This post is more about finding where to start with the CWNP program, rather than focussing on any particular exam or level of knowledge.
The CWNP certification program is vendor neutral, and is seen to be the best way to learn about wireless without any specific vendors terms or proprietary information being thrown at you, and best of all you don’t have to remember any menu structure or config file structure for the exams…
CWNP provide a great program that takes you all the way through from knowing little
about wireless, right the way through to digging deep in to packet captures and
understanding the nuts and bolts.
Even when you come out the other
end, which I’m still yet to do, your learning doesn’t stop there, as there is always
new technology, and like with any certification program, they can’t cover absolutely everything.
You can find an overview of the certification program here.
The program is broken in to different topics once you reach the Professional level, Design, Analysis, and Security. Each makes up an individual exam.
At the associate level everything is broad, and it gives you a great grounding
in wireless that prepares you for what’s to come at the Professional level, should
you elect to continue down that path.
The ultimate goal for most, is the Expert level, CWNE.
CWNP provide a great quiz that
only takes a few minutes, and tests your existing knowledge of wireless before
you set out in the program. I’d highly recommend dong the quiz to ensure that
you are starting at the appropriate level, as there is specialist and technician exams for those that are really only starting out in the field of wireless.
If you have some experience, and you blitz the quiz, then it will recommend
starting out at the CWNA level. If you think you know your stuff though, be prepared for
a lesson as CWNA isn’t your normal Associate level exam! You very quickly realise
how little you do actually know.
Whilst there are classes run all over the world, that span 3-4 days on each exam,
candidates also have the option to self study.
CWNP produce Self Study guides, training kits,
and practice tests, that a candidate can use to prepare for the exam.
Personally I’ve only used the study guides and the Official Practice exams, and
have found them to be more than enough to get you through the exams.
Some exams, like the CWNA also have other self study guides available. The Sybex
study guide at the CWNA level is a great read, as not only does it cover the exam
content it also extends further to dig deeper into the exam topics and also provide a whole chapter just
to Wifi 6, which isn’t even in the CWNA exam at this current time!
If you are new to wifi, or want to prove your existing skills, and learn more at the same time, then the CWNP certification program is an excellent path to head down.
In future posts i’ll cover off what I’ve used to study for each of the exams.