CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator
The goal of this CWNA course is to add Wi-Fi expertise to a networking professional’s skillset, while covering all CWNA 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.
Get a head start right out of the gate with a Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) certification. It is the base certification for Enterprise Wi-Fi within the CWNP family of certifications and a springboard toward earning your security, design, analysis and network expert certifications. Achieving it enhances your networking career profile, providing evidence that you have sought after Wi-Fi knowledge and skills.
Audience
- IT professionals and network engineers responsible for installing or supporting 802.11 (Wi-Fi) Wireless networks
- IT professionals wanting to progress within the wireless network industry
- Network planners, designers, and support staff
- IT Security staff, managers, and auditors
Prerequisites
The following prerequisites are recommended:
- Basic knowledge of networking and TCP/IP
- At least 1 year of work experience with wireless LAN technologies
These courses will give you the necessary prerequisites:
Important notice for delegates attending virtually
In order to do the exercises and get the most out of this class as a virtual attendee, you should have a PC with full admin rights.
Read more about PC requirements on virtual training.
Course objectives:
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Understand and apply the essential concepts of Radio Frequency (RF) technology, including RF planning, RF-related calculations, and spread spectrum technologies.
- Perform RF Spectrum Analysis for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
- Describe the rules governing wireless LANs, to comply with local radio regulations for setup and maintenance of WLANs.
- Describe the fundamental operation of wireless LANs, for effective WLAN problem analysis and troubleshooting.
- Understand IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a, 802.11n, 802.11ac and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standards and amendments; and their practical relevance in depth.
- Correctly install, configure and support Wi-Fi adapters, access points, wireless bridges and WLAN antennas.
- Understand 802.11 / Wi-Fi WLAN Physical and MAC -layer operation in depth.
- Describe and troubleshoot WLAN problems including RF coverage, multipath, hidden nodes, and interference problems
- Understand the essential tools and processes used in WiFi Site Survey.
- Work with sophisticated WLAN diagnostic tools from NetAlly, MetaGeek, Live Action, Tamosoft, and more.
- Describe the insecurities inherent in IEEE 802.11 WLANs.
- Apply best security practices, including WPA2 and WPA3, to secure Wi-Fi networks for small, medium, and large organisations.
Course content
Chapter 1 - WLAN and Networking Industry Organizations
- Industry Organizations – IEEE, WFA, IETF
- Regulatory Domains
- IEEE - 802.11 Standard and Amendments
- Wi-Fi Alliance certification
- PoE, EAP, RADIUS
Chapter 2 - RF Characteristics and Behavior
- Spectrum
- Sine Waves - Properties of RF Waves
- Power loss
- RF Propagation
- Free Space path loss - FSPL
- Spread spectrum
- Modulation – QAM
- OFDM
Chapter 3 - RF Mathematics and Measurements
- Units of RF Measurement
- Power Measurement
- Basic RF Math
- RSSI and Receivcer sensitivity
- Link Budget
Chaper 4 - RF Antennas and Hardware
- Antenna Fundamentals
- Polarization, Gain, Radiation
- WLAN Antennas Types
- Line of Sight and Fresnel zones
- Antenna Mounting, connectors and cablesDiversity
Chapter 5 - 802.11 PHYs and Network Types
- 802.11 Frequency Bands
- Physical Layers
- Modulation - OFDM
- Coding and MCS values
- Beamforming
- DFS and TPC
- Use Case Scenarios
- WLAN operating Modes – BSS, ESS,
Chapter 6 - Network Devices
- AP:s and Infrastructure Devices
- Birdge Links
- Clients
- Device Configuration
- Power Over Ethernet
Chapter 7 - 802.11 MAC Operations
- Frame Types
- General Frame Format
- Connection Frame exchange
- State Machine and 4-way Handshake
- EAP Intro
- BSS selection
Chapter 8 – Channel Access Methods
- Requirements
- DCF
- Carrier Sens and Interframes Spaces
- QoS and WMM
- RTS/CTS Protection
- Operation Modes
- Power Management
Chapter 9 - WLAN Network Architectures
- Control, Management, and Data
- Forwarding
- Controllers
- VLANs
- Roaming
- WLAN Models
- AP Placement and Channel Selection
Chapter 10 - WLAN Requirements and Solutions
- Data Access
- Verticals
- Network Types
- BYOD and MDM
- RRM, Band Steering and Airtime Fairness
- Hotspots
- Wired Network Services
Chapter 11 - Security Solutions for WLANs
- Security Standards
- 802.1X and EAP
- WPA2 and WPA3
- Security Warnings
- Secure Connections – VPN
- Secure Management of Devices
Chapter 12 - Site Surveys, Network Design and Validation
- Survey Process
- RF Site Surveys
- Requirements
- Interferers - Spectrum Analysis
- Testing - Throughput
- Design Tools
- Protool Analyzers
- Survey Report
Chapter 13 – WLAN Troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting Models
- Protocol and Spectrum Analysis
- Monitoring
- CCI and ACI Interference
- Connection Problems
Certification
- This course prepares for the CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Administrator) exam. Additional selfstudy will be needed before taking the exam.
- The current exam version is CWNA-109 (released in September 2023)
- The exam fee is not included in the course (Cost is USD 275 as of January 2024)
- The exam must be taken at a Pearson Vue Testing Center
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Questions: 60 multiple choice
- Pass rate 70% or higher
The CWNA certification is a foundational level wireless LAN certification for the CWNP Program. The CWNA certification is valid for three (3) years. To recertify, pass one of the professional level certifications exams (CWSP,CWDP, CWAP) BEFORE your CWNA expires. By doing so, the CWNA will be renewed for another three (3) years. Or retake the current version of the CWNA exam.
