CWNP - Request for input regarding Wireless equipment and lab requirements

Author

Request for input regarding Wireless equipment and lab requirements

doccheatem

2003-12-07, 10:10 pm

I'd like to get the group's input/feedback about the requisite wireless equipment that I should buy for my home lab to study for the CWNA/CWSP exams.

I'm leaning towards purchasing Cisco equipment because the company that I work for supports a range of Cisco products and I figured that I would eventually pursue Cisco's wireless certs. A couple of birds with a couple of stones, so to speak.

I'm not sure if my company will pay for third-party training so I'll probably just bite the bullet and buy Cisco equipment and CWNE's Cisco self-study labs. I'd like to know if anyone has used the CWNE'S Cisco labs and if you found them helpful.

I'll be using a PC and a laptop (w/Windows as the OS) for my studying and I'd like to ask what type of Cisco products that you'd recommend. I've reviewed Cisco's wireless product line so I have a good idea of what to buy, but I wanted the group's feedback before buying anything. I also want to buy only 802.11g supportable products. What costs would I be looking at for the Cisco equipment?

What equipment vendors would you recommend for Cisco products? I may be able to purchase the equipment through my company, but if not, I'd like your feedback on vendors. I have looked at eBay(Canada), but the equipment offered is limited. I've looked at Cisco's list of Canadian partners, but I have no direct experience with any of them.

If anyone uses other wireless products, what are they and why would you recommend those products? Note: I'd like to stick to the vendors that have available CWNE self-study labs because I'd like to follow a formalized curriculum for studying purposes.

I've purchased the CWNA/CWSP study guides and have other wireless material, but I'd like to hear about any other material that you'd recommend. Two other books that I will probably buy are: (1) How Secure is Your Wireless Network? Safeguarding Your Wi-Fi LAN by Lee Barken and (2) 802.11 Wireless LAN Fundamentals from Cisco Press.

If you think of anything else, please let me know.

Thanks,

tommnor

2003-12-08, 11:28 am

this is a difficult area for you...

1. Cisco equipment is undergoing a transition of the "look and feel" of the web browser management system (VXWorks)

2. The older command line configuration of their equipment is also transitioning to the Cisco IOS and it becomes difficult for you to be able purchase the older model equipment and the newer model equipment.

3. How will the linksys or netgear (lower end equipment) transition into certification questions????

3. I personally use a linksys router with a Cisco Aironet AP340, but I had access to all of the Cisco equipment at the time I obtained my certs.... so equipment costs were not an issue for me...

4. If I were to buy a Cisco access point, it would be the Cisco AP1200 (dual frequency) with the older browser management system... use it for a while and then upgrade it to the newer management system (WEB BROWSER AND CISCO IOS)

you probably knew all this, but it may become a concern if you pursue the Cisco certs.... some of the questions are based on the older web based management system....

NovellRed

2003-12-08, 6:21 pm

Doccheatem,

Since you asked, I will give my 2 cents, worth it or not. IMHO I don’t think it matters a whole lot what kind of equipment you get. As long as the functionality is there the interface shouldn’t matter. I wasn’t tested on any have any interface related questions.

Personally I wanted cheap so I bought D-Link 802.11g equipment from Best Buy. It was on sale and had several additive rebates. The AP and PCMCIA card cost me around $70 total. It has enough functionality to allow me to get the flavor of the various configurations the course covered.

There seems to be a lot of combination a, b, g stuff hitting the market now. If the price is right an a, b, g setup would allow throughput tests of all 3 802.11 standards.

That’s about the best I have to give. Keep in mind I am a newbie at this so don’t weight my advice too heavily.

Good Luck,
NovellRed

doccheatem

2003-12-11, 1:12 am

tommnor and NovellRed,

Thank you for input. I appreciate it.

Regards,

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