• A-1 Summarize the history of telecommunications, from ancient signaling methods like smoke signals and drum beating to modern-day technologies.
• A-2 Describe the inventions of the telegraph and telephone and the key contributors to the development of these technologies.
• A-3 Explain the role of submarine cables in the early transatlantic telecommunications.
• A-4 Explore the history of radio and television, including the contributions of major inventors, practitioners, and researchers.
• A-5 Chart the widespread adoption of videotelephony through videoconferencing, webcams, and telepresence technology.

• B-1 Outline the origins of the Internet and its development by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
• B-2 Explain the development of the World Wide Web and its impact on the growth of the Internet, including the introduction of hypertextm browser, and Web 2.0.
• B-3 Summarize the impact of broadband access on the growth and usage of the Internet, including the development of Wi-Fi, mobile networking, and VoIP.
• B-4 Describe the advent of cloud computing and its implications for data storage, application deployment, and the role of IT departments.
• B-5 Discuss the problem of the digital divide and potential solutions to its impact.

• 1-1 Compare the client-server and peer-to-peer models and their typical use cases.
• 1-2 Explain the purpose of networking reference models in standardizing network communication.
• 1-3 Outline the Internet, also known as the TCP/IP model, and its five layers.
• 1-4 Outline the OSI model and its seven layers.
• 1-5 Compare the functions associated with Internet and OSI models.

• 2-1 Identify various types of physical media used to exchange information in computer networks.
• 2-2 Summarize the principles of the physical transmission of data.
• 2-3 Define the processes that facilitate the primary types of modulation.
• 2-4 Differentiate between hubs, repeaters, switches, bridges, and routers.
• 2-5 Describe the role of a network interface card (NIC), media converters, and firewalls in networks.

• 3-1 Describe the fields of a data link frame and their functions.
• 3-2 Explain the most common transmission errors and how to recover from them.
• 3-3 Outline techniques that facilitate the reliable transfer of data over the data link layer.
• 3-4 Describe the format and function of a media access control (MAC) address.
• 3-5 Outline the primary protocols associated with the data link layer: Async, SDLC, PPP, and ARP.

• 4-1 Differentiate between the data and control planes of the Network Layer.
• 4-2 Summarize the components of an IP packet header.
• 4-3 Explain the IPv4 classes and their use in different types of networks.
• 4-4 Demonstrate the purpose and function of subnets and network address translation (NAT).
• 4-5 Summarize the purpose and features of IPv6.

• 5-1 Summarize the functions and features of a router and routing table.
• 5-2 Differentiate between static and dynamic routing.
• 5-3 Compare distance vector and link-state routing protocols.
• 5-4 Explain the features of routing protocols and techniques such as RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP and MPLS.
• 5-5 Discuss the role of ICMP in error control.

• 6-1 Explain Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) communication using the OSI Model.
• 6-2 Map the common ports associated with a TCP/IP transmission.
• 6-3 Differentiate between two connectionless and connection-oriented protocols: UDP and TCP.
• 6-4 Walk through the TCP three-way handshake.
• 6-5 Summarize the major vulnerabilities associated with the transport layer.

• 7-1 Explain the role of client–server architectures at the application layer.
• 7-2 Analyze an HTTP header, request, and response.
• 7-3 Summarize the security features of the HTTPS, SSH, and TLS 1.3 protocols.
• 7-4 Describe the functions and major features of Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).
• 7-5 Summarize the functions of the FTP, IMAP, LDAP, POP, SMTP, and SNMP protocols.

• 8-1 Outline the major features and functions of a local area network (LAN) and its most widely used protocol, Ethernet.
• 8-2 Compare different network topologies, such as bus, ring, star, tree, and mesh.
• 8-3 Evaluate the network efficiency of a LAN in terms of fairness, node buffers, node capacity, and MAC algorithms such as FDMA, TDMA, CSMA/CA, and CSMA/CD.
• 8-4 Explain techniques for congestion control and for avoiding congestion collapse, such as backoff algorithms, window policy, discarding policy, acknowledgment policy, or admission policy.
• 8-5 Outline the major features and functions of a virtual local area network (VLAN).

• 9-1 Outline the purpose of backbone networks.
• 9-2 Summarize the design and use cases of a metropolitan area network (MAN).
• 9-3 Describe the features of private and public wide area networks (WANs) and the types of WAN connections, including leased lines, broadband, and wireless.
• 9-4 Compare the features and benefits  software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) with traditional WAN technologies such as MPLS in terns of cost, performance, reliability, and efficiency.
• 9-5 Discuss best practices for troubleshooting common WAN scenarios.

• 10-1 Differentiate between centralized, decentralized, and distributed networks.
• 10-2 Explain the role of edge computing and endpoint devices in effective data transmission.
• 10-3 Describe cloud and edge networking and their major use cases. 
• 10-4 Identify the major challenges in cloud and edge networking. 
• 10-5 Explain the role of fog computing in a cloud and edge infrastructures.

• 11-1 Describe wireless networking and topologies, and how they differ from wired technologies.
• 11-2 Identify the main characteristics of different wireless ranges, such as WPANs, WLANs, WMANs, and WWANs.
• 11-3 Summarize the major frequency and performance features of the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless standards.
• 11-4 Describe the 802.11 data frame and explain how it encapsulates and decapsulates data frames for wireless transmission and reception.
• 11-5 Outline the history of various wireless security protocols, such as WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, and how they protect wireless data and devices.

• 12-1 Describe the characteristics and functions of various short-range wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, UWB, and NFC.
• 12-2 Compare the advantages and disadvantages of various short-range wireless technologies in terms of data rate, range, power consumption, latency, accuracy, security, and interoperability.
• 12-3 Summarize the underlying principles and mechanisms of short-range wireless technologies, such as radio waves, frequency bands, modulation schemes, multiplexing techniques, and protocols.
• 12-4 Evaluate the performance and quality of service of short-range wireless technologies using metrics such as throughput, delay, jitter, packet loss, bit error rate, and signal-to-noise ratio.
• 12-5 Identify the challenges and opportunities of short-range wireless technologies in the context of emerging trends and technologies, such as IoT, 5G, AI, and cloud computing.

• 13-1 Explain how LoRA (Long Range) radio enables wireless communication for IoT devices.
• 13-2 Compare cellular technologies, such as 4G, 5G, and LTE for various applications and scenarios, such as mobile broadband, voice over IP, video streaming, and vehicular communication.
• 13-3 Outline the major features of and use cases for WiMAX and other microwave technologies.
• 13-4 Describe the basic components and functions of a satellite communication system, such as the satellite, the ground station, and the user terminal.
• 13-5 Compare the factors that affect long-range wireless performance, such as frequency, latency, power, distance, and interference, and methods to improve quality and reliability.

V. Network Management

• 14-1 Describe a modern smart home environment.
• 14-2 Outline best practices in security-by-design in home network design.
• 14-3 Explain how automation is integrated into home networked environments.
• 14-4 Demonstrate how to secure a home network by modifying default settings.
• 14-5 Illustrate how to secure a home network through network segmentation.