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The rumors have been abound lately, but today we are officially announcing two new Professional level certifications:

CWDP - Certified Wireless Design Professional

CWAP - Certified Wireless Analysis Professional

Read the blog post/press release here. Sybex, our official CWNP Press partner, is now producing the official study guide for each of these new certifications. We are very proud to share the author teams for these two books, both of which are full of heavy hitting Wi-Fi professionals.

The CWDP Study Guide is being authored by...

- Shawn Jackman, CWNE, co-author on the latest CWSP study guide, and Principal Wireless Engineer at Kaiser Permanente IT
- Rick Murphy, CWNE, long time CWNP instructor, and wireless technologies expert
- Matt Swartz, CWNE and Network Consulting Engineer at Cisco Systems
- Marcus Burton, CWNE and Director of Content Development here at CWNP

The CWAP Study Guide is being authored by...

- David Coleman, CWNE, long time CWNP instructor, and co-author of both the CWNA and CWSP Study Guides
- David Westcott, CWNE, long time CWNP instructor, and co-author of both the CWNA and CWSP Study Guides
- Keith Parsons, CWNE, and operator of the great new WLAN Pros web site, home of "WLAN Weekly"
- Bryan Harkins, CWNE, co-author of the CWSP Study Guide, and Training and Development Manager at Motorola Airdefense Solutions

What a line up of CWNE experience! Both of these books should be must-haves for the WLAN professional.

The CWAP exam (PW0-270)will be available in Q4 of 2010, and the CWDP exam (PW0-250) will be available in January 2011. Both of these exams will be required for earning the CWNE certification, effective October 1, 2010.

You may have also noticed that we're sporting some new logos for our certifications. Those of you who hold any CWNP certification will soon be able to download your logos from your CWNP Account for use on your web sites, blogs, business cards, etc.

Ok,

Since my own formal journey in the land of the CWNP realm of certifications is just beginning to unfold.  I've joined the site 2 years ago, been setting up as simple as ad-hoc Wireless Networks for the likes of HP, Motorola, and even the mighty Cisco as far back the year 2000 or so... when Local Area Network ruled the Enterprise and Wireless LANs were still in the cave-man days...

So...  a guy like me has held Wireless Certs from Cisco since about 2001 as I recall and has other Wireless credentials (course materials, books, and of course passing a rather rigorous exam and I love Laura Chappell, etc.) for using Packet Analyzers...

Now comes the meat of the matter:  To be certified as a Wireless LAN Professional by the de facto standard today - CWNP.

I'm doing a bit of Wireless at work and some at home too. Using the majority of the features for an Enterprise Wireless Medical Grade Network and as such we are expanding to invlude RFID much like any other network and a plethora of other technologies, etc.

So...  I like to be a bit more thorough.  I may take a longer route than others or not depending on my actual work load of course and work objectives aka projects.

My questions is more of a clarification:

A blog may suffice in lieu of a paper - I sort of prefer the paper on the Network Design and its bits and pieces including management, survey, and other audit/troubleshooting tools used in the Enterprise.

Currently 3 exams are required for the CWNE.

Later 4 will be?

As far as the other two vendors certifications:

MCSE+I / MCSA/E + Security/Messaging, etc.

CCNP/CCDP/CCSP/CCVP and soon to be CCIP + CCNP-Wireless (should be this year).

Does certs like GIAC, ITIL, CEH, PMP, SIX SIGMA, CISSP or Sniffer (Netscout) Certified Master count?

Another question: Must all certs be of the current versions - even if they are still valid and non-expired.

Examples:

A+/Net+/I-Net+/Security+/Server+ etc.

Quote:

The new CWNE application will require at least 2 years of relevant technical experience with 802.11 networks, at least 2 other networking certifications, three (3) documented enterprise Wi-Fi projects, and a publication directly relating to the implementation of enterprise Wi-Fi technologies.

So does that mean 2 other networking certifications like CCNA? And is the publication a book or just a paper or could it also be something like a blog?

===========================================

Will it be clearly and visibly posted that technical blogs are sufficient to meet the publication requirements.

Other examples might include:

Published articles/whitepapers for other online magazines or published materials, etc.

I'd think this can be gray and should probably be clearly fleshed out a bit. 

I'm trying to be curious rather than judgemental.

Will the CWDP when discussing site surveys focus on any specific vendor such as AirMAgnet or Ekahau? Or indeed any specific vendor recomandations, I have read a few of the survey resouces from CWNP and Wireless Lan Pros and see that there are vast differencs on survey technoques and guidelines.

Equally I would be very interested in the sibgle channel blanket offered by some vendors using arrrays etc.

How good/accurate are the dates for the proposed release of these new books.

Also it would be cheeky not to ask are there any advanced copies going to be available? Will the exams for CWAP and CWDP come along at the same time or after and will there be a Beta test offering for a few guniae pigs?

Pete - as usual, good questions.

Sybex is publishing the books (both CWAP and CWDP). The books will be written to cover the exam objectives for each certification. I am sure that the authors will use examples and their experience from various specific vendors for site surveying and implementation.

That said, the exam will not cover anything specific to any vendor.

We're confident on the December ship dates for both books, as we got off to a great start this year on both. No, there won't be any advance copies, but I can just about guarantee you that if both books are shipping before Christmas, there will be some fun here to kick things off.

I would think even if I passed the CWAP and CWDP I would want to buy the books anyway. There is so much useful material in the CWNA and CWSP book I am constantly referring to them. Really looking forward to adding them to my collection too.
Darby, Kevin said earlier in this thread to me that a blog counts for publication and that it can be any networking cert.
[quote]Wilddev, sorry about that. Lots of great questions!

So does that mean 2 other networking certifications like CCNA? >> Yes, exactly.

And is the publication a book or just a paper or could it also be something like a blog? >> Book, white paper, video, course, etc. Blog? Something like George Stafanick's my80211.com would certainly qualify.

I hope this helps.

Kevin[/quote]

So I am just going to be lazy and ask instead of looking through the site. I have the CWNA and CWSP. how do I get the higher level certifications. I want to be the man in Montgomery, Alabama (shouldn't be too hard).

LEKtech the CWAP and CWDP are out later this year, I will be doing them when I get that far after ploughing through a million and one other things.

I have to get my CCNP this year so thats diverting me from what I enjoy, and its also quite painful, learning routing from the ground up but hey it will only make me a better person.

Only problem is I have this wire stuff in my lab now and its so unattractive!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been putting off the CCNP for a long time. I guess i need to hit that hard. Right after i get my RCDD.

Kevin

Will there be a beta version of the new exams available pre launch?

We won't rule it out, but it has not been our practice to utilize beta exams.