CWNA-109 Certified Wireless Network Administrator — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which 802.11 standard first defined the use of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology to improve throughput and reliability?

802.11a
802.11n (Correct answer)
802.11g
802.11ac

Correct answer: 802.11n

802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) was the first 802.11 amendment to define MIMO, using multiple antennas to send multiple spatial streams and significantly boost throughput.

Question 2: What is a 'deauthentication attack' in a wireless network?

Intercepting the DHCP handshake to steal an IP address
Sending spoofed 802.11 deauthentication frames to disconnect clients (Correct answer)
Brute-forcing the WPA2 passphrase offline
Jamming the RF channel with noise

Correct answer: Sending spoofed 802.11 deauthentication frames to disconnect clients

A deauthentication attack exploits the unprotected nature of 802.11 management frames to forcibly disconnect clients by sending spoofed deauth frames.

Question 3: What is 'adjacent channel interference' in the 2.4 GHz band?

Interference between APs using channels that share overlapping frequency spectrum (Correct answer)
Interference between APs using channels that are far apart in frequency
Interference caused by multipath signal reflections indoors
Interference originating from non-Wi-Fi devices such as Bluetooth

Correct answer: Interference between APs using channels that share overlapping frequency spectrum

Adjacent channel interference occurs when APs use channels that overlap in frequency; in 2.4 GHz, only channels 1, 6, and 11 are truly non-overlapping in the US.

Question 4: What type of attack involves an attacker setting up a rogue AP with the same SSID as a legitimate network to intercept traffic?

War driving
Bluejacking
Replay attack
Evil twin attack (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Evil twin attack

An evil twin attack creates a rogue AP mimicking a legitimate SSID, tricking clients into associating and allowing the attacker to intercept traffic.

Question 5: Which IEEE 802.11 frame type is used by clients to discover available networks when active scanning?

Beacon frame
Association request frame
Authentication frame
Probe request frame (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Probe request frame

During active scanning, a client broadcasts probe request frames on each channel to solicit responses from nearby APs.

Question 6: In the context of CWNA, what is the primary role of the Distribution System (DS) in a wireless infrastructure network?

Distributing IP addresses to wireless clients via DHCP
Connecting APs to each other and to the wired LAN backbone (Correct answer)
Managing transmit power distribution across a WLAN controller
Distributing RF signals across antennas via cables

Correct answer: Connecting APs to each other and to the wired LAN backbone

The Distribution System (DS) is the wired or wireless medium that interconnects APs and connects the wireless network to the wired LAN infrastructure.

Question 7: In WLAN design, what does 'cell overlap' refer to?

The dead zone between two APs where neither signal is usable
The region beyond an AP's maximum coverage boundary
The interference zone directly around an AP antenna
The area where the coverage zones of two or more APs intersect (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The area where the coverage zones of two or more APs intersect

Cell overlap is the intentional area where signals from adjacent APs intersect, which is required so that roaming clients can detect the next AP before losing the current one.

Question 8: What is the purpose of the 802.11k amendment?

Fast secure roaming with key caching
Radio resource measurement to help clients make better roaming decisions (Correct answer)
Interworking with external networks like cellular
Encrypted management frames

Correct answer: Radio resource measurement to help clients make better roaming decisions

802.11k provides radio resource management, giving clients neighbor reports and measurements to choose the best AP when roaming.

Question 9: A security team requests that the WLAN team disable a guest SSID immediately due to a potential vulnerability. What is the correct communication and action path?

Enable stronger encryption and consider the issue resolved
Ignore the request until next month's maintenance window
Confirm the request, follow change control if time permits, disable the SSID, and notify affected stakeholders (Correct answer)
Forward the request to the ISP

Correct answer: Confirm the request, follow change control if time permits, disable the SSID, and notify affected stakeholders

Security incidents may override normal change windows; confirming, acting, and notifying affected parties is the proper response.

Question 10: A client requests a written statement outlining the scope, deliverables, and timeline of a wireless project. What document should the CWNA professional provide?

Statement of Work (SOW) (Correct answer)
Acceptable Use Policy
Change control log
Network diagram

Correct answer: Statement of Work (SOW)

A Statement of Work (SOW) formally defines the project scope, deliverables, milestones, and timeline agreed upon between the professional and the client.

Question 11: What is the purpose of measuring the 'noise floor' during a site survey?

To establish the baseline RF interference level present in the environment (Correct answer)
To measure the AP antenna gain at various angles
To determine the maximum AP transmit power allowed by regulation
To calculate the maximum number of clients per AP

Correct answer: To establish the baseline RF interference level present in the environment

Measuring the noise floor establishes the baseline level of ambient RF interference in the environment, which is essential for calculating signal-to-noise ratio requirements.

