The CWTS Certified Wireless Technology Specialist Official Study Guide by Robert Bartz and published by Sybex (1st Edition, June 2009, ISBN 0470438894) is the official study material designed to prepare the reader for passing the CWTS (PW0-070) exam and obtaining the CWTS® Certified Wireless Technology Specialist certification from CWNP. In this article, I have a look at this study guide, determine how comprehensive it is to the CWTS exam, and make a very subjective determination if it is, in fact, helpful in obtaining the CWTS certification at all.

Another Wireless Certification?

The CWTS is an entry-level certification for IEEE 802.11 wireless technologies, also known as Wi-Fi. The CWTS is designed for anyone that needs to acquire a comprehensive foundation in Wi-Fi technologies, or validate their existing Wi-Fi knowledge and experience.

People familiar with CWNP will recognize that the Certified Wireless Networking Associate (CWNA) is the foundation certification for IEEE 802.11. Comparing the objectives of the CWTS exam to those of the CWNA exam, you will notice that there is an overlapping of many topics. In fact, most of topics in the CWTS are also found in the CWNA. So what is the difference between these two certifications? Probably the best description I’ve found of the intent of the CWTS certification comes from the author, Robert Bartz, himself:

The CWTS certification is intended to validate the knowledge of enterprise WLAN sales and support professionals who must be familiar and confident with the terminology and basic functionality of enterprise 802.11 wireless networks. This is where the “what it is, not how it works” concept was derived. It was a challenge to not dive too deep into the topics and keep it in an easy to understand format for the intended audience.

The difference between the CWTS and CWNA certifications is in the depth of their coverage of 802.11 technology. Explaining the “what and why” of everything from the fundamentals of radio frequency physics to network communications protocols to radio equipment and hardware to wireless network security may not seem very entry-level, but it is compared to the “how” it all works that is covered by the CWNA.

What Happened to Wireless#?

Prior to the CWTS certification, the Wireless# (wireless sharp) certification was offered by the CWNP as an entry-level wireless certification. In addition to 802.11, Wireless# covered many non-802.11 wireless technologies, including Bluetooth, IrDA, RFID, ZigBee, and wireless technologies that integrate with 802.11, such as VoWLAN and WiMAX. (I never took the Wireless# exam myself, but I heard mostly good comments from people who did.)

Wireless# was retired by the CWNP because of the business decision to focus on Wi-Fi wireless networking technology, and not technologies used only for wireless device connectivity, or as applications within Wi-Fi itself. When the Wireless# certification was retired in July 2009, all certification holders were automatically grandfathered into the new CWTS certification. Many of the non-802.11 technologies in Wireless# are mentioned only in passing in the CWTS Official Study Guide and are not covered on the CWTS exam.

About the Study Guide

I found the CWTS Certified Wireless Technology Specialist Official Study Guide to be an amazingly easy and enjoyable read. Each section is well-stocked with information, yet is brief and to the point. The illustrations contribute a great deal to helping the reader visualize the concepts—especially those involving invisible radio frequency coverage. The material also has an acceptable level of redundancy to help reinforce concepts in the mind of the reader.

There are chapters devoted to the basics  of wireless terminology, fundamentals of RF, and 802.11 standards and certifications. Two entire chapters are devoted on the planning and performing a wireless LAN site survey. There are many detailed procedures  of how to install wireless hardware and software spread throughout the guide. Amateur radio people should really enjoy the chapters on antennas, equipment, and RF spectrum analysis. There is also a surprising depth of coverage on wireless LAN security, which has me recommending this study guide for IT security certifications that also cover 802.11 technology.

The author’s knowledge and experience of 802.11 networking is demonstrated through in the writing. I especially liked the occasional bits of practical advice for building, configuring, and troubleshooting wireless networks, such as how to configure wireless networks for better data throughput, and how to avoid interoperability problems in wireless mesh networks. The theory of wireless operation is good to know, but it is this hands-on experience that you will use to solve a lot of problems.

The wording used in this guide  is amazingly free of Wi-Fi marketing jargon. What is used instead is the actual terminology that is found in the IEEE 802.11-2007 standard itself. While this may be confusing to people who have only learned about 802.11 by reading the marketing literature on Wi-Fi vendor Web sites, it is necessary for networking professionals to know the correct industry 802.11 terminology, and it is explained in this guide.  I also recommend reading CWNP Exam Terms PDF available at www.cwnp.com.

It must be noted that the information on software in this study guide is exclusive to Microsoft Windows. All of the wireless tools and client programs described are for Windows, and there is no mention of using software on non-Windows operating systems, such as Apple OS X and Linux. Regardless, if your only wireless experience has been with non-Windows-based tools and devices, you should still find the CWTS Official Study Guide a very useful reference in your non-Windows Wi-Fi world.

