350-101 Cisco Implementing and Operating Cisco Wireless Core Technologies (350-101 WLCOR)v1.0 Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

Cisco Catalyst Center uses its Event Notifications framework to alert operations teams when Assurance detects client, device, or wireless issues. The correct workflow is not a simple email-address entry under Issue Settings; it is an event subscription that binds selected issue events to a notification channel such as EMAIL. Cisco’s Catalyst Assurance documentation states that, when a specific Assurance issue is triggered and its status changes, Assurance can generate REST or email notifications, and the workflow opens thePlatform > Developer Toolkit > Event Notificationswindow from Manage Subscription. The same guide confirms that EMAIL is one of the supported notification channels and that the EMAIL notification details include sender, recipient, and subject fields. Cisco’s Platform User Guide also defines Event Notifications as the place to “view and subscribe to specific events” and gives the GUI path asPlatform > Developer Toolkit > Event Notifications. Therefore, option B is correct. SMTP/email destination configuration may be a prerequisite, but the required alerting action is creating the event notification subscription. Reference topics: Catalyst Center Assurance, Event Notifications, Wireless Monitoring and Management.

The correct authentication method isEAP-TLS. WPA2-Enterprise uses 802.1X/EAP authentication rather than a pre-shared key, and the supplicant, authenticator, and RADIUS authentication server participate in the enterprise authentication exchange. Cisco documentation states that in enterprise WPA/WPA2 operation, 802.1X/EAP is used for authentication and provides strong authentication between the client and authentication server.

The decisive requirement in the question iscertificate-based mutual authentication requiring both client and server certificates. Cisco explicitly describes EAP-TLS as requiring both server-side and client-side certificates, while PEAP requires only a server-side certificate and normally authenticates the client with password-based credentials inside the protected tunnel. Cisco Secure ACS documentation also states that EAP-TLS uses the certificates of the authentication server and the end-user client, enforcing mutual authentication.

MSCHAPv2 is a password-based inner authentication method, not certificate-based mutual authentication. PEAP protects credential exchange with a server certificate but does not inherently require a client certificate. TEAP can support flexible tunneled authentication, but the strict client-and-server certificate requirement maps directly toEAP-TLS. Reference topic:Client Connectivity Configuration — WPA2-Enterprise, 802.1X supplicant configuration, EAP methods, certificates, and RADIUS authentication.

When a radio wavebends around an obstaclein its path, this phenomenon is calleddiffraction. Diffraction allows the RF signal to reach areas that are not in the direct line of sight of the transmitter, such as behind walls, corners, or other obstructions. The amount of bending depends on the wavelength of the signal relative to the size of the obstacle—longer wavelengths (lower frequencies) diffract more effectively than shorter wavelengths.

This property is crucial in wireless network design, especially in enterprise or mesh deployments, because it enables coverage in complex indoor environments and around obstructions where direct line-of-sight communication is impossible. Diffraction differs from other RF phenomena:absorption(option A) occurs when RF energy is partially absorbed by materials, reducing signal strength;diffusion(option B) refers to scattering of the signal in multiple directions; andreflection(option C) occurs when RF waves bounce off surfaces like walls or ceilings, which can lead to multipath interference.

Cisco wireless design guides emphasize understanding diffraction forcoverage planning, AP placement, and optimizing signal propagationin indoor and campus deployments, ensuring that signals can adequately reach shadowed or obstructed areas without excessive loss or dead spots. Reference topic:RF Fundamentals — diffraction, reflection, absorption, and indoor wireless propagation.

A line-of-sight (LOS) RF connection requires a clear, unobstructed path between the transmitter and receiver. This ensures that the transmitted signal reaches the receiving device without attenuation, reflection, or diffraction caused by physical obstacles such as walls, furniture, or other structures. LOS conditions are critical for high-frequency RF links, particularly in the 5 GHz band, where signals cannot easily penetrate objects. While multipath propagation (Option A) and MIMO (Option B) techniques enhance throughput and reliability in non-line-of-sight environments, they do not satisfy the definition of LOS. Reflections (Option C) actually introduce delays, fading, and interference, which can degrade signal quality. In Cisco Wireless Core Technologies, understanding LOS is foundational for designing point-to-point wireless backhaul links, outdoor Wi-Fi deployments, and high-performance campus networks. Ensuring LOS minimizes path loss, maximizes received signal strength, and supports predictable coverage patterns. Proper site surveys, RF planning, and AP placement are used to maintain LOS where required, particularly for directional antennas or high-gain links. Reference topics:RF Fundamentals — Line-of-Sight (LOS), RF propagation, path loss, multipath effects, MIMO considerations.

