Cisco 350-101 - Implementing and Operating Cisco Wireless Core Technologies (350-101 WLCOR)v1.0

When deploying a Lightweight Access Point (LWAPP) in a Cisco wireless network, proper Layer 3 configuration is essential for management and connectivity to the Wireless LAN Controller (WLC). Each LWAPP requires a valid IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway to communicate beyond its local subnet. In the exhibit, the AP is assigned 172.16.100.104/24, but the previously configured gateway was incorrect, preventing communication with the WLC. Cisco IOS XE requires that the AP’s IP interface be configured with the correct default gateway to route traffic properly. The correct syntax iscapwap ap ip < AP-IP > < Subnet-Mask > < Default-Gateway > . Option D matches the IP, subnet mask, and gateway for the given network, ensuring the AP can reach the WLC for LWAPP registration. Option A only changes the gateway without setting the IP explicitly, which is insufficient if the IP needs adjustment. Option B incorrectly configures the controller’s IP, which does not affect the AP’s default gateway. Option C uses an incorrect subnet mask (255.255.255.192), which would place the AP in a different subnet, breaking connectivity. Proper default gateway configuration is critical to avoid registration failures and management issues. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration — LWAPP AP IP configuration, default gateway, WLC communication, Layer 3 reachability.

Cisco Catalyst Center uses its Event Notifications framework to alert operations teams when Assurance detects client, device, or wireless issues. The correct workflow is not a simple email-address entry under Issue Settings; it is an event subscription that binds selected issue events to a notification channel such as EMAIL. Cisco’s Catalyst Assurance documentation states that, when a specific Assurance issue is triggered and its status changes, Assurance can generate REST or email notifications, and the workflow opens thePlatform > Developer Toolkit > Event Notificationswindow from Manage Subscription. The same guide confirms that EMAIL is one of the supported notification channels and that the EMAIL notification details include sender, recipient, and subject fields. Cisco’s Platform User Guide also defines Event Notifications as the place to “view and subscribe to specific events” and gives the GUI path asPlatform > Developer Toolkit > Event Notifications. Therefore, option B is correct. SMTP/email destination configuration may be a prerequisite, but the required alerting action is creating the event notification subscription. Reference topics: Catalyst Center Assurance, Event Notifications, Wireless Monitoring and Management.

The switch interfaces connected to the APs must be configured as 802.1Q trunk ports. The requirement states that AP management and guest Wi-Fi traffic must remain separate, and additional VLANs for IoT and voice are expected. An access port supports only one VLAN, so it cannot scale for multiple locally tagged client VLANs. Cisco’s Catalyst AP guidance states that when multiple VLANs are used for client traffic, the AP switch port should trunk the VLANs, and management traffic is untagged; when a management VLAN is used, it should be configured as the native VLAN on the switch port. Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 FlexConnect documentation also shows the AP connected to a trunk port with a native VLAN for AP IP connectivity and a separate VLAN for locally switched client traffic.

Option C is therefore correct: configure a trunk, set the AP management VLAN as native, and restrict the allowed VLAN list to only required management and client VLANs such as guest, IoT, and voice. This supports segmentation and prevents unnecessary internal VLAN exposure. Reference topics:AP switch-port design, 802.1Q trunks, native VLANs, client VLAN tagging, FlexConnect/local switching, and guest traffic segmentation.

Cisco Catalyst Center Assurance is the correct solution because the requirement is centralized, scalable, multi-site client monitoring with aggregated health and troubleshooting data. Cisco states that Catalyst Center Assurance provides aClient health dashboardand supports both wired and wireless clients. It is specifically used to obtain a global view of all client device health and determine whether issues require action.

This directly matches the need for monitoring clients across branch locations and responding faster during performance degradation. Catalyst Center Assurance also provides location-based visibility, health scoring, client trend analysis, onboarding failure reasons such as AAA or DHCP, and Client 360 views for detailed troubleshooting. Cisco documents that Client 360 provides detailed client connectivity troubleshooting, including what problem occurred, when it occurred, why it occurred, and whether the impact is isolated or widespread. Cisco’s Catalyst Center data sheet further describes Network and Client Health dashboards as giving administrators a high-level overview of every network device and client, with expansion by geographical site, device list, client list, or topology. Syslog, WLC CLI logging, and a local WLC dashboard are useful operational tools, but they do not provide enterprise-scale assurance analytics. Reference topics:Wireless Monitoring and Management — Catalyst Center Assurance, Client Health, Client 360, centralized wireless monitoring, and operational analytics.