Certification candidates who wish to only learn what is absolutely necessary for passing the CWTS exam should have no concerns about using this study guide. While it is certainly not a “Dummies” book, its concise information content matches the exam objectives very well. The Exam Essential section at the end of each chapter is a good summary of what you should know for the exam. Using the chapters tests and the supplemental material on the CD should help you  learn the CWTS material pretty well.

What’s on the CD?

The CD included with the guide contains additional materials to help the reader prepare for the CWTS exam. When the CD is run, an Adobe Flash-based menu presents a 30-item CWTS assessment exam, two 60-item bonus exams, and all of the guide’s chapter tests in a computer-based format similar to the actual CWTS exam. A set of 220 flashcards is also included for testing the user’s knowledge of facts in the book.

The CD also includes a sample site survey form, case studies of wireless network deployments referenced in the guide, and many of the wireless software tools discussed in the guide. The tools are available on the CD as Windows installation files or links to the Web sites where the tools can be downloaded. You will need to install Microsoft .NET 2.0 for several of the tools to work, and a PDF viewer to view many of the documents.

I found the practice exams and flashcards to be very helpful in not only testing my knowledge of the book’s material, but also learning the material itself. The tools will help readers less experienced in working with wireless LANs to get a feel for the craft (this experience will help insure passing the CWTS exam).  The case studies are descriptive and typical of marketing material that is downloadable from the Web sites of wireless equipment vendors.

CWTS Online Practice Test

A CWTS online practice test is available for purchase on www.cwnp.com. This practice test is a way to measure your knowledge of the CWTS objectives before you start studying, to help you learn the CWTS material, or as a way to check if you are ready to take the CWTS exam itself. The practice test is also an accurate representation of the CWTS exam’s format and content.

The practice test is 60 questions, not timed, and you can retake it. You take the test in your Web browser by logging on to the www.cwnp.com Web site. Your test result are stored online and you may review them as many times as you like. There are several options for how you may review you answers.

I decided to take the practice test after I had finished reading the study guide so I could check how well I knew the material, and maybe pick up a few new things I would need to pass the CWTS exam. The questions are challenging, and I like the ability to sort the test items by category, which allowed me to easily review the categories in which I didn’t do too well.

Taking the CWTS Exam Myself

For this review I decided to fully read the Official CWTS Study Guide, work through the materials on the CD, chapter tests, online CWTS practice test, and take the CWTS exam myself. I had passed the CWNA and CWSP exams back in 2004-2005, but I was not up on all of the latest 802.11 technology. Aside from setting up a few residential 802.11agn access points and getting my General Class Amateur Radio license, I hadn’t done very much with wireless radio communications recently. So studying for and taking the CWTS exam was something I definitely looked forward to.

The CWTS exam  is a computer-based exam very similar to those given by other IT certification vendors. The exam candidate is given 90 minutes to complete sixty, single or multiple choice exam items. Some exam items have exhibits (pictures or drawings) or scenario-based questions. As an added degree of difficulty, the exam candidate is not allowed to change answers after moving past an item, and has the ability to make comments about each exam item that will be reviewed by CWNP. A passing score is 70%–or 80% if you have aspirations of being a CWNP instructor.

Scheduling to take any CWNP exam is performed at the Pearson VUE Web site. It is an easy enough process that helps you to find the testing centers nearest to your location, and allows you to apply any discount exam voucher that you may have. Verification of your exam schedule is sent to you by email, and all you need do is show up at the testing center on the day of your exam with your printed exam confirmation and some picture identification. I didn’t have any problems with the process.

Well, it took me about 30 minutes to complete the CWTS exam and I scored a 93%. Although I already have a couple of CWNP certifications, my score was better than I expected. The CWTS exam questions are clear and well-written, but can be complex. You can easily select an incorrect answer if you don’t read carefully. When taking the exam, if you find yourself stuck on a question, I suggest asking yourself why each given answer could or could not be the correct answer. This tactic seems to have worked for me.

In Summary

I would seldom advise against buying the official study guide for any IT certification exam, and there is no reason for me to do that here. I recommend buying the CWTS Certified Wireless Technology Specialist Official Study Guide to anyone interested in learning more about 802.11 Wi-Fi technology, regardless if they plan on becoming CWTS-certified or not. For those that do, this guide is essential to for learning the objectives of the CWTS exam. The materials on the CD and the online practice test were all excellent in helping me prepare as well. And the guide itself is an excellent addition to anyone’s collection of 802.11 references.

If you are already a Wi-Fi professional–and are therefore planning on acquiring the CWNA certification anyway–the CWNA and CWTS Study Guides are excellent companions. Studying for both exams together will definitely save you some time. Amateur radio people interested in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands should seriously look into reading the CWTS and CWNA Study Guides too.