+353-1-416-8900REST OF WORLD
+44-20-3973-8888REST OF WORLD
1-917-300-0470EAST COAST U.S
1-800-526-8630U.S. (TOLL FREE)

CWNA Certified Wireless Network Administrator Study Guide. Exam CWNA-107. Edition No. 5

  • Book

  • 1024 Pages
  • December 2018
  • John Wiley and Sons Ltd
  • ID: 4422586

The bestselling CWNA study guide, updated for the latest exam

The CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Study Guide is the ultimate preparation resource for the CWNA exam. Fully updated to align with the latest version of the exam, this book features expert coverage of all exam objectives to help you internalize essential information. A pre-assessment test reveals what you already know, allowing you to focus your study time on areas in need of review, while hands-on exercises allow you to practice applying CWNA concepts to real-world scenarios.  Expert-led discussion breaks complex topics down into easily-digestible chucks to facilitate clearer understanding, and chapter review questions help you gauge your progress along the way. You also get a year of free access to the Sybex online interactive learning environment, which features additional resources and study aids including bonus practice exam questions.

The CWNA exam tests your knowledge of regulations and standards, protocols and devices, network implementation, security, and RF site surveying. Thorough preparation gives you your best chance of passing, and this book covers it all with a practical focus that translates to real on-the-job skills.

  • Study 100% of the objectives for Exam CWNA-107
  • Assess your practical skills with hands-on exercises
  • Test your understanding with challenging chapter tests
  • Access digital flashcards, white papers, bonus practice exams, and more

The CWNA certification is a de facto standard for anyone working with wireless technology. It shows employers that you have demonstrated competence in critical areas, and have the knowledge and skills to perform essential duties that keep their wireless technology functioning and safe. The CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Study Guide gives you everything you need to pass the exam with flying colors.

