WLAN Hardware & Software Components Flashcards

Which cable type is the industry standard for connecting an external antenna to an access point at short distances with minimal signal loss?

Answer: Low-loss RF coaxial cable (e.g., LMR-400)

Low-loss coaxial cables like LMR-400 or LMR-600 are used to connect antennas to radio equipment, minimizing signal attenuation that increases with cable length and frequency.

In the context of WLAN hardware, what is a 'fat' (or autonomous) access point?

Answer: A standalone AP that contains all intelligence and configuration locally without requiring a controller

Autonomous (fat) APs contain all necessary software to operate independently, managing their own configuration, security, and data forwarding without a centralized controller.

What does the term 'spatial reuse' refer to in 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) hardware?

Answer: BSS Coloring technology that allows overlapping networks to transmit simultaneously by identifying frames from different BSSs

BSS Coloring in 802.11ax enables spatial reuse by tagging frames with a color identifier, allowing APs and clients to ignore transmissions from neighboring BSSs and reduce unnecessary deferral.

Which piece of software allows a WLAN administrator to capture and decode 802.11 management, control, and data frames for deep-dive analysis?

Answer: Wireless packet analyzer (e.g., Wireshark with a WLAN adapter in monitor mode)

A wireless packet analyzer like Wireshark, paired with a WLAN adapter in monitor mode, captures raw 802.11 frames for protocol-level analysis of authentication, association, and data exchange.

A site survey reveals that an AP's signal is being significantly attenuated by a concrete wall. Which hardware adjustment would most directly compensate for this path loss?

Answer: Replacing the AP's omnidirectional antenna with a higher-gain directional antenna aimed through the wall

A higher-gain directional antenna focuses more RF energy in the direction of the obstruction, partially compensating for material attenuation and improving signal level on the other side.

What is the purpose of a midspan PoE injector in a WLAN deployment?

Answer: To add PoE capability to a non-PoE switch port, powering the AP over the existing Ethernet cable

A midspan PoE injector is inserted between a non-PoE switch and an AP, adding DC power to the Ethernet cable so the AP can be powered without a separate power adapter.

In a cloud-managed WLAN architecture, where is the primary configuration and policy database stored?

Answer: In the cloud management platform hosted by the vendor

In cloud-managed WLAN systems (e.g., Cisco Meraki, Aruba Instant On), all configuration, policies, and analytics are stored and managed in the vendor's cloud platform, with APs receiving their config via the internet.