Starting my CWNP journey

YuckTheFankees

I'm first going to read the CWTS book and then Ill move on to study CWNA and take the exam. Input from anyone who has gone through CWTS/CWNA would be great.:D

chrisone

i heard people consider the CWTS as like the CCENT and if you can go for the CCNA your best option is to head straight to it. I was told that CWTS is for someone that has no clue about wireless. I think you should skip it and go straight to CWNA.

I personally would not waste 2 to 3 months and money on CWTS. It is not a prerequisite for anything. So that right there should tell you to go straight for CWNA if it is not needed , and it isnt so skip it.

YuckTheFankees

I was thinking about just reviewing the CWTS book and moving on to the CWNA. I definitely will not take the CWTS, I can spend 125.00 on something for valuable lol. Do people usually buy equipment to study for the CWNA?

chrisone

Mmmm as far as a lab? mmmm i am really not sure. Its all theory based from the outline. It is not brand centric so they wont have any configs or lab simulations in the test for you to work on.

That is why the Cisco Wireless certs are worthy IMO. You learn the same things that the CWNP teaches you , but you learn how to configure and master cisco wireless equipment.

In the end you will have to study and learn CWNP and some brand of equipment. If you just study the CWNP material you will know all the concepts and theories which is great. However when you get a cisco, aruba, or some type of brand equipment you will have to crack open the manual or PDF and study and read again on how to implement the configs.

Anyhow , that is how i see it.

As for your CWTS, i wouldnt bother reading it either. The CWNA covers the same topics, the CWTS is probably the first half of the CWNA book. CWTS probably has like 25% of its book chapters related to stuff like "This is 802.11 CH1, This is 802.11a CH2, This is 802.11b CH3, This is Wireless Alliance, This is IEEE" lol you get my point.

YuckTheFankees

LOL nevermind, I dont I'll be reading CWTS anymore.

As far as learning Aruba or Cisco, is there one that you would recommend learning over the other?

In your opinion, where do you see the wireless business in like 5 years?


Thanks again for the help.

chrisone

Well i have had my share of projects with wireless, but they all involved cisco APs. I am not at the expert level or high experienced level as other on this board. They may have a better idea of which brand is better. My experiences with wireless are minimum, enough to know how to do site surveys, design, maintain, a cisco wireless network with LAN controllers. I dabbled a little with WCS to manage multiple WLCs, but just the very basics.

Maybe someone more experienced can chime in on their wireless journeys and recommendations.

JDMurray

Here's my review of the CWTS Study Guide and my impression of the exam: CWTS Certified Wireless Technology Specialist Official Study Guide | TechExams.net Blogs

The CWTS is for the 802.11 beginner. Go straight for the CWNA if you have the CCENT/Network+ covered and find yourself really liking the CWNA objectives. The CWNA material really reminded me of being in amateur radio, and I quite enjoyed it. And no, you don't need a lab for the CWNA or CWSP, but having hands-on experience with 802.11 equipment does help.

SteveO86

My thoughts on the CWTS exam from CWNP. Another networking blog

If you've got a decent amount of Wireless experience, I wouldn't bother taking the CWTS read the book but that it's. If your completely new to wireless then start with the CWTS.

PsychoFin

And I would also add that you do not learn the same amount of theory in the Cisco wireless track as you do in the CWNP. And I highly, highly recommend their Design, Security and Analysis professional books. In fact, they have a great promo going on where you get the study guides and voucher for the same price as the exam itself! Check it out: Self-Paced Training Kits | CWNP - Enterprise Wi-Fi Career Certifications !

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Regards,
Fin