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EDWartens UK

Free course · Networking

Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep

Learn computer networking from the ground up and prepare for Cisco's CCNA 200-301 exam: the OSI and TCP/IP models, Ethernet switching, IPv4 addressing and subnetting, VLANs and trunks, spanning tree, static routing and OSPF, IPv6, DHCP, DNS and NAT, ACLs and security basics, wireless, and network automation, with Packet Tracer labs throughout. Exam preparation only: the EDWartens certificate is not Cisco's CCNA, which is earned only by passing Cisco's 200-301 exam.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
15
Video
23 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain how data crosses a network using the OSI and TCP/IP models; choose cables and Ethernet standards; predict how a switch learns and forwards frames; subnet any IPv4 network and allocate addresses with VLSM; configure VLANs, trunks and inter-VLAN routing; read a spanning tree topology; configure static routes and single-area OSPF; address and route IPv6; configure DHCP, NAT and PAT and explain DNS; write and place standard and extended ACLs; plan wireless channels and security; read a REST API reply in JSON; and build and test all of it in Cisco Packet Tracer, ready to sit Cisco's CCNA exam after further practice.

  • Explain the OSI and TCP/IP models and encapsulation, and choose copper or fibre for a link
  • Configure Cisco routers and switches from the command line in Packet Tracer, and secure and save them
  • Predict how a switch learns MAC addresses and how ARP finds a host
  • Subnet any IPv4 network in under a minute and build a VLSM address plan
  • Configure VLANs, 802.1Q trunks, inter-VLAN routing and Rapid PVST+
  • Configure static routes and single-area OSPF, and read a routing table
  • Address and route IPv6, including EUI-64
  • Write and place ACLs, configure DHCP and PAT, and explain DNS, wireless security and REST APIs

Software

Cisco Packet Tracer, free with a Cisco Networking Academy account (64-bit Windows, macOS 12 or newer, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS, on an Intel or AMD x86-64 processor). A web browser for everything else.

Hardware

A computer that can run Packet Tracer. No routers or switches are needed.

Syllabus

15 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Networks, devices and how the CCNA exam works2 lessons
  2. 2Cables, interfaces and the OSI and TCP/IP models2 lessons
  3. 3Packet Tracer and the Cisco command line3 lessons
  4. 4Ethernet switching, MAC address tables and ARP3 lessons
  5. 5IPv4 addressing3 lessons
  6. 6Routing fundamentals and static routes3 lessons
  7. 7Subnetting and VLSM3 lessons
  8. 8VLANs, trunks and inter-VLAN routing3 lessonsLab
  9. 9Spanning Tree Protocol2 lessons
  10. 10OSPF single-area routing2 lessons
  11. 11IPv62 lessons
  12. 12Access control lists and security basics2 lessonsLab
  13. 13DHCP, DNS and NAT3 lessons
  14. 14Wireless, network automation and APIs2 lessons
  15. 15Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Practise the same ideas as VLANs and access lists on a plant network: split it into zones, join them with few links and deny the rest.

Works alongside Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep. The Lab is ot security practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
OT security: Defend a plant network.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Jeremy's IT Lab

    most of the course: lessons and Packet Tracer labs from the free CCNA 200-301 course on network devices, interfaces and cables, the OSI model and TCP/IP, the CLI and device security, Ethernet switching, IPv4 addressing, routing and static routes, subnetting and VLSM, VLANs, spanning tree, OSPF, IPv6, standard and extended ACLs, DHCP, NAT, wireless fundamentals, network automation, and his CCNA exam experience

  • freeCodeCamp.org

    the short introduction to computer networks: LANs, WANs, network interface cards and MAC addresses

  • David Bombal Tech

    the lesson on installing Cisco Packet Tracer on Windows 11

  • PowerCert Animated Videos

    the animated explanation of how a DNS server resolves names

Questions

About this course

Is this the CCNA certification?
No. This is an exam preparation course. The EDWartens certificate shows you completed it; the CCNA is awarded only by Cisco, to people who pass Cisco's 200-301 exam, which you book through Cisco. EDWartens is not affiliated with Cisco, and Cisco, CCNA and Packet Tracer are Cisco trademarks.
Which version of the CCNA exam does it follow?
The v1.1 exam topics, which is the version on sale now. Cisco has announced that v1.1 can be taken until 2 February 2027 and that v2.0 goes live on 3 February 2027 under the same code. The notes list what v2.0 adds, and most of the course carries straight into it. Check Cisco's site for the current exam before you book.
Who is this course for?
IT and OT technicians, students and anyone new to networking, including people who look after plant networks and want to understand the IP networking under industrial protocols. No experience is needed.
Do I need routers and switches?
No. Every lab runs in Cisco Packet Tracer, which is free with a Cisco Networking Academy account. The notes show where to download it.
Whose lessons are these?
Most are from Jeremy's IT Lab's free CCNA course, with short lessons from freeCodeCamp.org, David Bombal and PowerCert Animated Videos, credited on every module. EDWartens wrote the notes, the worked subnetting problems, the practice tasks, the 169 practice questions, the project and the final assessment.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the EDWartens certificate, if you want it. Cisco's exam is separate and is paid to Cisco.
How long does it take?
About 22.5 hours of video lessons, notes and practice, plus about 12 hours if you do the project. Most people need extra lab and revision time on top before sitting Cisco's exam.
What is the project?
You design and build the network for a juice bottling plant in Rancagua, Chile, in Packet Tracer: a VLSM address plan, VLANs and trunks, spanning tree, OSPF, PAT, DHCP and an ACL that keeps the office out of the control network, then test it and write the handover documents. A complete sample pack shows each one.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module