Cuyamaca College

Fundamentals of Wireless Networking
Cisco Networking Academy

Fall 2009

Office Hours:    by appointment

 I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
 

This introductory course to Wireless LANs focuses on the design, planning, implementation, operation and troubleshooting of Wireless LANs. It covers material included in the Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist designation (WLANFE 642-587), specifically the Cisco Wireless LAN Fundamentals (CWLF).  A valid CCNA is required to be eligible for the above WLANFE 642-587 exam. It covers a comprehensive overview of technologies, security, and design best practices with particular emphasis on hands on skills in the following areas:
 

• Wireless LAN setup & troubleshooting
• 802.1x & 802.1x technologies, products & solutions
• Site Surveys
• Resilient WLAN design, installation & configuration
• WLAN Security – 802.1x, EAP, LEAP, WEP, SSID

II. RECOMMENDED KNOWLEDGE
 CIS 202 or semester II of the Cisco Networking Academy at any accredited institution, CIS 120 or A+ equivalent and CIS 121 or equivalent.
Students should:

• Have a Comprehensive knowledge of PC hardware and PC operating systems. 

• Understand Routing Theory; Router Components; Router Setup and Startup; Basic Cisco Router IOS Configuration Commands; TCP/IP; Calculating IP Addressing; Routing Protocols. 

• Understand OSI Model, Internetworking Devices, LAN Media & Topologies, Structured Cabling, Networking layer 1 components and devices.   

• Be able to describe the different classes of IP addressing and subnetting.

III. COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
 

Students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of wireless radio technologies and topologies

• discriminate between and describe the IEEE802.11 wireless standards

•  configure and install various Cisco wireless access points, bridges, adapters and antennae. 

• demonstrate the concepts of wireless LAN design and installation. 

• configure, monitor and maintain a WLAN using both CLI and web-based Device Manager tools. 

• identify wireless security threats and vulnerabilities. 

• configure wireless LAN security using MAC filtering, WEP, LEAP, EAP and 802.1x technologies.   

• demonstrate an understanding of proper site survey techniques and safety practices.

• configure various network monitoring technologies including Syslog, SNMP and logging

• troubleshoot wireless installations and configurations.   

• demonstrate an understanding of vertical and horizontal wireless implementations and uses.

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V. TEXT, MATERIALS AND ONLINE WEBSITE

Access to the Internet is required.
The full curriculum is provided by Cisco Systems and  located at http://cisco.netacad.net.  .
Text and lab books are the same as the online curriculum.  They are optional, not required.  

•  Cisco Press:  Fundamentals of Wireless LANs Companion Guide - ISBN: 1-58713-119-6

• Cisco Press:  Fundamentals of Wireless LANs Lab Companion - ISBN: 1587131218

The best way to maintain organization throughout the semester is by using an Engineering Notebook specifically for this class. At a minimum, each notebook needs to contain the following items:

• Course syllabus      

•  Course Schedule

• Handouts and course notes

•  Lab assignments

V. COURSE SPECIFICS

Attendance
The Self-paced open entry-open exit program requires students to complete a minimum of 80 classroom hours to meet academic standards.  Self-paced education places additional responsibility on the student for success. Irregular attendance and lack of participation are key factors in determining poor student performance.   The greater the amount of time and effort applied by the student, the greater the opportunity for success, rapid advancement of knowledge, and advancement through the program. Students will be expected to manage their attendance with the goal of completing at least one Cisco Semester during a Cuyamaca College Semester.  Higher goals of completion are very possible and will be supported.  If you have questions about recommended progress rates, please ask the instructor for guidance.

Dropping the Class
It is your responsibility to withdraw from class. All students who are enrolled at the end of the course must be given a letter grade. Students who stop attending and do not officially withdraw will be receive an F. See the "IMPORTANT DATES" section below for drop deadlines. A "W" cannot be awarded after the "Last day to drop CIS 262" deadline.

Assignments
Assignments for the class are divided into the following groups:

Reading Assignments
The material for this course is available on the Web. The reading assignments should be completed before the beginning of class. Most students will spend and average of ten hours per week reading the material. Some chapters may take more than one reading to understand. Students are responsible for all terms and concepts in the chapters covered.

On-Line Module Exams
All exams are administered online, and enabled only after the topic has been completed. There are eleven (11) online module exams and a comprehensive final exam.  Please refer to the schedule below.

Labs
The hands-on labs are an important part of the Academy. Students may work together in small groups. Content for the skills-based final will be directly drawn from lab assignments, worksheets, and other course material.  You are encouraged to complete as many additional labs as you wish as well as working all of the interactive labs found in the curriculum.

Skills-Based Final, On-Line Student Survey, & On-Line Final Exam
A skills-based final and an on-line final exam will be administered the end of the course. The final exam will be comprehensive and all students must pass the final and the skills-based final to pass the course. All labs, on-line chapter tests, case study and the skills-based final must be completed before you may take the final exam. Cisco requires that the  on-line survey be completed before receiving a grade in the course.  Incomplete grades are not allowed.

Supervised Tutoring - To support your efforts to succeed in this class, I refer you to Supervised Tutoring services (CIS 198).  All Supervised Tutoring sections are FREE to you. You need only enroll to receive services—no units or grades are given.  Signing up for supervised tutoring allows you to use labs outside of your class times. 

Final course grades will be computed as follows:

INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITIES

• Classroom
• Laboratory
• Personal computer for each student
• Appropriate course software

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IMPORTANT DATES

Please refer to the appropriate official  Cuyamaca College document to insure compliance with any College deadline.