- Topics Mentioned
- Certification(s):
- CWNP Certifications
- Exam(s):
- CWNP Exams
CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Administrator) is a vendor neutral certification that covers a range of topics that focus on wireless LAN technology.
Whether you’re interested in a new career path or just want to keep your networking skills up to date, consider the possibilities that the CWNA certification has to offer.
The CWNA certification has some important benefits including:
- Unique career options and opportunities
- Good way to set yourself apart from other networking professionals
- A competitive salary (according to CertMag’s 2009 salary survey, $94,000 on average)
How to Get CWNA Certified
CWNA candidates are required to pass a single exam: PW0-104 on Wireless LAN Administration.
The exam is available in English only, currently costs $175 and is available through Pearson VUE testing centers.
The PW0-104 exam has 60 multiple choice questions and takes 90 minutes to complete. You are required to answer 70% of the questions correctly in order to become certified and your CWNA cert is valid for 3 years.
As for prerequisites, although there are no prior certifications required, you must have a basic understanding of networking concepts.
The main topics covered on the CWNA exam include:
- Radio Technologies
- Antenna Concepts
- Wireless LAN Hardware and Software
- Network Design, Installation, and Management
- Wireless Standards and Organizations
- 802.11 Network Architecture
- Wireless LAN Security
- Troubleshooting
- How to Perform Site Surveys
How to Prepare for the CWNA PW0-104 Exam
There are 5 ways you can prepare for your CWNA exam:
- The Only Authorized CWNA Video Training — which not only gives you an instructor led experience and the convenience of your own home, but also the flexibility to watch videos on your own time and at your own pace
CWNA Video Training
Master wireless networking, administration and security by watching an expert instructor configure a real live wireless network
Get complete exam coverage for CWNA PWO-104 exam — this course covers all of the bases required for the exam.
Take advantage of multiple file formats and learn anywhere you go with iPod Video, Mp3 Audio, .WMV & high quality .AVI video
Watch a demo and learn more
- 5 Day Course at a Training Facility Near You — which provides you with face-to-face interaction with the instructor and learning at a quick pace
- 5 Day Live Online Training Course — which offers you an instructor led experience from the convenience of your home
- CWNA Study Guide and Practice Test Book– which offers you the flexibility to study on your own time and at your own pace
- Practice Exam for the CWNA Exam (PW0-104) — allows you to test your knowledge with 240 practice questions
About CWNP
The CWNA certification is administered by CWNP (Certified Wireless Network Professional) however, there is no CWNP certification, or exam. CWNP is the program that develops certification exams for wireless technologies and their goal is to certify people on wireless networking.
Currently there are 5 certifications that CWNP offers:
- CWTS: Certified Wireless Technology Specialist
- CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator
- CWSP: Certified Wireless Security Professional
- CWNE: Certified Wireless Network Expert
- CWNT: Certified Wireless Network Trainer
Interesting! Something for me to consider in the future.
Wireless is definitely an area that is getting more and more popular which means they’ll need to be more and more people to administer it.
very true…
hi Kasia Grabowska
in future any chance release of CWSP , CWNE ????
Hi Ali,
There is a strong possibility for a CWSP course, depending on how many of our students are interested in that certification. This is definitely a course we are considering developing in the upcoming year.
The CWNE on the other hand is probably unlikely; the scope of that course is extremely large, and to be honest we’re not entirely sure that our video training could capture everything that is required for such a high level certification.
Hope this answers your questions.
Kasia
Kasia,
I have the CWNA TrainSignal package, and I have read and taken notes on all the videos therein. I have taken and passed the CWTS exam, but I am scared of taking the CWNA exam because I do not have practical experience on wireless products. Do I need such experience? Or should I just go ahead and take the CWNA exam ?
Hi Kunle,
First off, congrats on passing the CWTS!
CWNP does not require that you have experience before taking the CWNA exam. But of course, hands-on experience is the best way to learn and ideally you should have experience installing, configuring and troubleshooting WLAN hardware and protocols before attempting the exam.
Try to see if you can get your hands on some older Wi-Fi equipment. Often you can find older enterprise equipment on E-Bay (and you might be able to sell it to another CWNA candidate once you’re done practicing with it). If you can’t get enterprise equipment see if you can get some home Wi-Fi equipment, like Linksys. The Linksys UI database might also be handy: http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/linksys-user-interface-database
Another good way to practice is by downloading the protocol analyzer and looking at the 802.11 frame exchanges. CommView offers a 30 day evaluation copy here: http://www.tamos.com/download/main/
I hope this helps! Make sure to prepare with some practice exams so you know how you’re doing. And best of luck on your exam!
Let us know when you pass
I do not have money to buy hoome-made equipment, but I have a wireless router installed in the rented apartment where I live. How else can I practice? Please send your suggestions.
Hi Kunle,
The Linksys UI database is a great way to get familiar with different wireless router types: http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/linksys-user-interface-database
There are also a number of network simulators that might be helpful. Here’s one: http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/dynamips-dynagen-gns3