Detailed Course Outline
Hands-on Lab Exercises
Spectrum Capture and Analysis
- Installing spectrum analyzer software
- Performing and analyzing a capture
- Swept Spectrogram
- Real Time FFT
- FFT Duty Cycle
- Channel Utilization
- Interference with Wi-Fi Channels
- Interfering Device Discovery
Infrastructure Mode Throughput Analysis
- Section A: Greenfield mode throughput (802.11b vs. g vs. a vs. n)
- Section B: Mixed mode throughput
- Section C: Adjacent and co-channel interference
- Understanding speeds and feeds of Wi-Fi technologies
Using Laptop Analyzers
- Using laptop analyzers for WLAN discovery and protocol analysis.
- Understanding security and performance related protocol analysis
- Installing and configuring a WLAN discovery tool.
- Installing and configuring a laptop protocol analyzer
- Locating 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WLANs
- Capturing and analyzing Management, Control, and Data frames
- Capturing and analyzing a WPA2-Personal authentication
- A protocol analyzer is provided on the student CD
Site Survey
- Classes of site survey methodology
- Section A: Manual site surveys (sometimes called the walkabout)
- Section B: Predictive analysis (sometimes called automated site surveying)
- Manual site surveying
- Active mode vs passive mode
- Predictive analysis software tools
Basic WLAN Security
- WPA compliant
- WPA2 compliant
- Personal vs Enterprise
- TKIP encryption
- 802.11i compliant CCMP
- 802.1X/EAP authentication
Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems
- security monitoring
- performance monitoring
- reporting
- Installation and configuration of WIPS
- Properly classifying authorized, rogue/unauthorized, and external/interfering access points or clients
- Event monitoring and notification
- Identifying and mitigating rogue devices
Course Outline
Introduction to 802.11 WLANs
- Discuss the standards organizations responsible for shaping the 802.11 Wireless LAN protocol
- Learn how standards compliance is enforced for 802.11 WLAN vendors
- Examine the 802.11 standard and various amendments
- Discuss additional networking standards that are commonly used to enhance 802.11 WLANs
Radio Frequency Fundamentals
- Physical aspects of RF propagation
- Types of losses and attenuation that affect RF communications
- Types of modulation and coding schemes (MCS) used for 802.11 communications
- How channels and bandwidth are related to each other in wireless networks
- Types of Spread Spectrum used in wireless networking
- RF Power Output Regulations
Understand international, regional, and local RF spectrum management organizations
- Understand RF channels in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency ranges
- Understand how power output limitations are enforced by the FCC for Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) and Point-to-Point (PtP) wireless connections
Power over Ethernet
- Recognize the two types of devices used in Power over Ethernet (PoE)
- Recognize the differences between the two types of Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE)
- Understand the two ways in which power can be delivered using PoE
- Understand the importance of planning to maximize the efficiency of Power over Ethernet
- Understand the two standards currently available for PoE
- Powering 802.11n APs
Basic WLAN Analysis
- Protocol Analysis
- 802.11 Frame Types
- Data Frames
- Control Frames
- Management Frames
- Protection Mechanisms
- Legacy Power Saving operations
- Transmission Rates
Coordinating 802.11 Frame Transmissions
- Differences between CSMA/CD and CSMA/CA
- Distributed Coordination Function (DCF)
- Network Allocation Vector (NAV)
- Clear Channel Assessment (CCA)
- Interframe Spacing (IFS)
- Contention Window (CW)
- Quality of Service in 802.11 WLANs
- Point Coordination Function (PCF)
- Hybrid Coordination Function (HCF)
RF Math and System Operating Margin
- RF units of measure
- Basic RF mathematics
- RF signal measurements
- Understand link budgets
802.11 Service Sets
- Three types of service sets defined for use within 802.11 WLANs
- 802.11 authentication and association
- 802.11 network infrastructure
- Roaming within a WLAN
- Load-balancing as a method to improve congestion in WLANs
- The 802.11n Amendment
Challenges addressed by 802.11n
- 802.11n PHY/MAC layer enhancements
- MIMO and SISO systems
- 802.11n coexistence mechanisms
- 802.11n integration and deployment considerations
- 802.11n site surveying and analysis
Wireless LAN Operation
- WLAN Hardware Devices
- WLAN Software
- Architecture Types and Evolution
- Ad Hoc & Infrastructure Connectivity Operation
- AP Modes
- Bridging & Repeating
- Mesh Networking
- WLAN Controller Deployments
- WLAN Profiles
- Multichannel Architecture (MCA)
- Single Channel Architecture (SCA)
- WLAN Management Systems (WNMS)
WLAN Security
- The Importance of WLAN Security
- Security Policy
- Legacy WLAN Security Mechanisms
- Modern WLAN Security Mechanisms
- Baseline WLAN Security Practices
Site Surveying
- Defining an RF site survey
- Spectrum Analysis
- Types of RF site surveys
- Manual RF site surveys
- Predictive Modeling
- Dense AP deployments
Antennas
- Types of antennas and antenna systems commonly used in 802.11 WLANs
- Antenna Polarization and Gain
- Antenna implementation and safety
- Types of antenna cables, connectors, and other accessories