Miracast, the CWNA and the Wi-fi Alliance

      On day one of the CWNA class we discuss the WiFi Alliance and the technologies that they certify for vendors. One of the newer technologies addressed by the WiFi Alliance is Miracast. The Miracast certification program started in 2012 and it is now offered in Windows 10 and on Android phones.
     So what does it do? The cool thing about Miracast is that it lets you "wirelessly-connect" a computer display to a TV monitor and display at 1080p with 5.1 channel digital audio. It's a wire free substitute for an HDMI cable. This is a great technology for anyone who gives presentations to any size audience. Instead of running a long cable across a table, or having your audience huddle around your computer, you can send the video display of your screen to a remote monitor. Let's take a look at how this technology works.
     The first thing to know about Miracast is that it uses the 2.4 GHz  ISM band to create the connection. It may move to the 5 GHz band once it initially connects, but in order to make the initial connection you need to have a radio card that operates in the 2.4 GHz band.
    The next thing to know is that you don't need to have a wireless connection to a network in order for it to work, but you could have a connection to a wireless network and a Miracast connection running at the same time. Miracast is built on the WiFi Direct technology, which is a point to point technology that is often used to connect printers or gaming devices to a network. WiFi Direct uses Push Button Control or PIN number generation to create a point to point connection between devices. Miracast adds a wireless display option in Windows 10.
     In order to connect a TV display to your computer you are probably going to need a special dongle that has an HDMI connector and a USB connector. Most TVs do not have Miracast installed as of yer, so having the dongle will make sure that you can connect to any TV that has an HDMI port and a USB port available. I recommend the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter that you can buy on Amazon for $48.95. It will take the guessing out of the equation.
     Once you plug it in, go to the display options for your computer and look for the Wireless Display Settings. When you click on this link you are enabling Miracast on your computer and it will start scanning to find any Miracast enabled networks that are within range. Choose the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter SSID and the connection process will begin.
      When the connection is successful you will see your screen "mirrored" on your TV. This is different than Chromecast in that you can display anything from your computer to the TV monitor, whereas with Chromecast you are just enabling your computer or smartphone to stream video. Using Miracast works great for projecting PowerPoint presentations or any applications that you use on your laptop.  You can also use Miracast to display movies from Netflix, HULU, or any other service that you may want to display on a larger monitor, just like you can with Chromecast, but Miracast goes beyond that and allows you to display anything that is on your computer.
     One final word about Miracast; it is highly susceptible to interference. Miracast initially connects to a 2.4 GHz stream, but then may change to the 5 GHz  band if it's available. Sometimes, if I'm in a multi-tenant environment, I have a hard time connecting, but it will react favorably if I just move my laptop to a different position and try again. Miracast is currently on version 2 of the standard and the connectivity issues are much less now than they were in version 1. I highly recommend buying the dongle and giving Miracast a try.

The CWNA Part 1

The latest word from the CWNP is that the CWNA version 106 is projected to be updated to 107 in September of 2017. They are preparing for the roll-out now and anticipate training the trainers at that time. With the new version coming out you may ask; Why should I take the class now? Well, if you certify now you will still hold the CWNA certification for three years. Therefore, now is an excellent time to certify because it will take some time for trainers to be trained on the new CWNA-107 and it is expected that there will be a gap of instructors available until early 2018.

The CWNA is considered a foundational level Wi-Fi certification. The Official CWNA Study guide states, "The CWNA is not considered an entry-level technology certification. Individuals taking this exam (CWNA 106) typically have a solid grasp on network basics such as the OSI model, IP addressing, PC hardware, and network operating systems.  Many candidates already hold other industry-recognized certifications such as the CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA, and are looking for the CWNA certification to enhance or complement existing skills."

Many companies are now listing the CWNA as a required certification for their advanced wireless networking jobs. But beyond that, going through the certification program will give any candidate a strong foundation in Wi-Fi technology.

So what does it take to certify as a CWNA? I've taught this course over 20 times and from my experience, those that are successful are the ones that take an organized approach to preparing for the test. They are the ones that take notes, and highlight pages as we go through the materials.  Typically, people attend the class and then study for an additional month or so prior to taking the test. So if you want to certify, come up with a game plan prior to taking the class. Get familiar with the topics and start organizing your schedule to take advantage of your study time.

In future posts I will be covering each of the subject areas and what you need to learn in order to pass the test. Yes, my focus is on passing the test. The CWNA is going to introduce you to many topics that you will probably want to know more about. As I prepared to become an instructor I was fascinated by many different topics that are covered in the CWNA and I studied Youtube videos and read books and articles on myriad different topics. During my train up time and even up to today, I have vendors that contact me to show me different Wi-Fi tools. Some of these tools are very helpful in explaining different aspects of Wi-Fi, but, at the end of the day, students take the class to prepare for the exam, so I try to stick to the slides and teach to the test.

There are six different subject areas that the Study Guide covers and the test percentages:

• Radio frequency (RF) technologies                            21%
• 802.11 regulations and standards                                17%
• 802.11 protocols and devices                                      17%
• 802.11 network implementation                                  25%
• 802.11 network security                                                8%
• 802.11 RF site surveying                                             12%

When I teach the class, I teach it in three days. It's rather intense, as there is a lot to cover in that short amount of time. I have seen other instructors that teach the CWNA over a five day span. I've considered making the class longer, but I have very good success with my students passing the exam, so I'm sticking to three days. 

The CWNP has a 412 slide Power Point presentation that instructors use to teach the class. When students arrive at class they are given a copy of the Official Study Guide; an 800 page comprehensive book, and a two volume Course Guide that is a compilation of the 412 slides in a black and white spiral bound format. We use the Course Guide in the class, but refer to different chapters in the book over the three day course.  Students also receive a voucher to use at a Pierson-Vue test center to take the test. Once the voucher is submitted on the CWNP website students get access to online practice tests that are on the CWNP website. I have found that these tests are the best indicator of how well students can do on the actual test. 

The CWNA Official Study Guide also comes with a computer based test tool that allows you to take the end of chapter tests that are printed in the book. It also has an assessment test and three practice tests. There's some confusion as to where to download the prep software. The link that is listed in the book doesn't point to the right place since Sybex took over printing the book. But, if you take the course from me I bring a thumb drive that has the software on it. BTW: it runs on flash, so if you have a MAC you're going to have to figure out how to run Flash on your computer. These are all good tools, but again, the best tools are the online tests that are on the CWNP website. 

In my next posts, I'll review the different subject areas and what you can expect to be covered in the class.