In point-to-point wireless deployments, the AP must act as a transparent bridge, forwarding Ethernet frames between the wired network interface and the wireless radio. The correct configuration command in Cisco IOS XE for a Cisco 9163E AP isap name < ap_name > mode bridge. This sets the AP into bridge mode, allowing it to function as a Layer 2 relay between the two connected sites, effectively extending the Ethernet network over the wireless link. Option A, FlexConnect mode, is intended for APs to locally switch client traffic while maintaining CAPWAP control connectivity, not for bridging traffic between networks. Option B,capwap mode p2p, is not valid syntax in IOS XE; CAPWAP does not provide a dedicated P2P mode for Ethernet bridging. Option D,capwap mode mesh, configures the AP for mesh networking, which is for multi-hop client coverage rather than a direct point-to-point bridge. Cisco Wireless Core Technologies recommend bridge mode for point-to-point wireless links to maintain transparent forwarding, support VLAN tagging, and ensure seamless Layer 2 connectivity between remote buildings, which is essential for applications like IP telephony, security cameras, and campus LAN extension. Reference topics:Wireless Network Implementation — Bridge mode, point-to-point AP, Layer 2 traffic forwarding, Cisco 9163E configuration.

FRA (Flexible Radio Assignment) is a feature in Cisco wireless networks designed to optimize the client experience and enhance network coverage. FRA functions by managing roaming behavior and ensuring that clients are connected to the most appropriate access point (AP) based on signal quality and other factors. This helps in ensuring a seamless experience when clients move across coverage areas, by actively guiding them to the best AP.

The key functionality of FRA involves redirecting clients to the appropriate AP when they are experiencing suboptimal performance on the current AP, which is typically influenced by factors such as interference or distance. This optimization helps improve both coverage and user experience by making sure clients stay on the most optimal radio connection.

Option A, which refers to monitoring on the physical interface level, is not directly related to FRA but more to basic radio management. Option C, which mentions local data path control, refers to how data paths are managed locally within an AP but does not address the dynamic nature of client roaming. Option D, about dual-band radios, involves how radios are configured but does not directly describe FRA's function.

FRA is vital for dynamically enhancing wireless network performance, particularly in large, dense environments where clients are constantly moving.

The correct answer isCbecause trend deviation in Cisco Catalyst Center AI Analytics is designed to identify behavior that differs from expected network baselines. Cisco AI Network Analytics uses machine learning to establish baselines that are specific to the network and site, then compares live operational telemetry against those learned expectations. Cisco states that AI-driven issues are triggered based on deviations from the predicted baseline for the specific network environment.

For wireless operations, this is valuable because deviations in onboarding, association, DHCP, AAA, radio throughput, AP performance, client experience, retries, SNR, or similar KPIs can surface before they become broad user-impacting incidents. Cisco also describes Trend Deviations as a Trends and Insights function that determines global patterns and deviations to provide system-generated insights. This gives operations teams earlier awareness of abnormal wireless behavior and allows proactive investigation rather than waiting for help-desk tickets or hard threshold alarms.

The other options are unrelated. Time synchronization is handled by NTP, threshold export is not the core function of trend deviation, and log backup is a separate operational process. Reference topic:Wireless Monitoring and Management — Catalyst Center Assurance, AI Network Analytics, trend deviation, anomaly detection, wireless baselining, and proactive operations.

The correct answer is B. inconsistent channel performance . In WLAN RF design, interference is unwanted RF energy in the same or adjacent frequency space that reduces the usable quality of a channel. Cisco defines interference as unwanted RF signals in the same frequency band that can cause degradation or loss of service. When interference increases, the channel becomes less predictable: clients and APs experience higher contention, more retries, lower modulation rates, reduced throughput, and unstable latency.

