View Full CWNP CWNA-109 Exam Dumps and Practice Test Dumps

Question 101.

Which WLAN design factor most directly determines whether a client can maintain reliable connectivity at the edge of a coverage cell?

1. Sufficient received signal strength and SNR
   2. The number of SSIDs configured globally
   3. The Ethernet switch vendor
   4. The DHCP lease duration

Correct Answer: 1. Sufficient received signal strength and SNR

Explanation:

Reliable connectivity at the edge of a wireless cell depends heavily on the quality of the RF link. The client must receive a sufficiently strong signal relative to the surrounding noise floor so that frames can be decoded with an acceptable retry rate. This means both RSSI and SNR matter. The number of SSIDs, wired switch vendor, and DHCP lease time may affect other aspects of WLAN operation but do not directly determine RF viability at a coverage boundary. A proper WLAN design defines minimum signal and SNR targets based on the applications and client types the network must support, then validates those targets after deployment.

Question 102.

Which WLAN design approach focuses primarily on ensuring enough airtime and channel resources are available for the expected number of users and applications?

1. Coverage-only design
   2. Capacity design
   3. Authentication design
   4. Cabling design

Correct Answer: 2. Capacity design

Explanation:

Capacity design focuses on whether the WLAN can provide enough usable airtime and throughput for the expected number of clients, applications, and traffic loads. A network can have excellent RF coverage and still perform poorly if too many active clients compete for the same channel. Capacity planning considers client density, application demand, channel reuse, channel width, data rates, contention, airtime utilization, and AP placement. Coverage-only design answers whether a signal can be received, while capacity design asks whether the network can support the required workload. Modern enterprise WLANs, especially classrooms, auditoriums, and conference spaces, often require capacity-focused planning.

Question 103.

Which statement best describes why adding more access points does not automatically improve WLAN performance?

1. More APs always reduce signal strength
   2. APs cannot share an Ethernet switch
   3. Poor channel reuse can increase co-channel contention
   4. Every new AP disables roaming

Correct Answer: 3. Poor channel reuse can increase co-channel contention

Explanation:

Adding APs can improve capacity only when channel reuse, power levels, cell sizes, and client distribution are managed correctly. If additional APs are placed too close together on the same channels, they can create excessive co-channel contention. Instead of increasing usable capacity, the new cells may simply produce more devices competing for the same airtime. AP density must therefore be balanced with available spectrum. Designers should consider channel width, supported bands, transmit power, physical layout, and expected client density rather than assuming that more infrastructure automatically means higher performance.

Question 104.

Which design choice usually increases the number of reusable channels available in a dense 5 GHz deployment?

1. Increasing all channels to the widest possible width
   2. Increasing transmit power on every AP
   3. Advertising more SSIDs
   4. Using narrower channel widths**

Correct Answer: 4. Using narrower channel widths

Explanation:

Narrower channels consume less spectrum and therefore allow a larger number of independent channels to be reused throughout a deployment. In dense environments, this can provide better aggregate capacity than using very wide channels everywhere. Wider channels may increase the peak PHY rate of an individual link, but they reduce the number of distinct channels and can increase co-channel contention. Increasing transmit power can enlarge contention domains, while additional SSIDs increase management overhead. WLAN design should optimize the entire system rather than focus only on the maximum data rate advertised by a single access point.

Question 105.

Which metric most directly indicates how much of a wireless channel is already occupied by RF transmissions or detected energy?

1. Channel utilization
   2. DHCP utilization
   3. VLAN utilization
   4. MAC address count

Correct Answer: 1. Channel utilization

Explanation:

Channel utilization indicates the percentage of time a wireless channel is perceived as busy. High utilization can result from legitimate Wi-Fi traffic, neighboring same-channel BSSs, retransmissions, management traffic, or certain types of interference. A client may have excellent RSSI and SNR but still experience poor performance if the channel is heavily occupied and it must wait for transmission opportunities. DHCP utilization, VLAN usage, and MAC address counts do not directly describe airtime consumption. Channel utilization is therefore a valuable metric when troubleshooting latency, low throughput, or congestion in dense WLAN environments.

Question 106.

