CWNP CWNA-109 - Certified Wireless Network Administrator

What prevents each station from using all the airtime when other client stations are actively communicating in the same BSS is CSMA/CA. CSMA/CA stands for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance and is a media access control method used by WLAN devices to share the wireless medium. CSMA/CA works by having each station sense the medium before transmitting a frame. If the medium is busy (i.e., another station is transmitting), the station defers its transmission until the medium is idle. If the medium is idle, the station waits for a random backoff period before transmitting. This way, CSMA/CA reduces the chances of collisions and ensures fair access to the medium for all stations. CSMA/CA also uses positive acknowledgements to confirm successful transmissions and retransmissions to recover from errors. CSMA/CD, DOS prevention, and OFDMA are not used by WLAN devices in a BSS. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 108; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 98.

A VoIP phone is least likely to be a POE PSE of the devices listed. POE stands for Power over Ethernet, which is a technology that allows devices to receive both power and data over a single Ethernet cable. A POE PSE stands for Power Sourcing Equipment, which is a device that provides power to other devices over Ethernet. A POE PD stands for Powered Device, which is a device that receives power from a PSE over Ethernet. A midspan multi-port injector, a switch, and a midspan injector are examples of POE PSEs, as they can supply power to multiple devices over Ethernet cables. A VoIP phone is an example of a POE PD, as it can receive power from a PSE over an Ethernet cable. However, some VoIP phones can also act as POE PSEs for other devices, such as IP cameras or wireless access points, but this is not very common. References: CWNA-109 Study Guide, Chapter 8: Wireless LAN Access Points, page 2411

The channel that can be used for VHT transmissions according to the 802.11 specification is channel 144. VHT stands for Very High Throughput and is the PHY layer specification for 802.11ac devices. VHT transmissions can use channel bandwidths of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz in the 5 GHz band. Channel 144 is one of the channels in the 5 GHz band that can support VHT transmissions with any of these bandwidths. Channel 6, channel 1, and channel 11 are channels in the 2.4 GHz band that cannot support VHT transmissions, as they are only compatible with legacy (802.11b/g/n), HT (802.11n), or ERP (802.11g) transmissions with up to 20 MHz bandwidth. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 214; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 204.

A high-density deployment is a wireless network that is designed to support a large number of users and devices in a relatively small area. This type of deployment is often used in enterprise environments, such as offices, schools, and hospitals.

The use of semi-directional antennas in the deployment described in the question is a good indication that it is a high-density deployment. Semi-directional antennas can be used to focus the signal from an access point in a specific direction. This can help to reduce interference and improve performance in high-density environments.

The other answer choices are less likely to be correct for the following reasons:

SOHO (small office/home office) deployments are typically smaller and less complex than high-density deployments.

Residential deployments are typically even smaller and less complex than SOHO deployments.

Standard office deployments may be high-density, but they may also be lower-density.

It is important to note that the type of deployment is not determined solely by the output power of the access points. However, the use of 10 mW of output power on the 2.4 GHz radios and 20 mW of output power on the 5GHz radios is also consistent with a high-density deployment.

Here are some additional tips for deploying a high-density wireless network:

Use a site survey to determine the optimal placement of access points.

Configure the access points to use non-overlapping channels.

Use semi-directional or directional antennas to focus the signal and reduce interference.

Implement a wireless intrusion prevention system (WIPS) to detect and mitigate rogue access points and other security threats.

The WLAN feature that would allow the network administrator to control the network resources that can be accessed by each employee based on their department is Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). RBAC is a method of assigning different permissions and policies to users or groups based on their roles in the organization. RBAC can be implemented by using VLANs, ACLs, or firewalls to restrict access to certain network segments or resources. RBAC can also be integrated with 802.1X/EAP authentication to dynamically assign roles and VLANs to users based on their credentials. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 403; [Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Wireless Networks], page 1.

In addition to coverage analysis results, what should be included in a post-deployment site survey report to ensure WLAN users experience acceptable performance is Capacity analysis results. Capacity analysis is a method of testing the ability of the WLAN to support the expected number and type of users, devices, and applications. Capacity analysis can help to determine the optimal number and placement of access points, the appropriate channel and power settings, the required QoS policies, and the expected throughput and latency levels. Capacity analysis results can help to verify that the WLAN meets the performance requirements and service level agreements (SLAs) of the organization. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 548; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 518.

Return loss is a measure of how well the components of an RF system are matched in terms of their impedance. Impedance is the opposition to the flow of alternating current in a circuit, and it depends on the frequency, resistance, capacitance, and inductance of the components. When the impedance of the source, the transmission line, and the load are not equal, some of the power is reflected back to the source, causing a loss of forward power. This loss is expressed in decibels (dB) as return loss. The higher the return loss, the lower the reflection and the better the impedance matching. Conversely, the lower the return loss, the higher the reflection and the worse the impedance matching.

VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) is another way of expressing the same concept. It is the ratio of the maximum voltage to the minimum voltage along a transmission line due to the interference of the incident and reflected waves. A VSWR of 1:1 means that there is no reflection and perfect impedance matching. A VSWR higher than 1:1 means that there is some reflection and impedance mismatch. The higher the VSWR, the higher the reflection and the lower the return loss.

Therefore, a significant impedance mismatch between components in an RF system will cause high reflection, high VSWR, and low return loss.

Discovering the scale of the problem is the next logical step in the troubleshooting process after identifying the problem of poor wireless connections on the third floor of a building under your administration. Troubleshooting is a systematic process of finding and resolving problems or issues in a network or a system. Troubleshooting usually follows a general methodology that consists of several steps or phases, such as:

Identifying the problem: This step involves defining and describing the problem clearly and accurately based on the symptoms and evidence observed or reported by users or administrators. For example, in this case, the problem is that three individuals have reported poor wireless connections on the third floor of a building.

Discovering the scale of the problem: This step involves determining how widespread and severe the problem is by gathering more information and data from different sources and perspectives. For example, in this case, this step could involve checking if other users or devices on the third floor or other floors are experiencing similar issues, verifying if there are any changes or updates in the network configuration or environment that could affect the wireless connections, testing if there are any differences in performance or quality between different access points or channels on the third floor, etc.

Performing corrective actions: This step involves applying possible solutions or fixes to resolve or mitigate the problem based on logical reasoning and analysis. For example, in this case, this step could involve adjusting the output power or channel assignment of the access points on the third floor, relocating or reorienting some access points or antennas to improve coverage or reduce interference, updating or replacing some faulty or outdated hardware or software components, etc.

Verifying the solution: This step involves confirming that the problem is solved or improved by testing and monitoring the network performance and user satisfaction after applying corrective actions. For example, in this case, this step could involve measuring and comparing the signal strength and throughput of wireless connections on the third floor before and after performing corrective actions, asking for feedback from users who reported poor wireless connections to see if their issues are resolved or reduced, etc.

Creating a plan of action or escalating the problem: This step involves documenting and reporting the problem and its solution for future reference and improvement purposes. It also involves deciding whether to close or escalate the problem depending on its status and severity. For example, in this case, this step could involve creating a report that summarizes what was done to troubleshoot and fix poor wireless connections on the third floor with relevant data and evidence to support it. It could also involve escalating poor wireless connections to higher-level administrators if they persist or worsen despite performing corrective actions.

The authentication method that is referenced in the 802.11-2016 and 802.11-2020 specifications and is recommended for robust WLAN client security is 802.1X/EAP. 802.1X/EAP stands for IEEE 802.1X Port-Based Network Access Control with Extensible Authentication Protocol and is a framework that provides strong authentication and dynamic encryption key generation for WLAN clients. 802.1X/EAP involves three parties: the supplicant (the client), the authenticator (the AP or the controller), and the authentication server (usually a RADIUS server). The supplicant sends its credentials (such as username and password, certificate, or token) to the authenticator, which forwards them to the authentication server. The authentication server verifies the credentials and sends a response to the authenticator, which grants or denies access to the supplicant. The authentication server also generates a master key that is used to derive encryption keys for the data frames between the supplicant and the authenticator. 802.1X/EAP supports various EAP methods that offer different levels of security and flexibility, such as EAP-TLS, EAP-PEAP, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, and EAP-SIM. SSL, IPSec, and WEP are not authentication methods, but rather encryption or security protocols that are not specific to WLANs or referenced in the 802.11 specifications. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 299; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-109], page 289.

The CWNA Official Study Guide (CWNA-109), Chapter 8: Troubleshooting and Spectrum Analysis, explains that hidden node problems occur when two or more client stations cannot hear each other but can both communicate with the same access point. This leads to collisions at the AP because the clients transmit simultaneously without sensing each other’s signals.

“Hidden node problems can often be identified in a protocol analyzer by observing excessive retransmissions from specific client stations. These retransmissions occur because the station’s frames are not acknowledged due to collisions caused by other stations that the transmitter cannot hear.”

— CWNA-108 Study Guide, Chapter 8, Hidden Node Problem Analysis, p. 393–395

Therefore, when analyzing for a hidden node issue, you will typically observe:

Retransmitted frames from multiple STAs.

Higher retry counts for affected stations compared to others.

Hence, the correct answer is C. Retransmitted frames from multiple STAs with higher retry counts than other STAs.