Question 12: What organization administers the CWNA certification?

Wi-Fi Alliance
IEEE
CompTIA
CWNP (Correct answer)

Correct answer: CWNP

The Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP) organization administers the CWNA and all other CW-series certifications.

Question 13: Which document should a CWNA professional reference to understand the specific exam domains and their weighting for the CWNA-109 exam?

IEEE 802.11-2020 standard
CWNP CWNA exam objectives document (Correct answer)
CompTIA Network+ study guide
Wi-Fi Alliance certification guide

Correct answer: CWNP CWNA exam objectives document

The official CWNP CWNA exam objectives document defines all exam domains, subtopics, and their percentage weighting for the current exam version.

Question 14: A qualitative risk assessment uses a 5×5 risk matrix. A threat is rated 4 (likelihood) and 3 (impact). A second threat is rated 3 (likelihood) and 5 (impact). Which should be remediated first?

The second threat, because it has higher impact
The first threat, because it has higher likelihood
Both have equal priority since 4×3=12 and 3×5=15... the second threat (Correct answer)
They are equivalent in risk score

Correct answer: Both have equal priority since 4×3=12 and 3×5=15... the second threat

Multiplying likelihood × impact: Threat 1 = 12, Threat 2 = 15, so the second threat has a higher overall risk score and should be prioritized.

Question 15: A wireless link has a transmit power of 20 dBm and a cable loss of 3 dB. What is the effective transmit power at the antenna port?

6 dBm
60 dBm
17 dBm (Correct answer)
23 dBm

Correct answer: 17 dBm

Subtracting the 3 dB cable loss from the 20 dBm transmit power yields 17 dBm at the antenna port.

Question 16: Which 802.11 frame type is used by clients to probe for available networks, and why does excessive probing degrade WLAN quality?

Beacon frames; they flood the RF medium with AP advertisements
Association Request frames; they trigger re-keying events
RTS frames; they reserve the medium unnecessarily
Probe Request frames; they consume airtime and increase management frame overhead (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Probe Request frames; they consume airtime and increase management frame overhead

Probe Requests are sent by clients scanning for SSIDs; high densities of legacy or roaming clients can generate significant management overhead that consumes shared airtime.

Question 17: Which 802.11 amendment introduced Management Frame Protection (MFP) to protect management frames from spoofing?

802.11r
802.11i
802.11w (Correct answer)
802.11e

Correct answer: 802.11w

802.11w introduced Management Frame Protection, cryptographically protecting certain management frames like deauthentication and disassociation.

Question 18: What is a corrective action in Wireless Network Administrator quality systems?

Blaming individuals for errors
Temporary workarounds only
A systematic response to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity and prevent recurrence (Correct answer)
Ignoring minor issues

Correct answer: A systematic response to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity and prevent recurrence

This is fundamental to Wireless Network Administrator practice. A systematic response to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity and prevent recurrence represents the professional standard for quality in the CWNA certification framework.

Question 19: Which phenomenon causes a wireless signal to bend around obstacles and corners?

Diffraction (Correct answer)
Scattering
Refraction
Reflection

Correct answer: Diffraction

Diffraction causes radio waves to bend around edges and obstacles, allowing signals to reach areas not in direct line of sight.

Question 20: What is the benefit of standardized digital reporting in Wireless Network Administrator practice?

It ensures consistency, enables comparison, and facilitates regulatory compliance (Correct answer)
It limits creativity
It replaces professional communication
It is only needed for government work

Correct answer: It ensures consistency, enables comparison, and facilitates regulatory compliance

This is fundamental to Wireless Network Administrator practice. It ensures consistency, enables comparison, and facilitates regulatory compliance represents the professional standard for technology in the CWNA certification framework.

Question 21: What does the term 'MAC address filtering' provide as a wireless security control?

Weak access control that can be bypassed by MAC spoofing (Correct answer)
Prevention of man-in-the-middle attacks
Strong cryptographic authentication
Encryption of all wireless frames

Correct answer: Weak access control that can be bypassed by MAC spoofing

MAC filtering provides only weak access control because MAC addresses are transmitted in plaintext and can easily be spoofed by an attacker.

Question 22: What is the purpose of a quality audit in Wireless Network Administrator practice?

To reduce staffing
To find fault with employees
To satisfy external requirements only
To systematically evaluate processes against standards and identify improvement opportunities (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To systematically evaluate processes against standards and identify improvement opportunities

This is fundamental to Wireless Network Administrator practice. To systematically evaluate processes against standards and identify improvement opportunities represents the professional standard for quality in the CWNA certification framework.

Question 23: What is the main advantage of the 5 GHz band over the 2.4 GHz band for enterprise WLAN design?