Which factor causes management overhead to increase when an access point advertises many SSIDs?

1. Each SSID requires a separate Ethernet switch
   2. Each BSS generates periodic management traffic such as beacons
   3. Each SSID doubles antenna gain
   4. Each SSID requires a different frequency band

Correct Answer: 2. Each BSS generates periodic management traffic such as beacons

Explanation:

Each configured BSS normally generates its own periodic beacon traffic and can also produce additional probe-response and management overhead. When many SSIDs are advertised on the same radio, these frames consume increasing amounts of airtime, especially if transmitted at low basic rates. The problem is not that each SSID requires separate wired hardware or different spectrum. Excessive SSIDs reduce useful airtime available for client data and can complicate management. Enterprise designs generally aim to keep the number of SSIDs reasonably low while using VLANs, policy, identity, and role-based access mechanisms to provide logical segmentation where possible.

Question 107.

Which 802.11 behavior causes stations to wait before transmitting when they detect that the medium is already busy?

1. Carrier sensing
   2. DHCP snooping
   3. IP fragmentation
   4. DNS recursion

Correct Answer: 1. Carrier sensing

Explanation:

Carrier sensing is a key part of the 802.11 medium-access process. A station checks whether the wireless medium appears busy before attempting to transmit. If the channel is occupied, the station defers and follows the relevant interframe-space and backoff procedures before trying again. This behavior supports collision avoidance in the shared RF medium. DHCP snooping, IP fragmentation, and DNS recursion operate at higher network layers and do not control Wi-Fi channel access. Carrier sensing is one reason overlapping same-channel BSSs can affect one another even when client signal strength is otherwise excellent.

Question 108.

Which term describes the physical measurement process a station uses to determine whether detectable RF energy or an 802.11 signal is present on the channel?

1. Virtual carrier sense only
   2. VLAN tagging
   3. PHY carrier sensing
   4. NAT inspection

Correct Answer: 3. PHY carrier sensing

Explanation:

Physical carrier sensing occurs at the PHY layer and allows a station to detect whether the medium is busy based on RF energy or recognizable 802.11 activity. It works together with virtual carrier sensing, which uses information such as the Duration/ID field and Network Allocation Vector to determine when the medium should be considered reserved. VLAN tagging and NAT are unrelated wired or network-layer functions. Understanding both physical and virtual carrier sensing is important because 802.11 collision avoidance relies on more than simply listening for raw energy; stations also use protocol information to coordinate access to the medium.

Question 109.

Which statement best describes a hidden-node problem?

1. Two clients cannot hear one another but can both transmit to the same AP
   2. Two APs use different non-overlapping channels
   3. A client cannot obtain an IP address
   4. An AP fails RADIUS authentication

Correct Answer: 1. Two clients cannot hear one another but can both transmit to the same AP

Explanation:

A hidden-node condition occurs when two stations are unable to detect each other’s transmissions but both can communicate with the same receiving device, such as an access point. Because the transmitting clients do not know when the other is active, their frames may overlap at the AP and collide. This can lead to retransmissions and reduced throughput. RTS/CTS may help in some cases by reserving the medium through control exchanges. IP addressing and RADIUS authentication are higher-layer issues and do not define hidden-node behavior.

Question 110.

Which tool should be used first when the objective is to determine whether poor WLAN performance is caused by a microwave oven or another non-802.11 transmitter?

1. DHCP log
   2. Spectrum analyzer
   3. ARP table
   4. DNS query tool

Correct Answer: 2. Spectrum analyzer

Explanation:

A spectrum analyzer measures RF energy regardless of whether that energy can be decoded as valid 802.11 traffic. This makes it especially useful for detecting non-Wi-Fi sources such as microwave ovens, wireless cameras, analog transmitters, or other RF devices. A protocol analyzer may show retries or frame loss but cannot always identify the waveform of non-802.11 interference. DHCP, ARP, and DNS tools operate at higher layers and provide no direct visibility into the physical RF environment. Spectrum analysis is therefore the correct method when suspected interference is not being generated by normal Wi-Fi transmissions.

Question 111.

Which tool is most appropriate for determining why a client receives an Association Response with a failure status code?