WPA2 Personal (PSK) authentication relies on a shared secret (preshared key) configured on both the wireless LAN controller (WLC) and the client device. In the exhibit, the WLAN is configured with WPA2 and PSK (set-key ascii MyKey123), which means the network expects clients to use the same preshared key to authenticate. To enable client connectivity, the preshared key must be manually entered on each client device; this aligns the client and WLC authentication parameters. Options B, C, and D are unrelated to WPA2 Personal: MAC filtering is a security policy mechanism, Active Directory integration supports WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1X authentication, and client certificates are used for certificate-based EAP methods, not PSK. Cisco Wireless Core Technologies emphasize that PSK deployments require consistent key configuration across the WLAN and clients, and that the preshared key is the critical element for successful authentication. This ensures secure, encrypted communication while providing simple setup for small or branch deployments without an enterprise RADIUS infrastructure. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration — WPA2 Personal, preshared key authentication, WLAN configuration, branch deployment WLAN security.

WPA2-Personal authenticates clients with a preshared key, not with 802.1X. Cisco documents WPA/WPA2 as supporting multiple authentication methods, including 802.1X and PSK, and specifically states that when PSK is selected, a preshared key or passphrase must be configured. The configuration element that enables client authentication in this scenario is the PSK ASCII key function represented by option D. On Catalyst 9800 IOS XE, the PSK method is enabled with PSK authentication key management, and the passphrase is defined withsecurity wpa psk set-key {ascii | hex} {0 | 8} password; Cisco’s example issecurity wpa psk set-key ascii 0 test.

Option A disables 802.1X AKM, which is appropriate for Personal mode, but it does not by itself authenticate clients. Option B controls DHCP proxy behavior and has no role in WPA authentication. Option C enables AES for WPA2 encryption, which protects traffic confidentiality but does not supply the authentication secret. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration — WPA2-Personal, PSK authentication, AKM selection, AES encryption, and Catalyst 9800 WLAN security configuration.

The correct answer is B. inconsistent channel performance . In WLAN RF design, interference is unwanted RF energy in the same or adjacent frequency space that reduces the usable quality of a channel. Cisco defines interference as unwanted RF signals in the same frequency band that can cause degradation or loss of service. When interference increases, the channel becomes less predictable: clients and APs experience higher contention, more retries, lower modulation rates, reduced throughput, and unstable latency.

Cisco also notes that overlapping channels can create RF interference, leading to connectivity issues and poor throughput. In co-channel interference scenarios, adjacent radios on the same channel interfere with network performance through collisions or excessive CSMA deferrals, degrading WLAN performance. This directly maps to inconsistent channel performance because the channel may appear usable at one moment and congested or impaired the next.

The other answers are not the best operational result. Frame aggregation may be impacted indirectly, but it is not the primary RF-level outcome. Scheduled contention access is not caused by interference. Extended coverage patterns are related to antenna gain, transmit power, and propagation, not high interference. Reference topic: RF Fundamentals — interference, channel utilization, co-channel interference, adjacent-channel interference, retries, and WLAN performance degradation.

In wireless networks, the 20 MHz channel width is the standard and narrowest channel allocation in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Using narrower channels reduces adjacent-channel interference and allows for better coexistence in high-density environments, which is particularly important in the crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum. A 20 MHz channel uses less RF bandwidth than 40 MHz or 80 MHz channels, providing more non-overlapping channels (channels 1, 6, and 11 in 2.4 GHz) to reduce co-channel interference. Option B is incorrect, as channel width does not inherently increase authentication handoff frequency; handoff behavior is determined by RSSI, client roaming thresholds, and 802.11r fast roaming settings. Option C describes client reassociation support, which is handled by the wireless controller and client firmware, not the channel width itself. Option D is incorrect because wider channels (40 MHz, 80 MHz) provide higher throughput than 20 MHz, at the expense of increased interference potential. Cisco Wireless Core Technologies emphasize that 20 MHz channels are preferred for dense deployments in the 2.4 GHz band to maximize non-overlapping channels and reduce interference, ensuring predictable coverage and reliable client connectivity. Reference topics:RF Fundamentals — 20 MHz channels, 2.4 GHz spectrum planning, interference management, channel allocation.

The correct answer is D. Cisco Spaces connector deployments often require a VLAN on which the connector is reachable for management or data, and Cisco Spaces wired gateway guidance identifies the connector VLAN as the VLAN used for communication to the connector. The same guidance also supports multiple source VLANs for monitored wired devices, which aligns with the requirement for future analytics-service scalability.

A trunk port is the proper design choice because it can carry multiple VLANs over the same physical interface. Cisco Catalyst switch documentation states that an access port carries traffic for only one VLAN, while an IEEE 802.1Q trunk carries multiple VLANs and supports tagged traffic. The command switchport trunk allowed vlan 30 limits the trunk initially to VLAN 30, satisfying the current management VLAN requirement without changing the native VLAN or other default VLAN settings. Cisco also documents that an allowed VLAN list limits VLAN membership only on the associated trunk port, so it does not affect other switch ports.

Option A works only for a single untagged VLAN and is less scalable. Options B and C mix access mode with trunk-only commands and are syntactically or operationally invalid. Reference topic: Wireless Monitoring and Management — Cisco Spaces connector deployment, VLAN reachability, trunking, and analytics service scalability.