Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP): key terms
123 terms you need to know for Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP) (CWAP-405). Filter by level, then drill them with flashcards.
Flashcards for this exam Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP) guide
123 terms
- Access CategoryOne of four WMM traffic queues: voice (AC_VO), video (AC_VI), best effort (AC_BE), and background (AC_BK).Intermediate
- Acknowledgment FrameA control frame confirming successful receipt of a unicast frame.Intermediate
- Action FrameA management frame subtype used to request or perform specific actions such as block ACK setup or neighbor reports.Advanced
- Active ScanningDiscovering APs by transmitting probe requests on channels and listening for responses.Intermediate
- Aggregate MAC Protocol Data Unit (A-MPDU)Multiple MPDUs, each with its own MAC header and FCS, combined into one PPDU.Advanced
- Aggregate MAC Service Data Unit (A-MSDU)Multiple MSDUs combined under one MAC header and FCS.Advanced
- Antenna DiversityUsing multiple antennas to improve reception by selecting or combining the best signal.Intermediate
- Arbitration Interframe Space (AIFS)The EDCA wait time per access category, calculated as SIFS plus AIFSN slot times.Advanced
- Association Identifier (AID)A number assigned by an AP to each associated station, used in the TIM bitmap.Advanced
- Association RequestA management frame from a client asking to join a BSS, listing its capabilities and chosen security.Foundational
- Association ResponseA management frame from the AP accepting or rejecting an association request.Intermediate
- Authentication and Key Management Suite (AKM)The RSN element field identifying how a BSS authenticates and derives keys, such as 802.1X, PSK, SAE, or FT.Advanced
- Authentication FrameA management frame used for 802.11 authentication before association; also carries SAE exchanges.Intermediate
- Basic RateA data rate that all clients must support to join a BSS; management frames use the lowest one.Intermediate
- Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID)The 48-bit MAC address that uniquely identifies a BSS, usually the AP radio's MAC per SSID.Intermediate
- Beacon FrameA management frame broadcast periodically by an AP to advertise its BSS and capabilities.Foundational
- Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK)PSK using two phase states to carry 1 bit per symbol.Intermediate
- Block Acknowledgment (BA)A single control frame acknowledging multiple frames, introduced by 802.11e and required for A-MPDU.Advanced
- Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA)The 802.11 medium access method in which stations sense the medium and back off randomly before transmitting.Foundational
- Channel SoundingThe exchange used to measure the RF channel to compute beamforming steering matrices.Advanced
- Channel State Information (CSI)Detailed per-subcarrier amplitude and phase data describing how a channel affects a signal.Advanced
- ClauseA numbered section of the 802.11 standard; PHYs are often referenced by clause number.Advanced
- Clear Channel Assessment (CCA)The physical carrier-sense function that determines whether the medium is busy.Advanced
- Clear to Send-to-Self (CTS-to-Self)A CTS frame addressed to the sender itself, used to set NAV with less overhead than RTS/CTS.Advanced
- Coding RateThe ratio of data bits to total transmitted bits after error-correction coding.Intermediate
- Contention Window (CW)The range from which a station randomly selects its backoff value; it grows after failed transmissions.Advanced
- Control FrameAn 802.11 frame type (type 1) that assists delivery of data and management frames.Intermediate
- Data FrameAn 802.11 frame type (type 2) that carries upper-layer payloads or signals power state.Intermediate
- Deauthentication FrameA management notification frame that ends authentication and association.Intermediate
- Delay SpreadThe time difference between the first and last significant multipath arrivals of a signal.Advanced
- Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM)A special TIM indicating that buffered broadcast and multicast frames will be sent after the beacon.Advanced
- Differentiated Services Code Point MappingTranslating Layer 3 DSCP markings to 802.11 user priorities and back, for end-to-end wireless QoS.Advanced
- Disassociation FrameA management notification frame that ends an association but not authentication.Intermediate
- Distributed Coordination Function (DCF)The mandatory 802.11 contention-based access method implementing CSMA/CA without QoS.Advanced
- Distributed Interframe Space (DIFS)The interframe space non-QoS stations wait before contending: SIFS plus two slot times.Advanced
- Distribution System (DS)The system that interconnects APs and integrates the WLAN with other networks.Intermediate
- Duration FieldThe MAC header field indicating how long, in microseconds, the medium will remain reserved.Advanced
- Duty CycleThe percentage of time an RF transmitter is active on a frequency.Intermediate
- Energy Detect (ED)The CCA method that marks the medium busy when any RF energy exceeds a threshold, even if undecodable.Advanced
- Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA)The 802.11e contention-based QoS access method using four access categories with different timers.Advanced
- Error Vector Magnitude (EVM)A measure of how far received symbols deviate from their ideal constellation points.Advanced
- Extended Rate PHY (ERP)The 802.11g PHY that combines OFDM and DSSS/CCK in 2.4 GHz.Advanced
- Extremely High Throughput (EHT)The 802.11be PHY and MAC enhancements.Intermediate
- Forward Error Correction (FEC)Adding redundant bits so a receiver can correct errors without retransmission.Intermediate
- Four-Address FrameAn 802.11 frame with To DS and From DS both set, carrying transmitter, receiver, source, and destination addresses.Advanced
- Four-Way HandshakeThe EAPOL-Key exchange that confirms the PMK and derives the PTK and delivers the GTK.Intermediate
- Frame AggregationCombining multiple frames into a single transmission to reduce overhead.Intermediate
- Group Temporal Key (GTK)The shared key used to encrypt broadcast and multicast traffic within a BSS.Advanced
- Guard Interval (GI)A period between OFDM symbols that absorbs multipath echoes to prevent inter-symbol interference.Intermediate
- Hidden NodeA station that cannot hear another station's transmissions, causing both to transmit and collide at the AP.Intermediate
- High Efficiency (HE)The 802.11ax PHY and MAC enhancements.Intermediate
- High Throughput (HT)The PHY and MAC enhancements introduced by 802.11n.Intermediate
- IEEE 802.11eAmendment adding quality of service to the 802.11 MAC, including EDCA and HCCA.Intermediate
- Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI)Corruption that occurs when delayed multipath copies of one symbol overlap the next symbol.Advanced
- Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC)A high-performance error-correcting code optional in 802.11n/ac and required for most 802.11ax/be rates.Advanced
- MAC Protocol Data Unit (MPDU)The 802.11 MAC frame including header, frame body, and FCS.Advanced
- MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU)The Layer 3-7 payload handed down from LLC to the 802.11 MAC; maximum 2,304 bytes.Advanced
- Management FrameAn 802.11 frame type (type 0) used to join, leave, and maintain a BSS.Foundational
- Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC)Receive technique that combines signals from multiple antennas to improve SNR.Advanced
- Medium Access Control (MAC)The 802.11 sublayer of Layer 2 that handles addressing, framing, medium access, and security.Foundational
- Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS)An index combining modulation type and coding rate that determines a PHY data rate.Intermediate
- MultipathTwo or more copies of the same signal arriving at a receiver at slightly different times via different paths.Foundational
- Multiple BSSID (MBSSID)A feature that advertises multiple BSSIDs in a single beacon to reduce overhead.Advanced
- Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO)Use of multiple transmit and receive antennas and radio chains to improve throughput and reliability.Foundational
- Neighbor ReportAn 802.11k list of nearby APs (BSSIDs, channels, capabilities) sent to a client to speed roaming.Intermediate
- Network Allocation Vector (NAV)The virtual carrier-sense timer stations set from the Duration field of frames they hear.Advanced
- Null Data FrameA data frame with no body, used by clients to signal power-save state changes to the AP.Advanced
- Null Data Packet (NDP)A PHY frame without a data payload used for channel sounding and other measurements.Advanced
- Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM)Multicarrier modulation splitting a channel into many orthogonal subcarriers transmitted in parallel.Foundational
- Overlapping BSS Packet Detect (OBSS_PD)An adjustable CCA threshold for inter-BSS frames used in 802.11ax spatial reuse.Advanced
- Pairwise Master Key (PMK)The top-level key in the RSN pairwise hierarchy, derived from the PSK, SAE, or 802.1X/EAP authentication.Intermediate
- Pairwise Master Key Identifier (PMKID)A hash identifying a cached PMK, used in fast roaming and exploitable for clientless WPA2-PSK cracking.Advanced
- Pairwise Transient Key (PTK)The per-session unicast key derived in the 4-way handshake, split into KCK, KEK, and TK.Advanced
- Passive ScanningDiscovering APs by listening for beacon frames on each channel.Intermediate
- PhaseThe position of a point in a wave's cycle, measured in degrees, relative to another wave or reference.Intermediate
- Physical Layer (L1)OSI Layer 1, which transmits raw bits as electrical, optical or radio signals over a medium.Foundational
- Physical Layer Convergence Procedure (PLCP)The upper PHY sublayer that prepares MAC frames for transmission by adding a preamble and header.Advanced
- Pilot SubcarrierAn OFDM subcarrier carrying known reference data used for phase and frequency tracking.Advanced
- PLCP Protocol Data Unit (PPDU)The PHY-layer frame consisting of preamble, PHY header, and the PSDU (MAC frame).Advanced
- Power Save Mode802.11 mechanisms allowing clients to sleep while the AP buffers their traffic.Intermediate
- PreambleTraining fields at the start of a PPDU that let receivers detect, synchronize to, and estimate a signal.Advanced
- Primary ChannelThe 20 MHz channel within a wider bonded channel on which beacons and control frames are sent.Advanced
- Probe RequestA management frame sent by a client to discover nearby APs, either for a specific SSID or any SSID.Foundational
- Probe ResponseA unicast management frame from an AP answering a probe request with BSS information.Foundational
- Protection MechanismMethods such as RTS/CTS and CTS-to-self that make legacy stations defer during newer PHY transmissions.Intermediate
- Protocol AnalyzerA tool that captures and decodes network traffic so it can be examined protocol by protocol.Foundational
- PS-PollA control frame sent by a power-saving client to retrieve one buffered frame from the AP.Advanced
- Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)Modulation that varies both amplitude and phase to encode multiple bits per symbol.Intermediate
- Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK)PSK using four phase states to carry 2 bits per symbol.Intermediate
- Quality of Service Data Frame (QoS Data)An 802.11 data frame subtype with a QoS Control field containing the Traffic Identifier.Advanced
- Radiotap HeaderA pseudo-header added by capture drivers that records RF metadata such as channel, data rate, and signal strength.Advanced
- Random BackoffA random number of slot times a station waits after the medium is idle before transmitting.Intermediate
- Rayleigh FadingRapid signal-strength variation caused by multipath when there is no dominant line-of-sight path.Advanced
- ReassociationThe process by which a client moves its association from one AP to another within an ESS.Intermediate
- Reduced Neighbor Report (RNR)An information element in 2.4/5 GHz beacons and probe responses advertising co-located 6 GHz BSSs.Advanced
- Request to Send / Clear to Send (RTS/CTS)A control frame handshake that reserves the medium before a data transmission.Intermediate
- Resource Unit (RU)A group of OFDMA subcarriers (tones) allocated to one user in an 802.11ax/be transmission.Intermediate
- Retry RateThe percentage of frames retransmitted because no acknowledgment was received.Intermediate
- Robust Security Network (RSN)An 802.11i network that allows only RSN associations using the 4-way handshake and CCMP/GCMP.Intermediate
- SA QueryA PMF procedure that verifies an existing security association before accepting a new association attempt.Advanced
- Short Interframe Space (SIFS)The shortest 802.11 interframe space, used before ACKs, CTS, and frames in a TXOP.Advanced
- Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR)The ratio of desired signal power to the sum of interference and noise.Intermediate
- Slot TimeThe basic time unit for 802.11 backoff counting: 9 microseconds for OFDM or 20 microseconds for DSSS.Advanced
- Sniffer ModeAn AP mode that captures frames on one channel and forwards them to a remote packet analyzer.Intermediate
- Space-Time Block Coding (STBC)Transmitting redundant copies of a data stream across multiple antennas to improve reliability.Advanced
- Spatial Multiplexing (SM)Sending multiple unique data streams over the same channel at the same time using different antennas.Intermediate
- Spatial Reuse802.11ax mechanisms allowing transmission during weak overlapping-BSS frames to increase channel reuse.Advanced
- Spatial Stream (SS)An independent data stream transmitted simultaneously from separate antennas on the same channel.Intermediate
- Spectrum AnalyzerA tool that measures RF energy across frequencies to identify interference, regardless of protocol.Intermediate
- SubcarrierA narrow frequency component of an OFDM channel carrying data, pilot, or null signals.Intermediate
- Supported RateA data rate the BSS allows clients to use but does not require.Intermediate
- SymbolThe unit of transmitted information on an RF carrier; one modulation state that represents one or more bits.Intermediate
- Target Beacon Transmission Time (TBTT)The scheduled time at which an AP intends to transmit a beacon.Advanced
- Time Unit (TU)An 802.11 time measurement equal to 1,024 microseconds.Advanced
- Traffic Indication Map (TIM)A beacon field indicating which power-saving stations have buffered unicast frames at the AP.Advanced
- Transmit Beamforming (TxBF)Adjusting phase across multiple antennas so signals combine constructively at a specific receiver.Intermediate
- Transmit Opportunity (TXOP)A bounded interval during which a station may send multiple frames after winning contention.Advanced
- Trigger FrameAn 802.11ax control frame that solicits and schedules simultaneous uplink transmissions from multiple clients.Advanced
- Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery (U-APSD)WMM Power Save method where a client's uplink frame triggers delivery of buffered downlink frames.Advanced
- User Priority (UP)The 802.1D-based 0-7 priority value carried in 802.11 QoS data frames.Advanced
- Very High Throughput (VHT)The 802.11ac PHY and MAC enhancements.Intermediate
- Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)Wi-Fi Alliance certification of 802.11e EDCA QoS with four access categories.Intermediate
- Wireless Distribution System (WDS)Wireless interconnection of APs using four-address frames.Advanced