Essential Skills Gained

Identify sources of interference and recommend solutions

Describe Wi-Fi operations and deployment strategies

Configure and deploy secure wireless networks

Troubleshoot connectivity and performance issues effectively

Format

Instructor-led
5 days with lectures and hands-on labs.

Audience

IT decision makers
Network architects
Product managers
Technical support staff

Description

Wireless networks have become ubiquitous. Most IT professionals have installed a wireless network at their home. But implementing a wireless network in an enterprise is much more complex. This course is designed to take an IT professional through the lifecycles of planning, implementing, and maintaining a wireless network. The course has broad appeal to all IT professionals, including IT decision makers, architects, product management, and technical support staff. The course does not require any prior wireless knowledge, although learners must have rudimentary knowledge of IP networking. The course is 40% hands on labs and 60% lecture. Labs are a combination of individual labs and team-oriented goal-based labs where learners collaborate to solve problems and implement solutions. About the instructor: Dr. Avril Salter has worked on Wireless LANs since 1992, five years before the first 802.11 Wi-Fi specifications were finalized. She developed her in-depth understanding of wireless while working for Motorola. Since then she has worked for Intel and Microsoft. She has taught Wi-Fi courses at Cisco since 2002, and has published an advanced wireless certification book with HP Press. Dr. Salter is well known for her ability to solve some of the most complex Wi-Fi implementation challenges.

Upcoming Course Dates

No upcoming dates. Please check back later.

Course Outline

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Day 1 – Plan a wireless network

Identify the unique challenges of transmitting data over a wireless medium
List the major components of a radio
Understand different antenna options, including MIMO and beamforming
Distinguish between different propagation models
Use a spectrum analyzer to understand channels and channel bandwidth
Use a spectrum analyzer to detect and analyze sources of interference

Day 2 – Configure and deploy a Wi-Fi network

Set up an open Wi-Fi network
Use Wireshark to detect and analyze Wi-Fi packet flows
Use Wireshark to analyze the impact of changing basic Wi-Fi settings
Compare and contrast autonomous and centrally managed Access Points
Distinguish between layer 2 and layer 3 roaming
Use Wireshark to analyze wireless and wired QoS settings

Day 3 — Configure and implement wireless security

Configure and implement Wi-Fi authentication, encryption and message integrity
Distinguish between wired and wireless security vulnerabilities
Use Backtrack to execute wireless penetration test attacks
Use packet and spectrum analyzers to identify wireless security attacks
Understand wireless intrusion prevention mechanisms

Day 4 – Troubleshoot Wireless Networks

Use spectrum analyzers to troubleshoot interference problems
Use Wireshark to troubleshoot connectivity problems
Use Wireshark to troubleshoot capacity and performance problems
Use Wireshark to troubleshoot security issues
Combine the results of spectrum and packet analyzers to identify different wireless network problems
Analyze real-world problems

Day 5 – Implement the latest Wi-Fi product enhancements

Compare and contrast 802.11n high throughput and 802.11ac very high throughput
Understand the benefits of Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO)
Identify the changes to support Wireless Access Vehicular Environments (WAVE)
Discuss interworking with cellular networks
Be familiar with Hotspot 2.0 and the deployment of carrier grade Access Points

Wireless Networking for IT Professionals