Table of Contents

Foreword xxxi

Introduction xxxiii

Assessment Test lxiv

Chapter 1 Overview of Wireless Standards, Organizations, and Fundamentals 1

History of Wireless Local Area Networks 2

Standards Organizations 4

Core, Distribution, and Access 19

Communications Fundamentals 21

Summary 29

Exam Essentials 30

Review Questions 31

Chapter 2 IEEE 802.11 Standard and Amendments 35

Original IEEE 802.11 Standard 38

IEEE 802.11-2016 Ratified Amendments 39

Post 802.11-2016 Ratified Amendments 58

IEEE 802.11 Draft Amendments 58

Defunct Amendments 61

IEEE Task Group m 63

Summary 64

Exam Essentials 64

Review Questions 65

Chapter 3 Radio Frequency Fundamentals 69

What Is a Radio Frequency Signal? 71

Radio Frequency Characteristics 72

Radio Frequency Behaviors 80

Summary 96

Exam Essentials 96

Review Questions 97

Chapter 4 Radio Frequency Components, Measurements, and Mathematics 101

RF Components 104

Units of Power and Comparison 107

RF Mathematics 115

Summary 132

Exam Essentials 134

Review Questions 135

Chapter 5 Radio Frequency Signal and Antenna Concepts 139

Azimuth and Elevation Charts (Antenna Radiation Envelopes) 141

Interpreting Polar Charts 144

Beamwidth 147

Antenna Types 149

Visual Line of Sight 160

RF Line of Sight 160

Fresnel Zone 161

Earth Bulge 165

Antenna Polarization 166

Antenna Diversity 167

Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output 168

Antenna Connection and Installation 170

Antenna Accessories 178

Regulatory Compliance 184

Summary 185

Exam Essentials 185

Review Questions 186

Chapter 6 Wireless Networks and Spread Spectrum

Technologies 191

Narrowband and Spread Spectrum 193

Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum 196

Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum 198

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing 200

Industrial, Scientific, and Medical Bands 204

Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure Bands 206

3.6 GHz Band 209

4.9 GHz Band 209

Future Wi-Fi Frequencies 210

2.4 GHz Channels 211

5 GHz Channels 215

Adjacent, Nonadjacent, and Overlapping Channels 221

Throughput vs. Bandwidth 221

Communication Resilience 222

Summary 223

Exam Essentials 223

Review Questions 225

Chapter 7 Wireless LAN Topologies 229

Wireless Networking Topologies 230

802.11 Stations 233

802.11 Service Sets 237

802.11 Configuration Modes 248

Summary 250

Exam Essentials 250

Review Questions 251

Chapter 8 802.11 Medium Access 255

CSMA/CA vs. CSMA/CD 256

Collision Detection 257

Distributed Coordination Function 258

Point Coordination Function 266

Hybrid Coordination Function 267

Wi-Fi Multimedia 269

Airtime Fairness 271

Summary 272

Exam Essentials 273

Review Questions 274

Chapter 9 802.11 MAC 279

Packets, Frames, and Bits 281

Data-Link Layer 282

Physical Layer 283

802.11 and 802.3 Interoperability 284

802.11 MAC Header 285

802.11 Frame Body 297

802.11 Trailer 298

802.11 State Machine 299

Management Frames 300

Control Frames 314

Data Frames 322

Power Management 326

Summary 331

Exam Essentials 331

Review Questions 333

Chapter 10 MIMO Technology: HT and VHT 339

MIMO 342

Multi-User MIMO 351

Channels 355

Guard Interval 361

256-QAM Modulation 363

802.11n/ac PPDUs 367

802.11n/ac MAC 369

HT/VHT Protection Mechanisms 378

Wi-Fi Alliance Certification 379

Summary 382

Exam Essentials 383

Review Questions 384

Chapter 11 WLAN Architecture 389

WLAN Client Devices 391

Management, Control, and Data Planes 402

WLAN Architecture 404

Specialty WLAN Infrastructure 417

Cloud Networking 426

Infrastructure Management 428

Application Programming Interface 433

Summary 436

Exam Essentials 436

Review Questions 438

Chapter 12 Power over Ethernet (PoE) 443

History of PoE 444

An Overview of PoE Devices 446

Planning and Deploying PoE 458

802.11ac and PoE 463

Summary 465

Exam Essentials 465

Review Questions 466

Chapter 13 WLAN Design Concepts 471

WLAN Coverage Design 473

Roaming Design 479

Channel Design 485

Capacity Design 504

Voice vs. Data 517

Dual 5 GHz and Software-Defined Radios 519

Physical Environment 522

Antennas 523

Outdoor Design 527

Summary 528

Exam Essentials 529

Review Questions 530

Chapter 14 Site Survey and Validation 535

WLAN Site Survey and Design Interview 537

Vertical Market Considerations 548

Legacy AP-on-a-Stick Survey 551

Hybrid Survey 560

Validation Survey 565

