Blog

Get the Newest Blog Direct to your Inbox

* indicates required

Python Utilities Using Piping from PowerShell or CMD.exe

Python is very powerful on Windows, Linux, or macOS. As network administrators, it is often useful to build your own utilities that can receive input on standard input (STDIN) and this brief post explains how to do it with Python.

Continue reading...

The Bluetooth Advantage in the IoT Market

Bluetooth is positioned to make inroads into the general IoT market. With Bluetooth mesh and continued support for classic Bluetooth and BLE, the protocols are there to allow for many IoT use cases. In this brief post, I'll discuss the 2020 Market Update from the Bluetooth SIG and its implications for the future of IoT.

Continue reading...

Project/Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Wireless

PBL is a learning model that has been around since the late 1800s. In this brief post, I will explain how you might choose to use it when studying for CWNP certifications or learning any other wireless technologies you desire to learn.T
Continue reading...

Is OFDM Wi-Fi 6’s Superpower?

Wi-Fi 6 offers key features such as capacity, throughput (bits per second) / higher data rates (packets per second), improved coverage, dense environment performance, and lower battery consumption/power efficiency. One of the key elements that is driving capacity, throughput, and performance in Wi-Fi 6 is orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA).

Continue reading...

Watch Out! It's Now Obsolete. IEEE 802.11 and the Use of the Terms "Obsolete" and "Deprecated"

The IEEE 802.11 standard, referenced in this article as simply 802.11, uses two terms of importance: obsolete and deprecated. Viewing historical trends can reveal future probabilities of feature removal from the standard. In this article, I'll discuss the meaning of the two terms in general and the actions the IEEE has taken in relation to them. The good news is that WEP is now obsolete in 802.11 (or will be in a few months) and not just deprecated... more on that later.

Continue reading...

Are You At A Loss When Trying To Understand Return Loss?

Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) is taught lightly in our CWNA course and the course hints at return loss, but some students have faced challenges in grasping the concepts. The problem stems from the fact that a significant amount of physics and mathematics supports the concepts and we do not teach that level of detail. In this article, I will explain the concepts for you, in a five- to ten-minute read, that should allow you to gain some control over your thinking about return loss.

Continue reading...

Foggy about The Fog?

This brief article is intended to bring clarity to the concept of fog computing as it relates to IoT and other networking functions and services. For many, the fog is a mystical thing and I hope to clear up any confusion in this article.

Continue reading...

MQTT Version 5.0 - What's New?

The MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol was updated with a new version on March 7, 2019. This version replaces or supercedes version 3.1.1 from October 29, 2014. In this brief post, I'll explain some of the new features introduced in the latest version.

Continue reading...

Devices Lurking in the Shadows

The phrases shadow devices, shadow IoT, shadow nodes, and shadow clients all refer to the same concept: many devices connected to your network are not organization-owned devices. These devices can introduce serious security concerns and should become a known element in your processes.

Continue reading...

Droning On about Signal Strength and Antenna Location

Those who've worked in the Wi-Fi world already know that antenna location (or device location for those with internal-only antennas) is key to signal propagation and, therefore, received signal strength. What if you could dynamically move the antenna so that the link is best when transmission is required? What if you only required data transfers to occur at infrequent times? Could drones be the answer in some situations?
Continue reading...

Page 6 of 40