Cisco also notes that overlapping channels can create RF interference, leading to connectivity issues and poor throughput. In co-channel interference scenarios, adjacent radios on the same channel interfere with network performance through collisions or excessive CSMA deferrals, degrading WLAN performance. This directly maps to inconsistent channel performance because the channel may appear usable at one moment and congested or impaired the next.

The other answers are not the best operational result. Frame aggregation may be impacted indirectly, but it is not the primary RF-level outcome. Scheduled contention access is not caused by interference. Extended coverage patterns are related to antenna gain, transmit power, and propagation, not high interference. Reference topic: RF Fundamentals — interference, channel utilization, co-channel interference, adjacent-channel interference, retries, and WLAN performance degradation.

MIMO, or Multiple-Input Multiple-Output, is a core 802.11n and later wireless technology that uses multiple transmit and receive radio chains and antennas to improve wireless performance. Cisco’s Wireless RF Reference Guide explains that IEEE 802.11n introduced MIMO, replacing the older single-radio SISO model with multiple radios, each using its own antenna, to increase data rates and improve reception in multipath environments. Cisco also notes that weak or distorted multipath signals can be received by more than one radio and reconstructed, improving decode quality and reliability.

This directly supports option A: MIMO exploits multiple RF paths rather than treating multipath as purely destructive. Depending on implementation, MIMO can use spatial diversity, maximal ratio combining, and spatial streams to increase throughput, improve signal-to-noise ratio, reduce retries, and make more efficient use of airtime. Cisco describes spatial stream notation such as 4x4:4 as four transmitters, four receivers, and four spatial streams. Option B describes frequency hopping, not MIMO. Option C is not a MIMO function. Option D is the opposite of MIMO because MIMO deliberately uses multiple antennas and radio paths. Reference topics:802.11 Technology Fundamentals — MIMO, spatial streams, multipath, SISO versus MIMO, and 802.11n/ac/ax PHY enhancements.

WPA2-Personal authenticates clients with a preshared key, not with 802.1X. Cisco documents WPA/WPA2 as supporting multiple authentication methods, including 802.1X and PSK, and specifically states that when PSK is selected, a preshared key or passphrase must be configured. The configuration element that enables client authentication in this scenario is the PSK ASCII key function represented by option D. On Catalyst 9800 IOS XE, the PSK method is enabled with PSK authentication key management, and the passphrase is defined withsecurity wpa psk set-key {ascii | hex} {0 | 8} password; Cisco’s example issecurity wpa psk set-key ascii 0 test.

Option A disables 802.1X AKM, which is appropriate for Personal mode, but it does not by itself authenticate clients. Option B controls DHCP proxy behavior and has no role in WPA authentication. Option C enables AES for WPA2 encryption, which protects traffic confidentiality but does not supply the authentication secret. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration — WPA2-Personal, PSK authentication, AKM selection, AES encryption, and Catalyst 9800 WLAN security configuration.

The correct answer isBbecause Wi-Fi antenna gain is expressed usingdBi, which means decibels relative to an isotropic radiator. Cisco’s Wireless RF Reference Guide states that antenna gain is measured in decibels relative to isotropic gain, ordBi. Cisco RF design documentation also explains that dBi is used to describe the power gain rating of antennas by comparing real antennas against an ideal isotropic antenna that radiates equally in all directions.

Antenna gain is not a measurement of physical antenna length. Length may influence antenna design and resonance, but it is not the operational unit used to express gain. It is also not measured as voltage against dBm.dBmis an absolute power reference relative to one milliwatt, commonly used for transmit power or received signal strength, whiledBidescribes antenna gain. Cisco’s EIRP calculation reinforces this separation: transmitter power is in dBm, antenna gain is in dBi, and cable loss is in dB. A “blend of analog and digital signals” has no RF measurement relevance. Reference topic:RF Fundamentals — antenna gain, dB/dBi/dBm, isotropic radiator reference, EIRP, and RF propagation behavior.

