sniffer is still going to see it.

What is DOES do, is make it a whole lot harder to establish and maintain a WiFi connection.

Why do you have issues with your Mac and not your Windows machines? My guess is the way the drivers are written. I have tested exhaustively in different configurations and ultimately I've determined that it's just a deficiency in the drivers.

But again, there's little point to disabling it in the first place. If you were using an easily crackable encryption mechanism like WEP, then it might be advisable to keep your network obscured from the relatively ignorant. But with modern WPA or WPA2/AES encryption, you've got nothing to worry about.

Possible Solution.

Okay, I know that this is an old post, but because I have encountered this problem in the past (and because there aren't too many posts about this), I'm going to post what I did to remedy this.

1) From another Mac or PC, go into the router and set the network to be visible (Broadcast SSID).
2) Set the WiFi Security to None or Disabled (AKA Open Network).
3) Attempt to connect to the network from the AirPort pull-down menu.
4) Once connected, return your router's WiFi settings to the desired specs
5) Restart your Mac.
6) The Airport should automatically discover your masked WiFi, but will now "know it" and prompt you for a password.
7) Cross your fingers - everything should connect!

Hope this helps; it did for me! :^)

As for the controversy over hidden SSIDs. Although there are ways to trick a computer connected to a router into broadcasting the SSID, I still find it marginally more secure (though much more of a pain) to hide the SSID. It's just yet another step in a properly layered security scheme.