Customer Reviews

CWDP Certified Wireless Design Professional Official Study Guide: Exam PW0-250 (Study Guide Pw0-250)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently started reading the CWDP Study Guide and I have to say that this book is impressive. I personally know three of the authors, so I knew before I even picked up the book, that a solid Wi-Fi brain trust had been assembled to write the book.

That being said, I have seen some really smart IT professionals fail miserable when it comes to writing a book about complex technology such as 802.11 technology.

Chapter 3 "Designing for Applications" is a must read. There is a wealth of information in this chapter alone.

Chapter 5 is by far the most current description available anywhere about the multitude of WLAN architectures that exist and continue to evolve.

Oh... an entire chapter (14) about "Post-Installation Validation" - Talk about an important real-world chapter!

I have co-authored three books about Wi-Fi and it takes a lot to impress me. I also understand how hard it is to deliver a quality content in a book when the only concern the editor has is to rush completion to meet publishing deadlines.

The CWDP Study Guide content validates the hard work that the authors have delivered admirably.

Consider this book to be a 'must-have" for reference purposes as well as a study guide.

David Coleman
Global Training Manager - Aerohive Networks

Co-Author:
CWNA Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam PW0-104 (CWNP Official Study Guides)
CWSP Certified Wireless Security Professional Official Study Guide: Exam PW0-204 (CWNP Official Study Guides)
CWAP Certified Wireless Analysis Professional Official Study Guide: Exam PW0-270 (Study Guide Pw0-270)

I should admit it was not an easy reading for me because my background in RF systems and design is close to 0
but it was useful for general understanding of the wireless technologies.

I like the simplicity of explanation of radio path loss and geometric interpretation of it.

Multipath and diversity resonated well with me because I am currently looking at P2P networks for VoIP kind of applications where I am also facing problems of reliability and trying to solve them with redundancy. Also I got a lot of food for thought in a section about 802.11n where I read for the first time about MIMO protocol. (Well, I realize that I may sound too ignorant but at least sincere).

Modulation and Coding were a nice refresher for me from old school days as well as a chapter about noise measurement were dB was described. I do not think I learned about dBm or DBi before.

I have found Chapter 7 both useful and practical for myself. I learned that a coax cable is essentially a capacitor, a discussion about
reflection in RF design and return loss was engaging and easy to understand. I gained some knowledge of connectors that I may be able to use at my work.
And, of course, I liked to learn more about different types of antennas, dipole, rubber duck, patch, parabolic dish, horn (my understanding is that it is not practically used but as a component of dish antennas), phased array, and Yagi. I think I will be able to tell one from another when I see them in the field.
I already mentioned 80211.n. I felt good about myself :) when I understood why 802.11n is back compatible and why when multiple frames a combined in a singe one it increases throughput when SNR is high but may be a bad idea if communication link is dirty.

The book gave me a chance to look at the low level part of the stack which I had no visibility before.

It doesn't matter if you are a network professional or just a beginner in wireless networking. This is the ultimate book for newbies and pros. It gives you what you need to not only pass the exam, but actually be able to work on large and small scale wireless networks.

Trust me, I know. I build WiFi networks for sports stadiums all across the USA and I own this book.



Todd

As others have mentioned with regards to RF, I came into the wireless industry with very little knowledge in the layer 1 wireless stack. Chapter 6 - RF Basics really helped with filling in the basics. I'm look forward to the rest of the book and on to the exam!!!

This is a must have book for anyone looking to deploy wireless in their environment. The authors are able to make what could be very dry and academic a very interesting and pleasurable read. I found several topics that I've previously studied that never completely made sense until reading the explanations in this book. Most interesting of all are the specific use cases for major industries and real world case study examples that bring the theory into practical application. For a first edition book of this magnitude there are very few errors, most of which are minor spelling.

The cons - Like most books of its type, it is not fully comprehensive in the knowledge needed to pass the exam and additional resources will be required. The included test questions also leave a little to be desired. Many of them are poorly worded and some of them are outright wrong. If you are pursuing certification you should also purchase the online practice test at CWNP.com. With that in mind, you might get a better package deal on the book, practice exam, and exam voucher directly from CWNP rather than purchasing the book on Amazon.

I read a lot of technical books. Most study guides like this are filled with boring technical info with few real-world solutions. They're designed to help you pass a certification exam. This book is the exact opposite- tons of useful information that you will use everyday if you work with WLANs. Most every page in my book has highlighter marks all over it, some marked as possible exam questions but most highlights were for things I can use at work either designing wireless networks or troubleshooting previous designs. This book is good for anyone who deals with wireless, not just those studying for the CWDP.