|
This text was probably my third book to cover 802.11 wireless and I was thoroughly impressed. The author covered the appropriate material at the appropriate level for the CWNA certification. I especially appreciated the explanations of 8021x authentication and the section on weaknesses in WEP authentication/encryption. I would certainly recommend this book for those seeking a foundation knowledge in 802.11 and the CWNA certification.
From the forward of the book, it was stated that this item was a complete re-write from the third edition, due to the dynamic nature of wireless and the recent changes to the IEEE 802.11. I found the book very readable, un-like many other industry certification preparation texts. I am sure like most other purchasers of this book, I utilized it to study for and pass the CWNA certification exam, it was a very helpful resource. Effectively, this writing was a first edition and errors of this type are not unexpected in a textbook's first printing. The information was presented in an organized manor, coinciding with the topics of the exam.Unfortunately the book had quite a few errors, some were minor typos, but some were in sample calculations. These errors could have been very detrimental to the novice applicant had this been the applicant's sole source of preparation material. At the time I was using the book it had been in print for about 9 months, and when I went to the publisher's site the errata for this book did not exist, the only available was still for the third edition.I contacted both the author and the publisher at that time; I was disappointed with the lack of response from the publisher, as well as the continuing lack of updated errata.The good news is that the author, Tom Carpenter, did reply and assure me that he had also contacted his publisher and that the corrections would be published, but that he had very little control over the time frame.Several months later in July of 08, the publisher Osborne-McGraw-Hill provided updated errata for the fourth edition. I would recommend that anyone using the book for test preparation get the updated errata from the publisher's web site.I would hope that future printings will be updated to correct these deficiencies.Despite the typographical errors I found it to be a very useful study companion and plan on using Tom Carpenter's CWSP Certified Wireless Security Professional Official Study Guide (Exam PW0-200), Second Edition when I undertake preparations for my CWSP exam and certification.
In the front of the book Tom mentions that readers can email him for additional info or clarification on certain subjects covered.and he really means it. This is a great book for anyone wishing to study for and pass the CWNA exam. Tom goes to great lengths to communicate the information clearly and correctly in a very understandable manner. He & I communicated many times as I studied (sometimes more deeply than was necessary) for the exam. Both the book.and Tom are a great resource for the serious IT professional.-Robert Finley, CWNA, MCP, Network+, Security+
I looked forward to the publication of this 4th Edition of the CWNA Guide, however I was woefully disappointed with it. It just does not flow very well. The author's writing style is extremely dull and he does not seem to have the ability to convey useful technical information in the accessible and interesting way that the other 2 sets of authors (Planet 3 wireless team), and the other CWNA book by David Coleman and David Westcott achieve. All in all compared to the 2 earlier books, this is a painful book to get through. As a result I've decided to keep the 2 other CWNA books, and use this one just for reference for the newer topics. I sincerley hope that the next edition will be written by Devin Akin and the Planet 3 Wireless team.
This book was a great tool for helping me pass the CWNA. Tom has covered the material in enough detail that it gives you a foundation of wireless knowledge to build on to pass the CWNA test. As Tom states in the book, you need to use other reference material, in addition to this book, to prepare for the test. thanks Tom.Bruce
|
