Network+ labs for topology, traffic, and recovery.
Configure, map, troubleshoot, and validate network decisions through focused Network+ PBQ-style missions.
NETWORK+
Network+ simulations focus on subnetting, device placement, VLANs, switchport recovery, performance triage, routing, cable faults, ARP evidence, and SOHO configuration.
Subnetting Configuration
Students complete a subnetting and VLSM configuration lab by assigning correct IPv4 addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways to multiple endpoints across segmented departments. Learners interact with a visual network map and use a simulated CLI to apply configurations and validate end-to-end correctness with automated checks that detect wrong masks/gateways, out-of-range hosts, and duplicate IP conflicts.
Skills Targeted:
- Fixed-length subnetting practice
- VLSM design and allocation
- Subnet mask and CIDR translation
- Network ID & Usable Range calculation
- Mapping segmentation to security
Master Terms Lab
Students develop fast, accurate recall of Network+ terminology by pairing networking concepts with precise definitions while reviewing protocol behavior, infrastructure usage, and exam-style distractors. The lab focuses on how terms show up in real work: reading diagrams, interpreting device roles, recognizing routing and switching language, separating performance symptoms from root causes, and spotting the wording traps that appear in PBQs.
Skills Targeted:
- Networking concepts and protocol terminology
- Routing, switching, wireless, and infrastructure vocabulary
- Exam logic and distractor filtering
- Applied network troubleshooting language
Network Device Deployment
Students design and configure a secure multi-building infrastructure for a client with a Gigabit Fiber connection. This lab tasks learners with placing hardware at strategic entry points, configuring a Firewall Access Control List (ACL) to enable internet egress, and establishing a secure wireless bridge. Students manually configure RADIUS authentication and 5GHz 802.11ac protocols to meet strict bandwidth and security requirements.
Skills Targeted:
- Perimeter Security & ACL Management
- Wireless Infrastructure Optimization
- Enterprise Authentication (WPA3/RADIUS)
- Infrastructure Layering & Placement
- Operational Security (SSID Stealth)
- Wireless Bridging & Extension
VLAN Configuration
Students complete a PBQ-style VLAN segmentation and trunking lab by configuring access ports, voice VLANs, and 802.1Q trunks across a two-switch topology supporting multiple departments and a shared server VLAN. Learners "console in" to switches using a simulated CLI to apply realistic commands and validate the network with automated diagnostics.
Skills Targeted:
- VLAN segmentation & Performance
- Access port configuration
- Voice VLAN for VoIP endpoints
- 802.1Q trunk establishment
- Allowed VLAN list management
Switchport Tagging & Trunk Recovery
Students audit a three-switch closet refresh by repairing access ports, voice/data drops, LACP trunks, allowed VLAN lists, and unused switchports. The lab reinforces Layer 2 least privilege, shutdown hardening, VLAN tagging logic, and CLI-style configuration interpretation through a BB tactical interface with standard and chaos modes.
Skills Targeted:
- Access, voice, and trunk port configuration
- 802.1Q tagging and allowed VLAN pruning
- LACP uplink validation
- Unused port shutdown hardening
- Layer 2 least-privilege decisions
Network Performance Triage
Students investigate a branch-office slowdown by reading WAN health, wireless device status, top-talker telemetry, and incident timeline evidence. The lab uses multi-select PBQ decisions with realistic distractors so learners must identify degraded VoIP paths, correlate AP failures, separate normal infrastructure traffic from suspicious workstation behavior, and choose actionable monitoring alerts.
Skills Targeted:
- WAN latency, jitter, and packet loss analysis
- Wireless outage correlation and AP fault isolation
- Top-talker interpretation and baseline reasoning
- Evidence-based remediation prioritization
- Monitoring threshold and alert-quality decisions
Routing Path Recovery
Students troubleshoot a routed campus path where Finance users cannot reach an Archive file share. Learners inspect router tables and trace evidence, identify the transit router missing a route to the destination VLAN, apply the correct static route, and verify the result with an animated packet test. Chaos mode adds realistic route-table noise, a diagnostic checklist, and distractor route suggestions.
Skills Targeted:
- Static route troubleshooting and repair
- Source and destination subnet identification
- Forward path versus return path reasoning
- Route-table interpretation and longest-prefix thinking
- Evidence-based validation using trace and packet flow
Cable Fault Triage
Students investigate mixed office connectivity by comparing cable certifier output, switchport evidence, endpoint symptoms, and patch-panel mapping. The lab trains learners to distinguish physical media faults from VLAN or port-state issues, identify clean drops, and choose the correct repair without guessing. Chaos mode adds stale-looking evidence, extra distractors, and randomized failures.
Skills Targeted:
- Cable certifier and wiremap interpretation
- Open, reversed, split, and crossover pair recognition
- Switchport evidence versus endpoint symptom analysis
- VLAN mismatch and port-state troubleshooting
- Evidence-based repair selection
ARP Evidence Mapper
Students investigate a routed campus topology by using ARP tables, MAC address tables, interface summaries, endpoint configuration, and troubleshooting tickets to map IP addresses to hardware addresses. Standard mode uses shuffled answer fields, Chaos mode requires a full blank ARP inventory, and Scenario mode asks learners to diagnose duplicate IP, stale ARP, and gateway issues from evidence.
Skills Targeted:
- ARP table interpretation and IP-to-MAC mapping
- MAC address table versus ARP table reasoning
- Endpoint verification with ipconfig output
- Duplicate IP, stale ARP, and gateway troubleshooting
- Evidence-based incident diagnosis and next-action selection
SOHO Architect (Cisco CLI)
This advanced simulation removes the graphical training wheels and requires students to configure a SOHO network through a Cisco-style CLI. Acting as the network engineer, learners inspect router evidence, configure WAN and LAN interfaces, apply CIDR-aware addressing, create static NAT and port-forwarding rules, manually configure endpoints, and verify traffic isolation between internal hosts, exposed services, and external access. The lab is built for learners who need to move from concept recognition into command-line execution.
Skills Targeted:
- Cisco IOS navigation and command syntax
- WAN/LAN interface addressing
- Advanced CIDR subnetting
- Static NAT and port forwarding via CLI
- Manual endpoint configuration
- Traffic isolation and verification strategy