CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator

The Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) certification is the foundation-level enterprise Wi-Fi certification for the CWNP Program. Achieving it enhances your networking career profile, providing evidence that you have sought after Wi-Fi knowledge and skills.

The goal of the five-day Enterprise Wi-Fi Administration (CWNA) course is to add Wi-Fi expertise to a networking professional’s skill-set, while covering all CWNA-109 exam topics. The course begins with discussion topics and hands-on lab exercises covering the basic operation of 802.11 Wi-Fi technology. Once a base of Wi-Fi knowledge is established, enterprise relevant topics such as Wi-Fi design, security, and troubleshooting are covered. You will use enterprise-class hardware and software tools during live lab exercises, all accessible remotely for any instructor-led or virtual class.

What's Included

• Comprehensive study materials, including official courseware
• Remote lab access
• Practice Exam
• Exam Voucher

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of networking (routers, switches, cabling, etc.)
• Basic knowledge of TCP/IP
• At least 1 year of work experience with wireless LAN technologies

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you will know:

• Background and roles of Wi-Fi governing bodies, including the IEEE and Wi-Fi Alliance
• Radio frequency properties and behaviors
• Wireless signal fundamentals, including measurement principles
• Antenna information, including types and installation best practices
• Wi-Fi standards, including 802.11 extensions ac, ad, af, and ah
• Wi-Fi device types and infrastructure options
• Wi-Fi communications processes, including connection, roaming, and data transfer
• General troubleshooting tips to common real-world 802.11n issues
• Wi-Fi architecture best practices, including both network and wireless design
• Similarities, differences, and peculiarities about Wi-Fi deployments in differing environments (offices, K-12 education, health care facilities, and more)
• Security standards, best practices, known vulnerabilities, and remediation techniques for Wi-Fi networks
• Site surveying, including requirements gathering, design, installation, and validation
• Troubleshooting methodology, tools, and techniques, along with common issues

Course Outline

Module 1: WLAN and Networking Industry Organizations

• Wi-Fi Related Organizations
• The IEEE
• PHY Amendments
• 802.11 Amendments
• Wi-Fi Alliance
• PoE (802.3)

Module 2: RF Characteristics and Behavior

• Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Wavelength, amplitude and other RF characteristics
• Reflection, refraction and other RF behavior
• RF Propagation
• Basic Types of Modulation

Module 3: RF Mathematics and Measurements

• RF units of measure
• Basic RF mathematics
• RF signal measurements
• Understand link budgets

Module 4: RF Antennas and Hardware

• RF Units of Measure
• Types of Antennas and Antenna Systems Commonly Used With 802.11 WLANs
• Antenna Polarization and Gain
• Antenna Implementation
• Types of Antenna Cables, Connectors, and Other Accessories

Module 5: 802.11 PHYs and Network Types

• 802.11 PHYs and Network Types
• 802.11 Frequency Bands
• 802.11 Channels Explained
• OSI Model Layers and Wi-Fi
• 802.11 Physical Layers (PHYs)
• Throughput vs. Data Rate
• RF Modulation Methods
• 802.11 Use Case Scenarios
• WLAN Operating Modes including BSS. ESS and Roaming

Module 6: 802.11 Network Devices

• Access Point Features and Capabilities
• AP and WLAN Management Systems
• Wireless Monitoring Systems (Analytics)
• WLAN Controller Functionality
• Network Architecture Planes
• WLAN Bridging
• Client Devices
• Client Device OS Configuration
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) Functionality

Module 7: 802.11 MAC Operations

• 802.11 Frames
• Frame Aggregation
• Guard Interval
• General Frame Format
• PHY Preamble
• Management, Control and Data Frames
• Locating WLANs

Module 8: 802.11 Channel Access Methods

• Differences between CSMA/CD and CSMA/CA
• Distributed Coordination Function (DCF)
• Network Allocation Vector (NAV)
• Clear Channel Assessment (CCA)
• Interframe Spacing (IFS)
• Contention Window (CW)
• Quality of Service in 802.11 WLANs
• Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF)
• Additional Control Frames and Protection Modes

Module 9: WLAN Network Architectures

• Control, Management and Data Planes
• WLAN Controller Solutions
• Network Architectures
• RF Channel Planning
• Service Set Configurations
• Cell Sizing and Interference

Module 10: WLAN Requirements and Solutions

• Explore WLAN Deployment Scenarios
• BYOD and Guest Access
• Mobile Device Management
• Radio Resource Management (RRM) and other automatic RF management solutions
• Additional Management Features

Module 11: Security Solutions for WLANs

• Additional Authentication Features
• Deprecated Standard Security
• Weak Security Mechanisms
• Pre-shared Key and IEEE 802.1X/EAP
• Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS)
• Protocol and Spectrum Analysis for Security
• Using Secure Protocols

Module 12: Site Surveys, Network Design and Validation

• Survey Processes
• Understanding Requirements
• Verify Design Requirements
• Documentation
• Locating Interference
• Spectrum Analysis
• Application and Throughput Testing
• Protocol Analysis

Module 13: WLAN Troubleshooting

• CWNP Troubleshooting Methodology
• Protocol Analysis Troubleshooting Features
• Spectrum Analysis Troubleshooting Features
• RF Interference
• Hidden Nodes
• Connectivity Problems

Labs

• Lab 1: Visualizing RF Principles
• Lab 2: RF Mathematics
• Lab 3: Visualizing Antenna Patterns
• Lab 4: 802.11 Basics
• Lab 5: Initialize an Autonomous WLAN Deployment
• Lab 6: Configuring the WLC Central Switch WLAN Deployment
• Lab 7: Configuring Security in a Centralized WLAN Deployment
• Lab 8: Perform Wi-Fi Scanning
• Lab 9: Perform a Predictive WLAN Design
• Lab 10: Perform Passive Site Survey