CCNA® Wireless Study Guide

Chapter 2. Wlan RF Fundamentals

THE CCNA WIRELESS EXAM TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER ARE:

• Describe WLAN fundamentals

  • Describe WLAN RF principles (antenna types, RF gain/loss, EIRP, refraction, reflection, etc.)

RF waves can be absorbed, refracted, or reflected by walls, water, and metal surfaces, all of which can cause interference and result in low signal strength. Because of this innate vulnerability to surrounding environmental factors, wireless just can't offer us the same robustness as a wired network can, but clearly that doesn't mean people are going to opt out of wireless and run wired only. Wireless networking will become even more popular in the future! This is why it's so important for you to understand the various behaviors of radio frequency, and to also be aware of the factors that typically present challenges to making our wireless networks work well. To successfully mitigate the obstacles that can, and commonly do, give anyone designing and implementing a wireless network grief, you just have to really know about this technology!

But that's not all—I'm also going cover the operational requirements for successful wireless networking and show you how to use RF Math. And in addition to reading all about antennas, you're also going to learn about many types of wireless devices and other accessories.

With a working knowledge of these vital wireless fundamentals, you'll be nicely ...