A great way to start the CWNP Certified Wireless Specialist (CWS) preparation is to begin by properly appreciating the role that syllabus and study guide play in the CWNP CWS-101 certification exam. This study guide is an instrument to get you on the same page with CWNP and understand the nature of the CWNP Wi-Fi Specialist exam.
Our team of experts has composed this CWNP CWS-101 exam preparation guide to provide the overview about CWNP Wireless Specialist exam, study material, sample questions, practice exam and ways to interpret the exam objectives to help you assess your readiness for the CWNP CWS exam by identifying prerequisite areas of knowledge. We recommend you to refer the simulation questions and practice test listed in this guide to determine what type of questions will be asked and the level of difficulty that could be tested in the CWNP Wi-Fi Specialist certification exam.
CWNP CWS-101 Exam Overview:
|
Exam Name
|
Wireless Specialist |
| Exam Number | CWS-101 CWS |
| Exam Price | $175 USD |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Number of Questions | 60 |
| Passing Score | 70% |
| Recommended Training |
Live Training Class Self-Paced Training Kit Study and Reference Guide Electronic Practice Test eLearning Modules eLearning Bundle |
| Exam Registration | PEARSON VUE |
| Sample Questions | CWNP CWS-101 Sample Questions |
| Practice Exam | CWNP Certified Wireless Specialist Practice Test |
CWNP CWS-101 Exam Topics:
| Section | Objectives |
|---|---|
Understand Basic RF Characteristics (15%) |
|
| Identify RF characteristics |
- RF waves - Amplitude - Frequency - Wavelength |
| Explain basic RF behaviors |
- Reflection - Absorption - Signal strength |
| Understand antenna types |
- Omnidirectional - Semi-directional - Highly directional - Internal vs. external |
Identify Wireless Networking Features and Functions (30%) |
|
| Know the frequency bands used by common wireless protocols |
- Sub-1 GHz - 2.4 GHz - 5 GHz - 6 GHz - Above 7 GHz |
| Identify Physical Layer (PHY) characteristics |
- Data rates - Channel widths and center frequencies |
| Select appropriate channels |
- Channel selection best practices - Common channel selection mistakes |
| Identify factors impacting wireless network performance |
- Coverage or link requirements - Capacity requirements - Required features - Poor configuration and implementation |
| Explain the basic security solutions used |
- Authentication and key management - Encryption |
Identify Wireless Hardware and Software (30%) |
|
| Identify APs, coordinators, gateways, and controller features and capabilities |
- Routing - Security - Network management - Connection interfaces - Device management solutions - Internal and external antennas - PoE support |
| Describe wireless network management systems |
- Autonomous - Controller - Cloud - Custom or third-party management systems |
| Determine capabilities of network client or IoT devices |
- Protocol support - Power provisioning - Sensor support - Security options - Mobile vs. stationary |
| Identify when Power over Ethernet (PoE) should be used | |
| Understand the basic requirements for voice over wireless networks |
- Latency - Jitter - Signal strength |
| Determine the best solution for BYOD and guest access in wireless LANs |
- User provisioning - Captive portals - Device and software control solutions |
Understand Organizational Goals (25%) |
|
| Understand issues in common vertical markets |
- Standard Enterprise Offices - Healthcare - Hospitality - Conference Centers - Education - Government - Retail - Industrial - Emergency Response - Temporary Deployments - Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) - Public Wi-Fi |
| Identify information sources related to existing networks |
- Network diagrams - Wi-Fi implementations - IoT network implementations - Neighbor networks - Available network services - PoE availability |
| Discover coverage/link and capacity needs from a functional perspective |
- Define coverage areas - Define capacity zones - Define link requirements |
| Discover client devices, IoT devices, and applications in use |
- Laptops, tablets, mobile phones, desktops, and specialty devices - Real-time applications - Standard applications (e-mail, web browsing, database access, etc.) - Data-intensive applications (file downloads/uploads, cloud storage, cloud backup, etc.) - IoT sensors - IoT actuators |
| Determine the need for outdoor coverage networks, outdoor IoT connections, and bridge links |
- Bridge link distance and required throughput - Outdoor areas requiring coverage - Use cases for outdoor access - Outdoor IoT connectivity options |
| Define security constraints |
- Regulatory - Industry standards and guidelines - Organizational policies |
| Discover use cases and access types |
- Authorized users - Onboarded guest access - Public Wi-Fi - Monitoring and control (IoT devices) |
| Match organizational goals to wireless network features and functions | |
CWNP CWS Exam Description:
The CWS certification is an entry-level WLAN certification from the vendor-neutral CWNP organization that brought you CWNA and other advanced certifications. To earn the CWS certification, you must pass an online exam with a score of 70% or higher. Those desiring to work as instructors teaching CWS classes must pass with a score of 80% or higher. Regardless of the way you choose to prepare for the CWS exam, you should start with the exam objectives, which cover the full list of knowledge tested on the exam. The CWS is a three-year certification, and it is renewed by passing the most recent version of the CWS exam again.