CWNP CWAP-404 - Certified Wireless Analysis Professional

The CRC is calculated over the MAC Header and Frame Body only. The CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is a 32-bit value that is used for error detection in wireless transmissions. The CRC is calculated over the MAC Header and Frame Body of a PSDU, which are the parts of the data unit that contain information such as source and destination addresses, frame type, frame control, sequence number, payload, etc. The CRC is appended to the end of the PSDU as a FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field. The CRC is not calculated over the PHY Header or PHY Preamble, which are parts of the PPDU that contain information such as modulation, coding, data rate, etc. The PHY Header and PHY Preamble are added or removed by the PHY layer during the conversion between PSDU and PPDU. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 4: 802.11 Physical Layer, page 97-98

An 802.11 wireless adaptor is required for Wi-Fi integration in laptop-based spectrum analyzer software in addition to the spectrum analysis adapter. The spectrum analysis adapter is a hardware device that captures the RF signals in the wireless environment and sends them to the spectrum analyzer software for analysis and display. The 802.11 wireless adapter is a hardware device that connects the laptop to the wireless network and allows the spectrum analyzer software to correlate the RF data with the Wi-Fi data, such as SSID, channel, and BSSID. This enables the spectrum analyzer software to provide more context and insight into the spectrum activity and its impact on the Wi-Fi network. A firmware upgrade for the spectrum analysis adapter is not required for Wi-Fi integration, but it may be needed to fix bugs or add features to the device. A directional antenna is an antenna that focuses the RF energy in a specific direction and has a high gain and a narrow beamwidth. A directional antenna can be used with a spectrum analysis adapter to pinpoint the location or source of interference or noise in the wireless environment, but it is not required for Wi-Fi integration. SNMP read credentials to the WLAN controller or APs are not required for Wi-Fi integration, but they may be useful for obtaining additional information about the wireless network configuration and performance from the network devices.References:

CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Spectrum Analysis and Troubleshooting, page 123

CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 4.2: Integrate Wi-Fi data with spectrum analysis data

CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Spectrum Analysis and Troubleshooting, page 131

The STA is discovering a list of available BSSs by sending a Probe Request with an empty SSID element. This is also known as a broadcast Probe Request, as it does not specify any particular SSID to probe for. Any AP that receives this Probe Request will respond with a Probe Response containing its own SSID and other information about its BSS. This way, the STA can learn about all the BSSs in its vicinity and choose which one to associate with . References: CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 191; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 193.

The To DS and From DS flags should be set to 0 in an Association Response frame. An Association Response frame is a type of management frame that is transmitted by an AP to accept or reject an association request from a STA. The To DS (To Distribution System) and From DS (From Distribution System) flags are two bits in the Frame Control field of the MAC header that indicate whether a frame is destined for or originated from the DS (Distribution System), which is a system that connects multiple BSSs together. The To DS and From DS flags can have four possible combinations: 00, 01, 10, or 11. For an Association Response frame, which is sent from an AP to a STA within a BSS, both flags should be set to 0. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 5: 802.11 MAC Sublayer, page 121-122

The FFT plot is a spectrum analysis plot that shows the RF power present at a particular frequency over a short period of time. It can help identify the sources and characteristics of RF signals in the spectrum. By looking at the FFT plot, you can determine which ZigBee channels are used by the lighting system and whether they overlap with the WLAN channels in the 2.4 GHz band. ZigBee channels are 5 MHz wide and WLAN channels are 20 MHz or 40 MHz wide, so there is a possibility of overlap and interference between them. The other questions cannot be answered by looking at the FFT plot alone, as they require other types of plots or analysis tools, such as duty cycle plot, airtime utilization plot, or protocol analyzer. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide], Chapter 3: Spectrum Analysis, page 69-70

RTS is not a valid acknowledgement frame. RTS stands for Request To Send, and it is a control frame that is used to initiate an RTS/CTS exchange before sending a data frame. The purpose of an RTS/CTS exchange is to reserve the medium for a data transmission and avoid collisions with hidden nodes. An acknowledgement frame is a control frame that is used to confirm the successful reception of a data frame or a block of data frames. The valid acknowledgement frames are CTS (Clear To Send), Ack (Acknowledgement), and Block Ack (Block Acknowledgement) . References: CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 186; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 187; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 189; CWAP-404 Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Study and Reference Guide, Chapter 6: MAC Sublayer Frame Exchanges, page 190.

One of the information that is communicated by bits in the PHY header is data rate. Data rate is the speed at which data is transmitted or received over the wireless medium. Data rate depends on factors such as modulation, coding, channel width, spatial streams, and guard interval. Data rate is indicated by bits in different fields of the PHY header, depending on the type of PPDU (e.g., OFDM, HT, VHT, HE). The receiver uses these bits to determine how to decode and demodulate the rest of the PPDU. The other options are not correct, as they are not communicated by bits in the PHY header. SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), noise, and signal strengthare measured by the receiver based on its own capabilities and environment. References: [Wireless Analysis Professional Study Guide CWAP-404], Chapter 4: 802.11 Physical Layer, page 101-105

Observing the problem is the most important step in the WLAN troubleshooting methodology among those listed. This step involves capturing and analyzing the relevant data from the wireless network, such as packets, frames, spectrum, and performance metrics. Observing the problem helps to verify the existence and scope of the issue, identify the root cause and possible solutions, and validate the results of any actions taken. The other steps are also important, but they are not as critical as observing the problem12 References:

CWAP-404 Study Guide, Chapter 1: Troubleshooting Methodology, page 15

CWAP-404 Objectives, Section 1.2: Observe the problem