PDF CWNA-109 Study Guide

Discovering the scale of the problem is the next logical step in the troubleshooting process after identifying the problem of poor wireless connections on the third floor of a building under your administration. Troubleshooting is a systematic process of finding and resolving problems or issues in a network or a system. Troubleshooting usually follows a general methodology that consists of several steps or phases, such as:

• Identifying the problem: This step involves defining and describing the problem clearly and accurately based on the symptoms and evidence observed or reported by users or administrators. For example, in this case, the problem is that three individuals have reported poor wireless connections on the third floor of a building.
• Discovering the scale of the problem: This step involves determining how widespread and severe the problem is by gathering more information anddata from different sources and perspectives. For example, in this case, this step could involve checking if other users or devices on the third floor or other floors are experiencing similar issues, verifying if there are any changes or updates in the network configuration or environment that could affect the wireless connections, testing if there are any differences in performance or quality between different access points or channels on the third floor, etc.
• Performing corrective actions: This step involves applying possible solutions or fixes to resolve or mitigate the problem based on logical reasoning and analysis. For example, in this case, this step could involve adjusting the output power or channel assignment of the access points on the third floor, relocating or reorienting some access points or antennas to improve coverage or reduce interference, updating or replacing some faulty or outdated hardware or software components, etc.
• Verifying the solution: This step involves confirming that the problem is solved or improved by testing and monitoring the network performance and user satisfaction after applying corrective actions. For example, in this case, this step could involve measuring and comparing the signal strength and throughput of wireless connections on the third floor before and after performing corrective actions, asking for feedback from users who reported poor wireless connections to see if their issues are resolved or reduced, etc.
• Creating a plan of action or escalating the problem: This step involves documenting and reporting the problem and its solution for future reference and improvement purposes. It also involves deciding whether to close or escalate the problem depending on its status and severity. For example, in this case, this step could involve creating a report that summarizes what was done to troubleshoot and fix poor wireless connections on the third floor with relevant data and evidence to support it. It could also involve escalating poor wireless connections to higher-level administrators if they persist or worsen despite performing corrective actions.

References: 1, Chapter 12, page

The client STA can use Beacon frames transmitted by the AP to verify that an AP supports the same data rates that it supports. Beacon frames are management frames that are periodically broadcasted by the APs to announce their presence, capabilities, and parameters. Oneof the information elements contained in the Beacon frames is the Supported Rates or Extended Supported Rates, which lists the data rates that the AP can use for communication. The client STA can compare its own data rates with those advertised by the AP to determine if they are compatible. Data frames, authentication frames, and probe request frames do not contain information about data rates. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 133; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 123.

The feature of 802.11ax (HE) that provides this functionality is OFDMA. OFDMA stands for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access and is a technology that allows multiple devices to communicate simultaneously on the same channel in the same BSS. OFDMA works by dividing a channel into smaller subchannels called Resource Units (RUs), which are composed of groups of subcarriers or tones. Each RU can be assigned to a different device based on its bandwidth requirement and signal quality. This way, OFDMA can increase the efficiency and capacity of the channel by reducing overhead, contention, and latency. OFDMA can also support both uplink and downlink multi-user transmissions using trigger frames and buffer status reports. 6 GHz support, TWT, and Wi-Fi-LTE are not features of 802.11ax that provide this functionality. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 226; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 216.

Based on the information given, what can be determined as certainly true about this AP is that it has 4 radio chains. A radio chain is a hardware component that consists of an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) amplifier, and a transceiver. The number of radio chains indicates how many spatial streams an AP can transmit or receive simultaneously using Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology. The notation x:y:z in an AP specification denotes the number of radio chains (x), the number of spatial streams (y), and the number of spatial streams per band (z). Therefore, a tri-band, 4x4:4, Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax AP has four radio chains in each of its three bands (2.4 GHz, low 5 GHz, and high 5 GHz). It also supports four spatial streams in total and four spatial streams per band. It cannot be determined as certainly true that it supports four channels in each band, UL-MU-MIMO, or uses a modified OpenWRT firmware based on the information given. References: [CWNP Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 223; [CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: ExamCWNA-109], page 213.