Your Course Includes
- Superior CWAP Training Course Manuals (x2)
- Official Certitrek CWAP Exam Study Guide
- Expert training from Europe’s Leading Wi-Fi Engineer Training and Certification company – the World’s First GOLD CWNP Learning Partner
- Full-colour courseware, exam-prep materials, hands-on labs, expert advice from the UK’s leading Wi-Fi network engineering Company
- Test-prep questions available in-class and on-line
- Lifetime Post-Training Support – to help you in your future career.
Why this CWAP course?
This advanced course delivers up-to-date, hands-on practical training using the latest enterprise wireless network troubleshooting tools. Attendees work with RF Spectrum Analysis and Protocol Analysis tools, and learn advanced Wi-Fi network Troubleshooting and Diagnosis techniques, to gain an in-depth understanding Wi-Fi networks and their operation. The course helps attendees prepare for the Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP) industry certification, and to progress towards application for the Internationally-recognised CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert) Certification.
CWAP Training Course Objectives
On completing this course, you will be able to:
- Analyse, assess and troubleshoot Enterprise Wi-Fi networks in depth.
- Use advanced Wi-Fi network analysis tools from the industry’s leading manufacturers.
- Gain confidence and familiarity with Wi-Fi RF spectrum analysers, using plots and charts to display and interpret spectrum data.
- Use Wi-Fi network analysis tools to capture and visualise 802.11 frame types, formats and 802.11 protocol exchanges.
- Gain hands-on troubleshooting skills by diagnosing common problems in Wi-Fi networks.
- Prepare for the Certitrek (CWNP) CWAP-403 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional exam.
- Progress towards application for the Internationally-recognised CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert) Certification.
Who should attend the CWAP course
- All staff who need to be able to Support and Troubleshoot Wi-Fi networks with authority.
- Wi-Fi network professionals preparing for the Certitrek (CWNP) CWAP-403 industry certification exam.
- Wi-Fi network professionals progressing towards the Internationally-recognised CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert) Certification.
CWAP Course Pre-requisites
Attendees should have existing knowledge and skills to the level of WCC Certified Wireless Network Manager (CWNM), Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) or equivalent; and a good understanding of 802.11 Physical and MAC layers before attending this course.
CWAP Certification
Read the Exam Objectives for the CWAP-403 exam. The distribution of questions within each knowledge domain for the CWAP-403 exam (available from 1 October 2018) is:
- Protocol Analysis – 15%
- Spectrum Analysis – 15%
- PHY Layers and Technologies – 10%
- MAC Sublayer and Functions – 25%
- WLAN Medium Access – 10%
- 802.11 Frame Exchanges – 25%
Hands-on Practicals
Spectrum Analyser Setup, Use and In-Depth Analysis
This lab set gives students the necessary familiarity, experience and competence to analyse RF behaviour using spectrum analysers. Student explore spectrum analyser traces and charts and interpret the data to understand a transmitter’s impact on a Wi-Fi network. Exercises include:
Wi-Fi Protocol Analysis
The 10-lab Protocol Analyser lab set focusses on gaining familiarity with analysis tools, using protocol analysers to capture traffic and interpret frame traces:
1. Installation and familiarity with capabilities, configuration, and data visualisation
2. Creating, saving, viewing and modifying capture files
3. Device naming and prioritisation, traffic filtering, colouring rules and more
4. Performing live captures using defined collection criteria
5. Identifying significant network behaviours, metrics and statistics – to identify and isolate network problems
6. Using Protocol Analyser “Expert” features, including conversation analysis
7. Remote site packet trace capture using a remote AP
Understanding Frame Components
This 9-lab set focusses on using protocol analysis tools to capture and visualise multiple 802.11 frame types and formats. Familiarity with 802.11 frame structure and content is essential for effective Wi-Fi network troubleshooting.
Frame Exchanges
For effective Wi-Fi network troubleshooting it is essential to know how and when each 802.11 frame is used in interactive communication. Understanding Wi-Fi frame exchange rules and behaviour is critical to identifying expected and unexpected behaviour. This lab focusses on observing and explaining 802.11 WLAN behaviour using a protocol analyser.