Lower cost access points that support the band
More non-overlapping channels available and significantly less RF congestion (Correct answer)
Native backward compatibility with legacy 802.11b devices
Greater range and superior penetration through concrete walls

Correct answer: More non-overlapping channels available and significantly less RF congestion

The 5 GHz band offers up to 25 non-overlapping 20 MHz channels in the US and suffers far less interference from consumer electronics compared to the congested 2.4 GHz band.

Question 24: An administrator observes that clients near the AP edge are 'sticky' and refuse to roam to a closer AP. Which client-side mechanism is responsible for this behavior?

AP load balancing blocking the reassociation
WPA2 PMK caching preventing re-authentication
802.11k neighbor reports forcing the client to stay
Client-controlled roaming decisions based on its own RSSI threshold (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Client-controlled roaming decisions based on its own RSSI threshold

Roaming decisions are made by the client, not the AP; many clients have high RSSI thresholds before they initiate roaming, causing them to stay associated to a distant AP.

Question 25: Which component of the 802.11i security standard is responsible for generating and managing the keys used to encrypt unicast data frames?

CCMP
Group Key Handshake
4-Way Handshake (Correct answer)
EAP-TLS

Correct answer: 4-Way Handshake

The 4-Way Handshake derives and confirms the PTK (Pairwise Transient Key) used to encrypt unicast traffic between a client and AP.

Question 26: A WLAN project is delayed because the ceiling contractor rescheduled AP mounting work. How should the WLAN administrator communicate this to the project manager?

Cancel the project and restart with a new vendor
Wait until the delay is resolved before mentioning it
Blame the contractor and escalate to legal immediately
Proactively notify the project manager with the new timeline and any downstream impacts on testing and go-live (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Proactively notify the project manager with the new timeline and any downstream impacts on testing and go-live

Early, transparent communication of delays allows the project manager to adjust the schedule and manage stakeholder expectations.

Question 27: Which CWNP certification is the recommended prerequisite or companion to the CWNA for professionals pursuing advanced wireless security knowledge?

CWAP
CWDP
CWNE
CWSP (Correct answer)

Correct answer: CWSP

The CWSP (Certified Wireless Security Professional) credential focuses specifically on wireless security and pairs naturally with the CWNA for professionals seeking security depth.

Question 28: Which statement best describes how 802.11k (Radio Resource Management) benefits wireless clients?

It encrypts neighbor reports to prevent eavesdropping during scanning
It provides clients with neighbor AP reports to reduce active scanning time (Correct answer)
It enforces band steering by blocking 2.4 GHz associations
It automatically adjusts AP transmit power based on client RSSI

Correct answer: It provides clients with neighbor AP reports to reduce active scanning time

802.11k provides clients with neighbor AP lists, allowing them to make informed roaming decisions without scanning every channel, reducing roam decision latency.

Question 29: After a WLAN upgrade to 802.11ac, a VoIP application team reports increased jitter on wireless calls. QoS was not reconfigured during the upgrade. What should be implemented?

Disable 5 GHz and run VoIP only on 2.4 GHz
Increase AP transmit power to reduce retransmissions
Switch VoIP to use TCP instead of UDP
Implement WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) with DSCP-to-UP mapping for voice traffic (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Implement WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) with DSCP-to-UP mapping for voice traffic

WMM prioritizes voice traffic using the AC_VO access category, and DSCP-to-WMM mapping ensures upstream markings are honored by the AP.

Question 30: Which document is MOST appropriate for communicating the agreed-upon wireless performance expectations to a business client before a deployment?

Change control form
Service Level Agreement (SLA) (Correct answer)
RADIUS server log
Network topology diagram

Correct answer: Service Level Agreement (SLA)

An SLA formally defines expected performance metrics, availability, and responsibilities between the WLAN team and the client.

Question 31: What is multipath and how does it affect WLAN performance?

RF signals reflecting off surfaces and arriving at the receiver at slightly different times, causing signal distortion (Correct answer)
The use of multiple spatial streams via MIMO antenna technology
Multiple APs transmitting on the same channel simultaneously, causing packet collisions
Multiple clients simultaneously contending for the wireless medium

Correct answer: RF signals reflecting off surfaces and arriving at the receiver at slightly different times, causing signal distortion

Multipath occurs when RF signals bounce off walls, floors, and objects and arrive at the receiver along different paths at slightly different times, potentially causing destructive interference and degraded performance.

CWNA-109 Certified Wireless Network Administrator

The CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Administrator) certification validates foundational enterprise wireless networking knowledge including RF technologies, WLAN protocols and devices, network architecture and design, security, and regulatory standards. It is the entry-level Wi-Fi certification from CWNP.

Questions

35 min

Time Limit

70%

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