Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)

Prerequisites:

The CWNA exam has no prerequisites; however, the following are recommended before attempting the CWNA exam:

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

Target Audience:

• Administrators: network, systems, infrastructure, security, and LAN/WLANs
• Support professionals: technical assistance and field support
• Designers: network, systems, and infrastructure
• Developers: wireless software and hardware products
• Consultants and integrators: IT and security
• Decision-makers: infrastructure managers, IT managers, security directors, chief security officers, and chief technology officers
• CCNA's

Course Objectives:

What You’ll Learn attending the Enterprise Wi-Fi Administration course:

• Background and roles of Wi-Fi governing bodies, including the IEEE and Wi-Fi Alliance
• Radiofrequency properties and behaviors
• Wireless signal fundamentals, including measurement principles
• Antenna information, including types and installation best practices
• Wi-Fi standards, including 802.11 amendments ax, 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 802.11 wireless 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:

WLAN and Networking Industry Organizations

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

RF Characteristics and Behavior

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

RF Mathematics and Measurements

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

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

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

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

802.11 MAC Operations

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

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

WLAN Network Architectures

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

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

Security Solutions for WLANs

• Additional Authentication Features
• Deprecated Standard Security
• Weak Security Mechanisms
• Pre-shared Key and IEEE 802.1X/EAP
• WPA3-Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE)
• WPA3 Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE)
• 6GHz 802.11ax Security Requirements
• Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS)
• Protocol and Spectrum Analysis for Security
• Using Secure Protocols

Site Surveys, Network Design, and Validation

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

WLAN Troubleshooting

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

Classroom Live Lab

Remote Lab Familiarization

• Overview
• Task 1: Navigate the Sunset Learning Institute Remote Lab
• Task 2: Closing the Lab

Lab 1: Visualizing RF Principles

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Download files to the Pod-AdminPC in the Remote Lab.
• Task 2: Use Ekahau Pro to visualize Free Space Path Loss
• Task 3: Use Ekahau Pro to Visualize Attenuation
• Task 4: Closing the Lab

Lab 2: RF Mathematics

• Activity Objective
• Required Resources
• Task 1: Complete These Power Conversions
• Task 2: Calculate EIRP
• Task 3: Calculate a Link Budget

Lab 3: Visualizing Antenna Patterns

• Activity Objective
• Required Resources
• Task 1: Open the FSPL File in Ekahau Pro
• Task 2: Use Various 2.4 Antenna and Observe the Change in RF Coverage
• Closing the Lab

Lab 4: 802.11 Basics

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Analyze Wireless Frames
• Task 2: Closing the Lab

Lab 5: Initialize an Autonomous WLAN Deployment

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Configure an Autonomous AP via CLI
• Task 2: Configure Your Standalone AP from the GUI
• Task 3: Closing the Lab

Lab 6: Configuring the WLC Central Switch WLAN Deployment

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Retrieving the Access Point’s MAC Address
• Task 2: Configuring the C9800 using the WLC Setup Wizard
• Task 3: Configuring an AP MAC Address Authorization Filter on the C9800 Controller.
• Task 4: Configuring the Access Points for a Primary C9800 Controller.
• Task 5: Configuring VLANs on the C9800 Controller.
• Task 6: Lab Close-Out Procedures

Lab 7: Configuring Security in a Centralized WLAN Deployment

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Configuring a WPA2-PSK WLAN
• Task 2: Associate the Client with the C9800 WPA2-PSK WLAN
• Task 3: Configuring a WPA2-802.1X Local EAP WLAN
• Task 4: Configuring a WPA2-802.1X Local EAP WLAN (Cont.)
• Task 5: Associate the Client with the C9800 Local-EAP WLAN
• Task 6: Lab Close-Out Procedures
• Task 3: Closing the Lab

Lab 8: Perform Wi-Fi Scanning

• Activity Objective
• Topology
• Task 1: Enable MetaGeek inSSIDer
• Task 2: Review 2.4 GHz Activity
• Task 3: Review 5 GHz Activity
• Task 4: Close the Lab

Lab 9: Perform a Predictive WLAN Design

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Familiarization with Ekahau Pro 
• Task 2: Perform a Basic Predictive WLAN Design using a Single Floor Layout
• Task 3: Closing the Lab

Lab 10: Perform Passive Site Survey

• Activity Objective
• Task 1: Configure AP for Spectrum Expert AP Mode of Operation
• Task 2: Configure Cisco Spectrum Expert – Spectrum Analyzer Software
• Task 3: Closing the Lab