Wireless education

[DaeleshThar]

I've lucked into getting a networking job and need to play catch up education-wise. I'm not the only networking person but I am transitioning into being the main person. I work for a public school system that will be rolling out a 1-to-1 iPad program and need to strengthen my wireless knowledge to best implement and support our wireless (and wired) network. I have the CompTIA certs (A+, Network+, Security+, Project+) and a CCNA for reference.

Currently I am studying for the CWNA, but am wondering on any feedback on where to go after that. The CWAP and CWDP appear to be the next steps, unsure which order to pursue them though. We do use Cisco for wireless but I'm not impressed with what I've heard about the CCNA:W.

I've also started scouring the internet looking for good wireless blogs and websites to peruse older articles and keep myself up-to-date with what's going on in the industry.

Any feedback regarding my questions or the CWXX tests would be appreciated!

[Bokeh]

You might want to look at CWSP since wireless security is big.

[DaeleshThar]

It's on the list but there's not enough time in a day, hah! Thanks for the advice. I'm also going to be starting WGU this fall...so gonna be a balancing act for studying for certs for work/school and studying for issues as they come up.

[JayTheCracker]

Wifi Security Expert Video Series from Welcome to SecurityTube.net ...

[rdinan]

If you're using Cisco gear then the CCNA-Wireless would certainly be helpful.

[Kory]

I can't say enough good things about the CWNA curriculum, I have an official ccna:w book and the theory that is covered in that only scratches the surface compared to cwna. Granted the CCNA:W goes much deeper into how to actually implement controller solutions, and the LWAPP details. I would start with CWNA as your foundation because most of the how-to stuff you learn in CCNA:W you will be able learn on the fly at your job, but the deep theory will make you the only person in the room who can explain why one particular wing of the school has worse coverage than the others even though there are more AP's (hint: its all the lockers).

I'll be picking up CWSP materials after I finish my TShoot exam, I really miss studying wireless. I also partly manage several schools' network infrastructure and I can tell you that 802.1X needs to become your security weapon of choice if it isn't already. There is a great intro book on it called Implementing 802.1x security solutions for wired and wireless networks by Jim Geier that is fantastic.

I don't know what your prior background is but CCNA is a great way to get a foundation level understanding of a lot of the network oriented things we tend to take for granted in IT.

Good luck

[xagreus]

@Kory-

Thanks for the description re: CWNA vs CCNA:W - I've been looking for just such information on the forum. I'm trying to decide on a career path. With all the options out there, it's extremely helpful to get good info like that!