Site Survey Tools 569

Documents and Reports 574

Summary 579

Exam Essentials 579

Review Questions 581

Chapter 15 WLAN Troubleshooting 587

Five Tenets of WLAN Troubleshooting 589

Layer 1 Troubleshooting 595

Layer 2 Troubleshooting 602

Security Troubleshooting 614

Roaming Troubleshooting 627

Channel Utilization 631

Layers 3-7 Troubleshooting 633

WLAN Troubleshooting Tools 636

Summary 644

Exam Essentials 644

Review Questions 646

Chapter 16 Wireless Attacks, Intrusion Monitoring, and Policy 653

Wireless Attacks 654

Intrusion Monitoring 671

Wireless Security Policies 677

Summary 681

Exam Essentials 681

Review Questions 683

Chapter 17 802.11 Network Security Architecture 687

802.11 Security Basics 689

Legacy 802.11 Security 693

Robust Security 699

Traffic Segmentation 718

WPA3 721

VPN Wireless Security 722

Summary 725

Exam Essentials 726

Review Questions 727

Chapter 18 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Guest Access 731

Mobile Device Management 734

Self-Service Device Onboarding for Employees 748

Guest WLAN Access 751

Hotspot 2.0 and Passpoint 765

Network Access Control 770

Summary 776

Exam Essentials 777

Review Questions 779

Chapter 19 802.11ax: High Efficiency (HE) 783

HE Overview 784

Multi-User 787

OFDMA 788

MU-MIMO 799

BSS Color 800

Target Wake Time 805

Additional 802.11ax PHY and MAC Capabilities 806

802.11ax Design Considerations 811

Summary 812

Review Questions 814

Chapter 20 WLAN Deployment and Vertical Markets 815

Deployment Considerations for Commonly Supported

WLAN Applications and Devices 817

Corporate Data Access and End-User Mobility 821

Network Extension to Remote Areas 822

Bridging: Building-to-Building Connectivity 823

Wireless ISP: Last-Mile Data Delivery 823

Small Office/Home Office 824

Mobile Office Networking 825

Branch Offices 825

Educational/Classroom Use 826

Industrial: Warehousing and Manufacturing 827

Retail 828

Healthcare 829

Municipal Networks 830

Hotspots: Public Network Access 830

Stadium Networks 832

Transportation Networks 833

Law Enforcement Networks 833

First-Responder Networks 834

Managed Service Providers 835

Fixed Mobile Convergence 835

WLAN and Health 836

Internet of Things 836

WLAN Vendors 837

Summary 840

Exam Essentials 840

Review Questions 841

Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 845

Chapter 1: Overview of Wireless Standards, Organizations, and Fundamentals 846

Chapter 2: IEEE 802.11 Standard and Amendments 847

Chapter 3: Radio Frequency Fundamentals 850

Chapter 4: Radio Frequency Components, Measurements, and Mathematics 852

Chapter 5: Radio Frequency Signal and Antenna Concepts 854

Chapter 6: Wireless Networks and Spread Spectrum Technologies 856

Chapter 7: Wireless LAN Topologies 858

Chapter 8: 802.11 Medium Access 860

Chapter 9: 802.11 MAC 863

Chapter 10: MIMO Technology: HT and VHT 865

Chapter 11: WLAN Architecture 868

Chapter 12: Power over Ethernet (PoE) 870

Chapter 13: WLAN Design Concepts 872

Chapter 14: Site Survey and Validation 876

Chapter 15: WLAN Troubleshooting 878

Chapter 16: Wireless Attacks, Intrusion Monitoring, and Policy 881

Chapter 17: 802.11 Network Security Architecture 884

Chapter 18: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Guest Access 886

Chapter 19: 802.11ax: High Efficiency (HE) 889

Chapter 20: WLAN Deployment and Vertical Markets 890

Appendix B Abbreviations and Acronyms 893

Certifications 894

Organizations and Regulations 894

Measurements 895

Technical Terms 896

Index 909

Table of Exercises

Exercise 3.1 Visual Demonstration of Absorption 88

Exercise 3.2 Visual Demonstration of Multipath and Phase 94

Exercise 4.1 Step-by-Step Use of the Rule of 10s and 3s 116

Exercise 4.2 Rule of 10s and 3s Example 118

Exercise 4.3 Link Budget and Fade Margin 132

Exercise 9.1 Viewing Beacon Frames 302

Exercise 9.2 Understanding Probe Requests and Probe Responses 306

Exercise 9.3 Using Open System Authentication 308

Exercise 9.4 Understanding Association 308

Exercise 9.5 Understanding Reassociation 312

Exercise 9.6 Viewing Action Frames 314

Exercise 9.7 Understanding Acknowledgment 316

Exercise 9.8 Using Data Frames 325

Exercise 14.1 Calculating Cable Loss 574

Exercise 17.1 Using Unencrypted and Encrypted Data Frames 691

Exercise 17.2 802.1X/EAP and the 4-Way Handshake Process 714

Authors

David D. Coleman Alcoa Technical Center. David A. Westcott