The Networking Specialist education pathway provides a strong foundation for technicians interested in advancing their professional knowledge through a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of networking.
Enquire Now Course DatesTCP/IP has become the dominant communications and media transmission protocol for the home technology industry. It is essential to understand both the theory and practice of IP in order to design and implement it reliably. In addition, with wireless infrastructures being asked to handle ever more demanding applications, it is also critical that these are designed and implemented in a robust and reliable fashion.
To meet these demands, CEDIA has created a whole suite of IP Networking courses to improve the understanding and skill set of technicians within the industry. In this training pathway, you will learn how to implement TCP/IP-connected hardware in many of the situations encountered in the residential environment.
Supported by a CEDIA certified subject matter expert, you will learn a vast amount of technical knowledge and get involved in hands-on activities designed to give you a feel for those on-the-job tasks.
Technicians preparing for the IST and ESC-N Networking Specialist certification. This training will give existing smart home technicians the skills needed to properly install a robust, secure and more complex network. After this course, attendees are well placed to move onto more advanced training, such as the Designing Ethernet and Wireless Networks course, and to pursue CEDIA's Networking Specialist Certification.
Understanding of network topologies
With the vast majority of subsystems now having the ability to be converged over an IP network, this is arguably the most important topic for smart home technicians.
CEDIA’s Residential Networking course will provide attendees with the foundation for understanding IP (the Internet Protocol). Starting from the ground up, the course will increase attendees IP networking knowledge, and clarify the common network protocols such as TCP, UDP, IP, DHCP, DNS, and NAT. Attendees will also understand the functions of a consumer router in a wired environment and begin basic troubleshooting in a consumer level IP network.
During this course students will carry out hands-on exercises to both test and expand on what the have learned. This course will cover the basic IP Networking knowledge of the curriculum required for the ESC-N certification exam
WiFi connectivity is a key communication method for much of the personal technology we use today. The increasingly crowded WiFi spectrum is busy delivering media, email, VoIP and other services to homeowners and their neighbours! With this in mind, it's essential that technicians fully understand wireless technology to ensure fast, and reliable service to their customers.
This course goes back to basics to understand the fundamental technology behind wireless, and RF (Radio Frequency) transmission as a physical layer in the OSI model. The course will compare wireless to other physical layer types and explores the behaviours of RF considering data speed, frequency and coverage. You will learn the benefits and opportunities of wireless security, and explore how to ensure secure networks and how to expand a wireless network to cover larger areas.
This course assumes a fundamental knowledge of IP networks. Candidates should come armed with a firm understanding of the wired network environment, having successfully completed CEDIA's Residential Networking course.
Once the basics of IP Networking are understood, there are many options to extend IP networks and create a truly integrated home environment.
This course will advance on from the Residential Networking course, exploring more in depth the skills and knowledge previously gained. Attendees will understand and be able to confidentially install a robust, secure and more complex network.
The course features a mix of classroom and practical exercises using a variety of networking equipment. There will be plenty of time for attendees to ask questions and discuss practical scenarios and enhance individual knowledge.
The IP network is the backbone of every modern custom installation and the number of connected devices is ever growing. It is now crucial that the fundamental design of any home network is robust and well-conceived. It is no longer good enough to just ‘plug it in to any available socket’ come install time!
This course explores modern network topology including traffic flow, infrastructure planning, connectivity options and planned redundancy. During the session, students will be work in groups to develop a robust network that will be stable for an initial and developing list of connected host devices. Wired and wireless connectivity will be included as well as host devices from the AV, computing and mobile world.
Both wired and wireless networks will be considered with consideration for retro-fit and new build properties. Additional subject matter includes power planning, equipment location and rack design, testing strategies, and upgradability.
With over 30 years of experience in AV, Geoff is one of the most skilled instructors in the industry. He holds all CEDIA certifications, ISF, HAA and Microsoft accreditations and is a specialist in Audio / Video and IP networking. He’s been teaching in AV for nearly twenty years, in both the UK and overseas. To date, he has led classes on six continents.
Geoff’s expertise is called upon for CEDIA awards judging, where he has served as Technical Judge for the last thirteen years, and as Chairman of the awards judging committee for the last seven.
Having started as a technical marketing apprentice with Dutch giant Philips, he went on to work in recording studios as an engineer before landing at AV manufacturer Arcam in the mid 1990s. While there he worked in technical training, brand management and export sales. He managed the US and Canadian markets at the time of the home cinema market’s birth and contributed heavily to Arcam’s product strategy.
In the mid 2000’s he decided to further his knowledge and embarked on a diploma in website development. Completing this in 2009 he started a website development business (prestoav.com) building websites and web-based applications, predominantly for AV and smart home companies. Today, Presto is a successful website builder, with clients such as Monitor Audio, Trinnov, Grahams and Visualization.
Advance your career with CEDIA in-person training that will allow you to gain expert knowledge in smart home installation.