In Cisco Catalyst 9800 WLAN configurations, assigning a VLAN to a WLAN is done using theaccess vlan < vlan-id > command under the WLAN context. This ensures that clients associating with the guest SSID are placed in the correct Layer 2 VLAN for proper segmentation and network access. The exhibit shows that security features are removed and the WLAN is operational, but no VLAN is yet assigned. Option A correctly usesaccess vlan 10under the WLAN configuration, enabling client traffic to be tagged or untagged into VLAN 10 for site A deployment. Option B is invalid syntax; simply usingvlan 10is insufficient and not recognized in IOS XE WLAN configuration. Options C and D involvepolicy profilecommands, which define WLAN policies but do not directly assign the VLAN to the guest WLAN itself. Cisco Wireless Core Technologies emphasize that proper VLAN assignment ensures guest isolation, correct DHCP assignment, and traffic segregation, which is critical for security and compliance in enterprise deployments. Assigning the VLAN in this manner also allows downstream switches to correctly forward traffic to the intended network segment. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration — WLAN VLAN assignment, guest SSID, access vlan, Cisco Catalyst 9800.

The correct expression isaccessPoints[0].interfaces[1] .macAddress. The JSON object contains a top-level key namedaccessPoints, whose value is an array. Array indexing begins at zero, soaccessPoints[0]selects the first access point object,ap-west-1. Inside that object, theinterfaceskey also contains an array. Therefore,interfaces[1] selects the second interface object, which hasslot: 1,status: "down", andmacAddress: "CC:FA:00:11:22:34". The final selector,.macAddress, returns that MAC address value.

This structure is directly aligned with Cisco automation workflows, where RESTCONF and Catalyst Center APIs exchange structured data in JSON. Cisco documents that Catalyst Center REST API payloads are JSON-formatted, and its example describes JSON as key-value data separated by colons. Cisco also states that Catalyst 9800 RESTCONF uses structured XML or JSON with YANG models for programmatic device access. Option B selectsap-east-2. Option C selects the first interface onap-west-1. Option D references a non-existent second interface onap-east-2. Reference topics:Automation and AI — JSON parsing, REST APIs, Catalyst Center programmability, RESTCONF, and wireless telemetry data structures.

The correct action is to expose only encrypted management services: HTTPS for WebUI administration and SSH for remote CLI administration. The exhibit confirms the WLC wireless management interface is VLAN 10 with IP address 10.10.1.2, but interface placement alone does not enforce secure management protocol policy. Cisco Catalyst 9800 documentation identifies web admin settings as controller management configuration that determines administrator access, protocols, and interfaces for remote management. Cisco further states that administrators can connect securely over HTTPS, while HTTP “is not a secure connection,” and that HTTPS encrypts data to and from the server.

For CLI access, Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 Secure Shell guidance states that SSH enables secure remote access, and usingtransport input sshprevents non-SSH Telnet connections, limiting the device to SSH-only access. Therefore, options A and B violate policy because they permit Telnet and/or HTTP. Option C fails because console access is local, not remote, and disabling only HTTP still leaves Telnet exposure unresolved. Reference topics:Wireless Monitoring and Management — WLC management access, secure administration, HTTPS, SSH, and management-plane hardening.

An RTS frame is an 802.11control frameused in the Request to Send/Clear to Send exchange. Cisco identifies RTS as a Request to Send frame and explains that 802.11 control frames assist in delivering data frames between stations. Cisco further states that the RTS/CTS function is optional, helps reduce collisions when hidden stations are associated to the same access point, and that a station sends an RTS frame as the first phase before transmitting a data frame.

Therefore, option B is correct because the RTS frame requests access to the wireless medium before data transmission. If the receiving station or AP replies with CTS, nearby stations defer transmission based on the duration information, reducing collision probability. This is especially relevant in hidden-node environments where two clients can hear the AP but cannot hear each other. Option A refers to RF spectral-mask compliance, which is a physical-layer regulatory concept. Option C confuses NAV behavior with roaming; RTS/CTS may influence virtual carrier sensing, not client roaming updates. Option D is unrelated because frame compression is not an RTS function. Reference topics:802.11 frame types, control frames, RTS/CTS, CSMA/CA, hidden-node mitigation, and medium reservation.

The correct configuration approach is to enableApplication Visibility and Controlon thepolicy profile. On the Catalyst 9800, WLANs are not configured as isolated monolithic objects; the WLAN profile is mapped to a policy profile through a policy tag, and many client traffic services are applied from that policy profile. Cisco defines AVC as the wireless feature set that identifies and monitors applications using DPI, creates rules to manage application bandwidth and usage, and integrates with Flexible NetFlow for per-application or per-protocol statistics. Cisco further states that AVC benefits from NBAR running on the AP or controller, and that the NBAR2 engine analyzes and recognizes traffic flows.

