Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Client requirements may include:
accessibility
dropout rates
future scalability
grade of service (GoS)
infrastructure costs
interoperability to existing network
network growth
network RF coverage
network security
network traffic
operating budget
quality of service (QoS)
serviceability
service level agreement (SLA).
WLAN technology may include:
channels reuse and overlap
carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)
dynamic satellite survey (DSS)
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)
rate-shifting
worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)
wireless network topologies
wireless personal devices:
Bluetooth
cordless phones
personal digital assistant (PDA)
smartphone
wireless technology developed as an open global standard (ZigBee).
Network elements may include:
adaptors
access point (AP)
client
communications cables and connectors
controller
host
hubs
routers
servers
switches.
Network infrastructure may include:
additional antenna
lightning protection
mounting considerations
outdoor grounding
physical security
power over ethernet (PoE)
power including renewable sources
rack capacity
switch port capacity.
Wireless network topology may include:
basic mesh
bridging
basic service set (BSS)
extended service set (ESS)
independent basic service set (IBSS)
point-to-multipoint using BSS
point-to-point using IBSS.
RF deployment considerations may include:
AP location
basic RF site survey design related to channel re-use
building material
cell overlap
common RF interference sources such as devices
signal strength.
Survey model may include:
data
point-to-multipoint bridging
video point-to-point bridging
voice.
Deployment characteristics may include:
dense deployment
high mobility versus nomadic
internal meshing.
Physical site survey may include:
actual AP
RF power
simulated data rate to conduct the site survey
test radio equipment.
RF network design may include:
AP count
controller and licence requirements
location and type of network elements
location of additional APs for monitoring and sniffing
propagation patterns and attenuation
WLAN radio frequencies and characteristics.
Spread spectrum technology may include:
channels reuse and overlap
carrier sense multiple access or collision avoidance (CSMA/CA)
direct sequence spectrum (DSS)
multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)
modulation
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)
rate-shifting
techniques:
direct sequence (DS)
frequency hopping (FH)
hybrids, combination of FH and DS
time hopping (TH).
WLAN RF principles may include:
antenna types
effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP)
reflection
refraction
RF gain/loss.
Wireless regulatory bodies, standards and certifications may include:
802.11a/b/g/n
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Wi-Fi Alliance.
Wireless network architectures may include:
lightweight access point (LWAP)
split media access control (MAC)
stand-alone AP versus controller-based AP.
WLAN controller and access points may include:
channel
command line interface (CLI)
graphical user interface (GUI)
interfaces
network time protocol (NTP)
power
wireless LANs (WLANs).
Controller-based AP discovery and association may include:
dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)
domain name system (DNS)
master-controller
n+1 redundancy
over the air provisioning (OTAP)
primary-secondary-tertiary.
Roaming may include:
Cisco centralised key management or proactive key caching (CCKM/PKC)
inter-controller
intra-controller
layer 2
layer 3.
Client operating system WLAN configuration may include:
Linux
Mac
Windows.
Security components may include:
authentication
encryption
intrusion prevention system (IPS)
management frame protection (MFP).
Identification assignments may include:
802.1q trunking
interface
service set identifier (SSID)
virtual local area network (VLAN)
wireless LAN identifier (WLANID).
Authentication methods may include:
802.1X
extensible authentication protocol-flexible authentication via secure tunnelling (EAP-FAST)
frame types:
associated or unassociated
control
data
management
guest
lightweight extensible authentication protocol
open (LEAP)
protected extensible authentication protocol (PEAP)
pre-shared key (PSK)
shared
wi-fi protected access (WPA) with extensible authentication protocol-transport layer security (WPA or WPA2 with EAP-TLS).
Sources of authentication may include:
local or external (EAP)
pre-shared key (PSK)
remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS).
Encryption methods may include:
advanced encryption standard (AES)
WPA or WPA2 with temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP).
Networking tools may include:
client troubleshooting
vendor debug
vendor logging.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
plan and conduct a WLAN site survey
produce design specifications and layout of wireless network
configure and test a controller-based WLAN
test wireless security configurations.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
site where network installation may be conducted
hardware and software
organisational guidelines
computers
stand-alone and lightweight WLAN controllers and AP
hardware and software WLAN site survey tools
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
direct observation of the candidate installing, configuring and testing a new or updated network
evaluation of documentation prepared by the candidate outlining testing procedures, test results, recommendation to network changes and completion records
verbal or written questioning of required knowledge.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.