1. Cable tester
   2. Spectrum analyzer only
   3. Wireless protocol analyzer
   4. DHCP scope viewer

Correct Answer: 3. Wireless protocol analyzer

Explanation:

A wireless protocol analyzer can capture and decode 802.11 management frames, including Association Requests and Association Responses. It allows an administrator to inspect status codes, capabilities, supported rates, security parameters, and the sequence of events leading to the failure. A spectrum analyzer can reveal RF interference but does not decode the detailed contents of an association response. DHCP normally occurs later in the connection process and would not explain why 802.11 association itself failed. Protocol analysis is therefore the most direct tool for diagnosing management-frame-level connection problems.

Question 112.

Which authentication model normally provides the greatest accountability in an enterprise WLAN?

1. One shared password for every employee
   2. Open authentication
   3. Static WEP
   4. Individual 802.1X/EAP credentials**

Correct Answer: 4. Individual 802.1X/EAP credentials

Explanation:

802.1X/EAP can provide individual user or device authentication through centralized identity services. This gives administrators much greater accountability than using one shared credential for an entire organization. Individual accounts or certificates can be revoked, audited, and associated with specific users or devices. Open networks do not provide equivalent authentication, and WEP is obsolete and insecure. Shared passwords can be useful for some use cases but are less suitable where individual accountability and centralized policy enforcement are required. Enterprise WLANs often combine 802.1X with RADIUS, certificates, directory services, and role-based authorization.

Question 113.

Which EAP design consideration is especially important when certificate-based authentication is used?

1. Clients must trust the appropriate certificate authority and validate the authentication server correctly
   2. Every client must use the same MAC address
   3. The SSID must contain exactly eight characters
   4. DHCP must be disabled

Correct Answer: 1. Clients must trust the appropriate certificate authority and validate the authentication server correctly

Explanation:

Certificate-based EAP methods depend on a valid chain of trust. Clients should be configured to trust the correct certificate authority and validate the identity of the authentication server rather than accepting any presented certificate. Poor certificate validation can expose users to credential theft or man-in-the-middle attacks. MAC addresses, SSID length, and DHCP operation do not determine certificate trust. Enterprise WLAN deployments should carefully manage certificate issuance, expiration, revocation, server names, trust stores, and device configuration to ensure authentication is both secure and operationally reliable.

Question 114.

Which wireless security mechanism is intended to protect selected management frames such as deauthentication and disassociation against spoofing?

1. NAT
   2. Protected Management Frames
   3. ARP inspection
   4. DHCP relay

Correct Answer: 2. Protected Management Frames

Explanation:

Protected Management Frames, or PMF, protect selected robust management frames against forgery and tampering. This helps reduce attacks that rely on spoofed deauthentication or disassociation frames to disconnect clients. PMF does not protect every wireless frame, but it strengthens an important area that historically lacked cryptographic protection. NAT, ARP inspection, and DHCP relay are unrelated network functions. PMF is increasingly important in modern Wi-Fi security architectures and is required in certain newer security modes. Client and infrastructure compatibility should be verified before enforcing it in mixed-device environments.

Question 115.

Which Wi-Fi security protocol was designed as a transitional improvement over WEP before the full adoption of stronger AES-based protection?

1. WPA with TKIP
   2. Open authentication
   3. OSPF
   4. FTP

Correct Answer: 1. WPA with TKIP

Explanation:

WPA was introduced as an interim improvement over WEP and commonly used TKIP to strengthen encryption and key handling while allowing support on some existing hardware. It was later superseded by stronger WPA2 and AES-based CCMP protection. Open authentication provides no comparable confidentiality, while OSPF and FTP are unrelated network protocols. Although WPA/TKIP was an important historical improvement, it is now considered obsolete for modern enterprise security. CWNA candidates should understand the security evolution from WEP to WPA, WPA2, and newer security approaches because legacy compatibility decisions can significantly affect WLAN security.

Question 116.

Which design goal is most important when deploying voice-over-Wi-Fi?

