AWCC flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

AWCC exam scope

Covers vendor-neutral WLAN design, deployment, operation, and security including RF fundamentals, controller platforms, 802.1X, roaming, and troubleshooting methodology.

Exam domain weighting

Objectives and scope, core concepts, platform and tools, configuration, operations and troubleshooting, and security and best practices each form a portion of the question pool.

Scenario-based question

A question presenting a symptom or design constraint and asking for the most appropriate diagnostic step, configuration change, or design decision.

Regulatory domain

The country or region setting that determines permitted channels, maximum transmit power, and DFS requirements for radios.

Non-overlapping channels

Channels spaced so their spectra do not overlap: three in 2.4 GHz (1, 6, 11) and many more in 5 and 6 GHz.

RSSI and SNR

RSSI is received signal strength in negative dBm; SNR is signal minus noise floor in dB, and higher SNR permits higher MCS rates.

MCS index

A number defining modulation, coding rate, and spatial streams; higher indexes yield higher throughput but require better SNR.

BSSID versus SSID

SSID is the network name broadcast in beacons; BSSID is the MAC address of a specific AP radio serving that SSID.

802.11r fast transition

A standard enabling faster roaming by pre-authenticating keys with neighboring APs before the client reassociates.

OFDMA

Wi-Fi 6 feature dividing a channel into resource units so multiple clients transmit in one transmission opportunity, improving efficiency.

CAPWAP

Protocol tunneling control and data between AP and controller using UDP 5246 for control and UDP 5247 for data.

Spectrum analyzer

A tool displaying RF energy across frequencies, revealing non-802.11 interference sources that Wi-Fi adapters cannot report.

Predictive site survey

A software simulation of coverage using floor plans and attenuation models, performed before hardware is installed.

Passive site survey

A survey that listens to existing AP beacons without associating, mapping coverage and channel overlap from client perspective.

PoE power classes

802.3af supplies about 15.4 W, 802.3at about 30 W, and 802.3bt up to 90 W at the power sourcing equipment.

RADIUS ports

Authentication uses UDP 1812 and accounting uses UDP 1813; legacy deployments may use 1645 and 1646.

WLAN profile

A configuration object binding SSID, security policy, VLAN assignment, and QoS settings, applied to APs through groups.

WPA3-SAE

Simultaneous Authentication of Equals replaces the PSK handshake, providing forward secrecy and resistance to offline dictionary attacks.

Dynamic VLAN assignment

RADIUS returns Tunnel-Private-Group-ID and related attributes so the controller places the client on a specific VLAN.

802.11k neighbor report

The AP provides clients a list of nearby APs and channels, helping clients scan less and choose roam targets faster.

Band steering

A technique encouraging dual-band clients to associate on 5 or 6 GHz, reducing congestion in the 2.4 GHz band.

Guest network isolation

A separate VLAN with client isolation and captive portal that prevents guest traffic from reaching internal corporate resources.

Association without DHCP

A client that associates but receives no address usually indicates a VLAN mapping mismatch, missing scope, or trunk problem.

Sticky client

A client remaining associated to a distant AP despite a better option, causing low rates and retries until it roams.

Retry rate metric

The percentage of frames retransmitted; a rising value signals interference, weak signal, or excessive client load.

Co-channel interference

Two APs on the same channel sharing airtime, which reduces throughput even when signal strength appears adequate.

Noise floor

The ambient RF energy level in dBm; a raised floor from interference reduces SNR and therefore achievable data rates.

EAP-TLS

An 802.1X method using certificates on both client and server, providing mutual authentication without password exchange.

PEAP certificate validation

Clients must validate the RADIUS server certificate; without it, an evil twin can capture credentials via MSCHAPv2.

Management frame protection

802.11w authenticates deauthentication and disassociation frames, mitigating spoofed-frame denial-of-service attacks.

Rogue AP detection

Comparing scanned BSSIDs against a known authorized list to identify unauthorized access points in or near the facility.

WEP and TKIP status

Both are deprecated and insecure; WEP is trivially broken and TKIP has known weaknesses, so CCMP or GCMP is required.