Operationally, Cisco’s 9800 AVC guide shows that AVC is enabled by navigating toConfiguration > Services > Application Visibilityand selecting the relevantPolicy Profile. It also shows the CLI form under the policy profile:wireless profile policy AVC_testingfollowed byip nbar protocol-discovery, with verification showingNBAR Protocol Discovery : Enabled. Options A and B are incorrect because the feature is not enabled directly on the WLAN. Option C is generic and incomplete; the Cisco feature construct is AVC. Reference topics:AVC, NBAR2, Flexible NetFlow, Catalyst 9800 policy profiles, and wireless application visibility.

The correct answer is D. Cisco Spaces connector deployments often require a VLAN on which the connector is reachable for management or data, and Cisco Spaces wired gateway guidance identifies the connector VLAN as the VLAN used for communication to the connector. The same guidance also supports multiple source VLANs for monitored wired devices, which aligns with the requirement for future analytics-service scalability.

A trunk port is the proper design choice because it can carry multiple VLANs over the same physical interface. Cisco Catalyst switch documentation states that an access port carries traffic for only one VLAN, while an IEEE 802.1Q trunk carries multiple VLANs and supports tagged traffic. The command switchport trunk allowed vlan 30 limits the trunk initially to VLAN 30, satisfying the current management VLAN requirement without changing the native VLAN or other default VLAN settings. Cisco also documents that an allowed VLAN list limits VLAN membership only on the associated trunk port, so it does not affect other switch ports.

Option A works only for a single untagged VLAN and is less scalable. Options B and C mix access mode with trunk-only commands and are syntactically or operationally invalid. Reference topic: Wireless Monitoring and Management — Cisco Spaces connector deployment, VLAN reachability, trunking, and analytics service scalability.

The failure is occurring during WPA/WPA2 key management, not during mobility anchoring. The radioactive trace showsFailed to validate eapol mic. MIC mismatchfollowed byFailed to validate eapol key m2, which means the authenticator and supplicant derived different key material during the PSK handshake. Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 client-connectivity troubleshooting maps this log pattern directly to a wrong password condition and lists the corrective actions as fixing the password on the endpoint or on the SSID/WLAN. The11r MIC validation failedphrase does not automatically make 802.11r the root cause; it only shows that the failed MIC validation occurred while Fast Transition key logic was in use. Disabling 802.11r would be a workaround only for client capability or FT interoperability issues, but the trace points to PSK mismatch. Removing the anchor WLC would break the intended DMZ anchoring design, and matching WLANs on foreign and anchor is required for anchor deployments, but it would not produce this EAPOL M2 MIC failure. The correct remediation is to ensure the client-entered PSK matches the WLAN PSK. Reference topics: WPA/WPA2-PSK authentication, EAPOL 4-way handshake, Catalyst 9800 radioactive trace analysis, and client connectivity troubleshooting.

The command that enables 802.1X client authentication for this WLAN issecurity dot1x authentication-list ISE_GROUP. On a Cisco Catalyst 9800 WLC, the WLAN configuration defines Layer 2 security behavior, including whether the SSID uses 802.1X and which AAA method list is used for EAP/RADIUS authentication. Cisco documents the CLI workflow for 802.1X WLAN authentication as entering WLAN configuration mode and applyingsecurity dot1x authentication-list < authenticate-list-name > , explicitly describing this as the step to enable the authentication list for 802.1X security. Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 configuration example also shows the exact formsecurity dot1x authentication-list ISE_GROUPand states that the WLAN is then configured with 802.1X authentication.

no ip mac-bindingdisables IP-to-MAC binding checks and does not select a RADIUS method list.aaa override enableallows authorization attributes from AAA/ISE to be applied after authentication, but it does not initiate 802.1X authentication.wlan branch1 policy branch1_policymaps the WLAN to a policy profile through a policy tag, but it is not the authentication command. Reference topics:802.1X WLAN security, RADIUS AAA method lists, Catalyst 9800 WLAN configuration, and secure client onboarding.