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Learn how to design, secure, and support wireless networks through detailed course discussion. In this lecture-only course, you will learn in-depth security principles and troubleshooting techniques. Gain a full understanding of how radio frequency affects networking so you can perform site surveys, design a high-performance network, and protect both users and sensitive data from potential intruders.

After covering fundamental concepts of deploying a secure WLAN, you will explore advanced topics such as VoWLAN deployments, seamless mobile connectivity, and detailed wireless frame analysis.

This course is excellent as part of an overall study strategy for CWNP certification CWNA. Full CWNA discussion concepts are covered, as well as many CWSP and CWNE concepts. This class is also part of our Wireless Specialist Certificate track.

Preparing for the CWNA certification? This course includes a CWNA study guide, certification practice exam, and test voucher.

Highlights

Course Outline

1. Wireless Data Communications

• The need for wireless applications
• Wireless technologies
  • The wireless link
    • Transmitter
    • Receiver
    • Radio frequency channel
  • Peer to peer
    • Bluetooth
    • Zigbee/Z-Wave
    • Ultra Wideband
  • Wireless LAN
    • 802.11/Wi-Fi
  • Broadband wireless access
    • 3G: EV-DO/HSPA
    • 4G: WiMAX/LTE/UMB
• Access methods
  • Fixed
  • Nomadic
  • Portable
  • Mobile

2. WLAN Infrastructure

• The Basic Service Set (BSS)
  • Access Points
    • Basic access point operation
    • Encryption
    • Roaming
    • Association and disassociation
  • Controllers (WLAN Switches)
    • Lightweight APs
    • Integrated wired/wireless switches
  • Station Devices
    • Client utilities
• The Extended Service Set (ESS)
  • Service Set Identifier (SSID)
  • Roaming

3. WLAN Standards

• Organizations
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Wi-Fi Alliance
• 802.11 and Wi-Fi
  • 802.11b
    • HR-DSSS
  • 802.11a
    • OFDM
  • 802.11g
    • ERP-OFDM
  • 802.11n
    • HT

4. Radio Frequency (RF) Fundamentals

• Signal strength
  • Reading signal strength
    • Milliwatts (mW)
    • Decibels (dBm)
• Transmitter power
  • RF math
• Antennas
  • Antenna operation
  • Antenna types
    • Dipole
    • Patch
    • Sector
    • Parabolic dish
  • Coverage patterns
    • Elevation
    • Azimuth
• Free Space Path Loss (FSPL)
• Obstructions
  • Measuring obstruction loss
• Interference
  • Common interference sources
  • 2.4 GHz interference vs. 5 GHz interference
• Multipath

5. Authentication Standards

• 802.11i robust security networks (RSN)
  • Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
• Legacy security standards
  • Shared Key authentication
• RSN standards
  • Pre-Shared Key (PSK) authentication
    • Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS)
  • 802.1x/EAP authentication

6. Encryption Standards

• WEP encryption
• TKIP encryption
• AES-CCMP encryption

7. WLAN Operation

• Channel Selection
  • 2.4 GHz
    • Avoiding channel overlap
    • FCC Rules
  • 5 GHz
    • 802.11h
    • FCC Rules
• CSMA/CA (Collision Avoidance)
  • Half-duplex, shared wireless medium
  • Backoff operation to avoid collisions

8. QoS and Mixed Mode

• 802.11e
  • Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
• Acknowledgments
  • Block acknowledgments
• Retransmissions
• Mixed mode operation
  • 802.11b/802.11g
  • 802.11g/802.11n
  • 802.11a/802.11n

9. Troubleshooting Station Connections

• Common station problems
• Client Utilities
  • Preferred networks
• Reading signal strength
• Configuring SSID and security settings
• Power management
  • WMM power save
• Advanced configuration settings
  • RTS/CTS
  • Pre-login connections
  • Single sign-on
  • Roaming aggressiveness
  • Disable upon wired connect

10. WLAN Analysis

• Monitor mode
• Basic 802.11 connections
  • Discovery
  • Authentication
  • Association
  • RSN authentication and key management (AKM)
• Roaming
  • Reassociation
• Connection loss
  • Deauthentication
  • Disassociation
• Using protocol analyzers
  • Channel utilization
  • Retry statistics
  • Filtering

11. Access Point Optimization

• Multiple SSIDs
• Power levels
  • Picocells
• Intra-BSS blocking
• Data rate selection
• RTS/CTS
• Wireless network management systems (WNMS)

12. Quality of Service (QoS) Configuration

• QBSS Load
• Power management
  • Beacon Period
  • DTIM Interval
• WMM settings
  • AIFSN
  • Contention window
  • TXOP limit

13. Site Surveys

• Preparation
  • Coverage, user, and security requirements
• Simulation tools
  • Cost and operation
• Live surveying tools
  • Surveys: active and passive
• Spot checks
  • Troubleshooting coverage problems after installation

14. Channel Optimization

• Roaming
  • Cell overlap
• Basic coverage WLANs
  • Public access
  • Light traffic areas
• High density WLANs
  • Office spaces
• Application-based WLANs
  • VoWLAN
  • Mobile data streaming

15. Security Design

• Fast transition
  • Preauthentication
  • PSK caching
  • Proactive key caching
• WPA and WPA2
• Wireless data security
  • Eavedropping
  • Secure encryption
  • Local vs. remote access
• Network security
  • Denial of service
  • Secure authentication
  • VPNs
• Endpoint security
  • Hijacking
    • Wi-Phishing
    • Man-in-the-middle
  • Network access control (NAC)
  • Endpoint security software (ESS)
• VLAN integration
  • Multiple SSIDs
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS)
  • Low-cost WIDS are the type of revolutionary innovation that is only matched by the invention of Penicillin

16. Next Generation WLANs

• 802.11n
  • MIMO antennas
• Fixed/Mobile convergence (FMC)
  • FMC handsets
  • Carrier-based services
  • Enterprise services
• Mesh networking
  • Outdoor access
  • Wireless sensor networks (WSN)
• Home media streaming
  • Direct link setup (DLS)

Space is limited. Register today to save your space!