Troubleshooting Wi-Fi Network Problems
This lab enables students to identify and diagnose a series of common Wi-Fi network problems.
Lifetime Post-Course Support
After completing this CWAP training course, delegates receive lifetime post-training support from LEVER Technology Group, to help them apply the technologies and skills they have learned with us, to provide career-long support, and to ensure they are better equipped for their future roles in IT and networking.
CWAP Training Course Content
Principles of WLAN Communication
- 802.11 Working Group
- OSI reference model and the 802.11 PHY and MAC
- Communication sublayers and data units
Advanced Troubleshooting Processes for Wi-Fi Networks
- The CWNP CWAP Troubleshooting Methodology
- Identify a Problem, its Scale, Causes
- Wi-Fi networks analysis tools
- Throughput Testing
- Operating system commands and utilities
WLAN architecture components
- Organisation of station forwarding
- Addressing and internetworking operation
- Modern WLAN product architectures
Physical (PHY) Layer Formats and Technologies
- Physical layer functions
- Preamble function and format
- Header purpose and structure
- Analysis of PHY problems
- Physical PPDU formats
- 802.11b
- 802.11a
- 802.11g
- 802.11n
- 802.11ac
- 802.11ax
MAC Layer Formats and Technologies
- MAC frame components
- MAC encapsulation
- Fields and subfields of the MAC header
- Frame Control
- Frame types and subtypes and their uses
- Addressing
- Frame body
- Data frame format
- Control frame format
- Management frame format
- Information elements and fields
802.11 Protocol Operation
- Beaconing and synchronisation
- Scanning
- Client state machine
- 802.11 contention
- QoS
- Admission control
- Band steering and airtime fairness mechanisms
- Fragmentation
Advanced 802.11 Protocol Operation
- Acknowledgments and Block acknowledgments
- Protection mechanisms and backward compatibility
- Power management
- Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) and Transmit Power Control (TPC)
- Security components, methods, and exchanges
- Roaming procedures exchanges
- Future protocol enhancements
802.11n (HT)
- Transmit beamforming
- Spatial multiplexing
- Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC)
- Space-Time Block Coding
- 40 MHz channels
- Frame aggregation
- HT-OFDM format
- Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS)
- HT frame formatting
- .. and More
802.11ac (VHT)
- Analysing 80MHz and 160MHz channels
- Dynamic Bandwidth Operation (DBO)
- Standardised Transmit Beamforming (TxBF)
- Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
- VHT Transmit Opportunity (TXOP)
- Coexistence Mechanisms
802.11ax (HE)
- Major problems with Wi-Fi today
- OFDM Subcarrier spacing
- Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
- Long OFDM symbol
- Resource Units
- Subchannel Allocation for OFDMA
- Uplink Multi-User (UL-MU) transmissions
- 8×8 Multi-user Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO)
- Spatial frequency re-use / BSS Colouring
- Target Wake Time (TWT)
- 1024-QAM
- New PHY headers
- Enhanced robustness outdoors
802.11 Protocol Analysis Tools and Methodology
- Troubleshooting methodology
- Protocol analyser types
- Analysis NIC/adapter selection and constraints
- Interpreting results based on location
- Analyser settings and features
- Filtering and channel scanning
Practical 802.11 Protocol Analysis
- Interpreting decodes
- Using advanced analysis features
- Assessing WLAN health and behavior factors
- Evaluating network statistics
- Troubleshooting common problems
- Wired analysis to support wireless network issues
RF Spectrum Analysis Tools and Methodology
- Radio frequency behavior review
- Visualising RF domains using spectrum measurement tools
- Spectrum analyser types and operation
- Analyser specifications and characteristics
Practical RF Spectrum Analysis
- Understanding spectrum data presentation
- Interpreting plots and charts
- Common WLAN spectrum analyser features
- Identifying transmit patterns
- Device classification and network impact
- Recognising transmit signatures