1. Maximum number of SSIDs
   2. Maximum AP transmit power
   3. Use of the widest channels possible
   4. Consistent coverage, low latency, low loss, and reliable roaming**

Correct Answer: 4. Consistent coverage, low latency, low loss, and reliable roaming

Explanation:

Voice traffic is sensitive to latency, jitter, packet loss, and interruptions during roaming. A voice WLAN therefore requires more than simply strong signal strength. Coverage must be consistent, roaming should occur before the link degrades excessively, channel utilization must remain manageable, and quality-of-service policies should support real-time traffic. Maximum transmit power or very wide channels can actually harm performance if they create oversized cells or reduce channel reuse. The design should be validated with representative voice devices because client roaming behavior and radio capabilities can vary significantly.

Question 117.

Which design problem can occur when AP transmit power is much higher than the transmit capability of client devices?

1. An asymmetric link can develop where clients hear the AP but the AP has difficulty hearing clients
   2. Clients automatically become wired devices
   3. The noise floor drops to zero
   4. Every client uses maximum data rate

Correct Answer: 1. An asymmetric link can develop where clients hear the AP but the AP has difficulty hearing clients

Explanation:

If an access point transmits at much higher power than client devices, a client may be able to hear the AP from a long distance even though its own lower-powered transmission cannot be received reliably by the AP. This creates an asymmetric link. The client may remain associated despite poor uplink reliability, leading to retries, low throughput, or roaming problems. WLAN power design should therefore consider the capabilities of actual client devices rather than simply maximizing infrastructure transmit power. Balanced link budgets help create more predictable cell boundaries and roaming behavior.

Question 118.

Which survey method is best for verifying whether actual wall attenuation matches the assumptions used in a predictive design?

1. Reviewing the DHCP lease table
   2. Reading AP serial numbers
   3. Performing on-site RF measurements
   4. Inspecting DNS records

Correct Answer: 3. Performing on-site RF measurements

Explanation:

Predictive designs depend on assumed attenuation values for walls, doors, glass, shelving, and other materials. Real construction can differ significantly from those assumptions. On-site RF measurements provide empirical evidence of how much signal loss actually occurs through the building materials. This can be done during an AP-on-a-stick survey or post-deployment validation. DHCP tables, serial numbers, and DNS records do not measure RF propagation. Physical measurements are especially valuable in environments with unusual construction, reinforced concrete, metalized glass, warehouses, healthcare facilities, or other materials that can strongly alter radio behavior.

Question 119.

Which troubleshooting method is generally best when a WLAN issue is intermittent and cannot be reproduced immediately?

1. Collect logs, timestamps, client details, RF metrics, and packet captures around the time of failure
   2. Randomly replace APs until the problem disappears
   3. Disable security permanently
   4. Increase transmit power everywhere

Correct Answer: 1. Collect logs, timestamps, client details, RF metrics, and packet captures around the time of failure

Explanation:

Intermittent problems require evidence that can be correlated across time and layers. Useful information includes exact timestamps, affected client identities, AP associations, roaming events, RSSI, SNR, retries, channel utilization, authentication logs, and packet captures. This allows the administrator to determine whether the problem is RF-related, authentication-related, network-layer, application-layer, or client-specific. Randomly replacing hardware or changing power levels without evidence can hide the issue temporarily or introduce new problems. Structured data collection is the most reliable way to diagnose events that occur only occasionally.

Question 120.

A WLAN has excellent coverage but poor performance during peak hours. Which combination should be investigated first?

1. SSID spelling and AP LED color
   2. Printer drivers and DNS suffixes
   3. Cable label format and rack position
   4. Airtime utilization, client density, channel reuse, retries, and application demand**

Correct Answer: 4. Airtime utilization, client density, channel reuse, retries, and application demand

Explanation:

A network can have excellent coverage while still lacking sufficient capacity. If performance degrades mainly during busy periods, the most likely issues involve competition for airtime, high client density, inefficient channel reuse, excessive retries, or application demand exceeding available capacity. RSSI alone does not measure these conditions. Designers and troubleshooters should examine channel utilization, active client counts, traffic patterns, data rates, contention, neighboring same-channel cells, and retransmission behavior. Peak-hour degradation is a classic sign that the WLAN should be evaluated as a shared-capacity system rather than purely as a coverage problem.