CWT study plan

Calculate free-space path loss and link budget in dB for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz at 1, 10, and 50 meters, and state which band loses more power at equal distance

Convert between mW, dBm, and watts for 1, 10, 20, 100, and 1000 mW, and explain the 3 dB and 10 dB rules without a calculator

Describe how Fresnel zone clearance and antenna height affect a point-to-point link, and compute the first Fresnel zone radius at midspan for a 2 km link

Explain the relationship between frequency, wavelength, and antenna element length, and rank 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz by wavelength

Distinguish absorption, reflection, refraction, diffraction, and scattering, and match each to a real indoor or outdoor scenario

Explain multipath, delay spread, and how OFDM and MIMO mitigate them

Compare SNR, RSSI, noise floor, and EIRP, and identify which values a client reports versus an AP

Identify sources of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz interference and state the practical effect of each on throughput and retries

Describe RF regulatory concepts: EIRP limits, DFS channels, and transmit power rules for a given region

Identify the role of AP, controller, PoE switch, and client in a WLAN, and sketch a small-office topology from a written requirement

Calculate PoE power budget for a switch given per-AP draw and port count, and flag when the budget is exceeded

Select the correct cable category and connector for a given run length and data rate, and state the maximum channel length for Cat5e and Cat6

Explain mounting choices (ceiling, wall, outdoor) and how each affects coverage pattern and cable routing

List the steps to physically install and power an AP, including grounding and surge protection for outdoor units

Describe the AP boot and join process, including DHCP, discovery, and controller registration, in correct order

Configure a basic SSID with security, VLAN mapping, and a management address on a lab AP or simulator

Diagnose a non-joining AP given a symptom list (no DHCP, wrong VLAN, certificate mismatch, PoE insufficient)

Explain channel width, channel reuse, and co-channel interference, and assign a non-overlapping 2.4 GHz channel plan for a 3-AP floor

Interpret client association states and roaming behavior, and explain what triggers a roam between APs

Use a packet capture or client utility output to identify a failed association, a DHCP failure, and an authentication failure

Tune transmit power and minimum data rate to reduce sticky-client behavior, and justify each change

Describe QoS/WMM tagging basics and how voice traffic is prioritized over bulk data

Read controller or AP statistics (retries, client count, channel utilization) and state the likely root cause of poor performance

Compare open, WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, and state the specific weakness that retired each

Explain 802.1X/EAP authentication flow and the roles of supplicant, authenticator, and authentication server

Distinguish PSK from Enterprise, and describe how a rogue AP and evil twin attack work and how to detect each

Identify common misconfigurations (WPS enabled, weak PSK, management frame protection off, open guest VLAN) and state the fix for each

Explain the security role of VLAN segmentation, guest isolation, and management-network separation

Plan a passive site survey: define requirements, walk the floor, and record RSSI, SNR, and channel utilization at sample points

Explain the difference between passive, active, and predictive surveys and when each is appropriate

Set coverage and capacity criteria (for example minimum RSSI and SNR targets) and apply them to survey data

Identify capacity problems from client density and recommend AP count and placement changes

Document survey results in a format a customer can act on, including AP placement and channel plan

Complete a timed 60-question mixed practice set across all four domains and score at least 80 percent

Re-teach every missed item by writing the correct concept in your own words without looking it up

Recite from memory the dBm conversion table, PoE budget formula, and the 2.4 GHz non-overlapping channel set

Walk through one end-to-end scenario (design, install, configure, secure, survey) and justify each decision

Review the personal error log and confirm no domain remains below 75 percent on retest