What Next?

With the CWNA validation, you now have something powerful to include in your resume and start making applications to jobs that consider your skills. Also, it's time to reinforce your present skills by reaching for any of the three professional certificates offered by CWNP. They are the CWSP, CWDP, and CWAP certificates. Also, don't forget to keep the validity of your current certification by renewing it at the end of the 3-year period.

Domain Details for CWNP CWNA-108

When it comes to particulars of this test, they are as follows:

• RF Validation

  Under such a topic, candidates will be looking at verifying and documenting that design demands are met, including roaming, coverage, throughput, and connectivity alongside a validation survey for post-implementation. Also, to consider is the location and identification of sources associated with RF interference. Next is dealing with the performance of app testing to enable the validation of WLAN performance, which captures the network in addition to service availability, VoIP testing, throughput testing, and others. The last area to get into concerns the basic features associated with validation tools. Particularly, this explains using throughput testers in validating tasks, using validation software for wireless scanners, and using protocol analyzers to validate tasks, among other issues.

• WLAN Network Infrastructure & Design Concepts

  This section is about the implementation of Power over Ethernet (PoE), the advantages, constraints, and differences of various infrastructures for WLAN, design considerations related to common deployments within wireless that include coverage needs, roaming considerations, capacity, security, throughput, and awareness on common proprietary elements relating to wireless networks. Another field is about considering and configuring the needed services for networks that are supporting wireless ones.

• Security for WLAN Network

  Included in the topic is the matter of the identification of weak options of security that shouldn't be utilized in WLANs for the enterprise. Also, included here is the identification and configuration of efficient security mechanisms targeted at enterprise WLANs, basic concepts relating to WPA3 & Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE) as well as enhancements in comparison with WPA2, and common options of security as well as tools used within wireless based networks.

• WLAN Troubleshooting

  This part covers common tools for troubleshooting that are often used within WLANs. Issues addressed by such a topic revolve around the usage of protocol analyzers to troubleshoot tasks, the usage of spectrum analyzers in identifying interference sources, and more. The last area looks at the identification and troubleshooting of wireless problems.

• WLAN Protocols & Devices

  This sector touches on the elements as well as functions that constitute an 802.11 wireless service set, terminology that relates to 802.11 MAC & PHY, MAC frame design, and the purpose of the three major frame types of 802.11. Also, it scrutinizes the process followed when locating and connecting to WLANs, access techniques for 802.11 channel, 802.11 MAC functioning, and the features, selection, and installation of WLAN gadgets, control, and the management of systems.

• RF Technologies

  In particular, RF or Radio Frequency technologies concern the defining and explaining of basic features of RF in addition to RF behavior. Under this category, one will be learning about wavelength, frequency, phase, amplitude, sine waves, RF propagation & coverage, reflection, refraction, scattering, and diffraction, multipath as well as RF interference, gain & loss, amplification, absorption, and more. Also, to be learned is the application of fundamental concepts relating to RF measurements and mathematics. This details watt & milliwatt, decibel (dB), noise floor, SNR, RSSI, EIRP, and others. The next part is focused on identifying RF signal features according to the way they relate to antennas. The areas it touches on include beamwidths, RF in addition to a physical line of sight & Fresnel zone clearance, polarization, passive gain, radio chains, spatial multiplexing (SM), and MIMO, among others. The other domain covered is centered on RF antennas, antenna-related systems, as well as accessories functionality. This covers antennas that are omni-directional, highly directional, and semi-directional. It also covers antenna orientation, lightning arrestors as well as grounding rods or wires, RF cables & connectors, and more.

• Standards & Regulations for WLAN

  This tested area includes the roles played by WLAN as well as networking industry companies, the application of differing PHY (Physical Layer) solutions aimed at IEEE 802.11-2016 standard based on the amendment that includes supported widths, spatial streams, and data rate for a channel, and technologies and Modulation & Coding Schemes (MCS) related to spread spectrum. Also, such a domain deliberates OSI layers impacted by 802.11-2016 amendment and standard, the application of WLAN operation concepts for 802.11, and basic scenarios targeting 802.11 wireless networks.

Reference: https://www.cwnp.com/certifications/cwna

WLAN Standards & Regulations: 20%

In this domain, you will need to learn the following details to succeed in answering the exam questions:

• Describe the functions of WLAN and the networking industry enterprises: These details cover IETF, Wi-Fi Alliance, and Regulatory agencies and domains;
• Describe and use different PHY solutions of IEEE 802.11-2016 standard based on the amendment, including supported channel widths, spatial streams, and data rates;
• Identify and conform to the regulatory domain constraints and prerequisites;
• Classify and apply the functional concepts of 802.11 WLAN: The skill areas will include Throughput versus Data Rate, Guard Interval, Primary channels, Bandwidth, and Adjacent non-overlapping & overlapping channels;
• Explain the OSI model layers that are impacted by the 802.11-2016 amendments and standard;
• Describe the fundamental user case settings for the 802.11 wireless networks.
• Understand the technologies of spread spectrum and MCS (Modulation & Coding Schemes), as well as learn about DSSS, QAM, BPSK, OFDM, QPSK, and OFDMA & Resource Units;

CWNP CWNA-108 Exam Syllabus Topics: