Review of WKMN Training Course: "A Newbie's Guide to Wireless Networks"

• [http://www.wkmn.com/newsite/welcomenewbie.html]

MY HUMBLE OPINION:

• This course is too simple for anyone involved with PTP. Not worth your time or money.

OVERVIEW OF COURSE:

• WKMN offers an introductory course about wireless networking that is aptly named. It truly is for "newbies," offering a very basic overview of wireless networking technology. And, it covers a number of different types of wireless networks, not just 802.11b-based networks. (Warning: This is NOT the course for you if you are only interested in WiFi!) The key concepts that the course covers are:

  • RF Basics
  • Mobile Telephony
  • Fixed Wireless WANs
  • Wireless LANs (802.11b)

  • Wireless Personal Area Networks (BlueTooth)

  There is a separate learning module for each of these key concepts. A module consists of a 1 to 3 minute Flash animation with voiceover. This animation is typically followed by a "game" (such as a word find or crossword puzzle) that is supposed to drive home the most important points. Next, a list of relevant Web links is presented for further information on the topic. And, lastly, each module ends with a 5 question quiz. Upon successful completion of the quiz, you receive a "certificate"...and once you have collected certificates from every module, you can turn them in and receive an official WKMN coffee mug. WKMN claims that it will take the average person 3 to 4 hours to complete the entire turorial, but the vast majority of people should be able to complete the course in less than 2 hours (not including any time spent following and reading the Web links). WKMN charges a fee for the course, but I don't know the amount, since I was given a free-trial. Once you pay for the course, you have access to the online material for 6 months.

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THE COURSE:

• The course contained a decent overview of the different types of wireless networking technology. After taking the course, someone who was brand-new to the topic would understand the differences between say BlueTooth and cell phone technology, and be able to discuss, in very broad terms, how each technology works, what problem each technology is attempting to solve, and each technology's strengths and weaknesses.

• The web links for further research seemed interesting, though I only checked out a few.

WHAT'S WEAK ABOUT THE COURSE:

• The course material is so basic and the content is so cursory (since it's impossible for a 2 minute Flash animation to cover any topic in depth), that it really should only be taken by people who know nothing about wireless technology. As a result, I don't anticipate that this course will appeal to many people surfing the personaltelco.net Web site.
• The "games" in each module are silly and are really a waste of time.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

• WKMN's technical support was very helpful. I inadvertently found a bug in their password handling code that made it impossible for me to login, but WKMN's phone support isolated the problem and got me back up and running very quickly.

  • --TomOffermann

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