Learning Paths

Choose the path that matches your role to learn IronWiFi efficiently. Each path is ordered from foundational knowledge to advanced topics, with estimated time to complete.

System Administrator Path

Who this is for: IT administrators responsible for managing the IronWiFi account, users, groups, and integrations. You handle day-to-day operations and policy configuration.

Estimated time: 3-4 hours

Stage 1: Foundations (45 min)

Start with the overall architecture and get your first deployment running.

#	Topic	Link	Time
1	How IronWiFi works (architecture, RADIUS basics)	Quick Start Guide	15 min
2	Plan your deployment (regions, capacity, redundancy)	Deployment Planning	15 min
3	Create your first Network	Networks	15 min

Stage 2: User Management (60 min)

Learn to manage users, groups, and access policies.

#	Topic	Link	Time
4	Create and manage users	Users	15 min
5	Configure Groups with policies (bandwidth, VLANs, timeouts)	Groups	15 min
6	Understand RADIUS attributes	Attributes	15 min
7	Manage team member access to the Console	Team Members	15 min

Stage 3: Identity Provider Integration (45 min)

Connect IronWiFi to your existing directory for automated user management.

#	Topic	Link	Time
8	Set up SCIM provisioning (Entra ID, Okta, OneLogin)	SCIM Provisioning	20 min
9	Configure Connectors (AD, Google, LDAP)	Connectors	25 min

Stage 4: Operations (60 min)

Set up monitoring, backups, and learn operational procedures.

#	Topic	Link	Time
10	Reporting and analytics	Reporting	15 min
11	Monitoring and alerting	Monitoring	15 min
12	Backup and restore procedures	Backup	15 min
13	Operational runbooks	Runbooks	15 min

Stage 5: Advanced Topics (30 min)

Deepen your knowledge with API integration and automation.

#	Topic	Link	Time
14	REST API basics	REST API	15 min
15	API authentication and keys	API Authentication	15 min

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Network Engineer Path

Who this is for: Engineers responsible for configuring access points, controllers, VLANs, and ensuring WiFi infrastructure connects to IronWiFi correctly.

Estimated time: 4-5 hours

Stage 1: Architecture (45 min)

Understand how IronWiFi integrates with your network infrastructure.

#	Topic	Link	Time
1	IronWiFi architecture and RADIUS flow	Quick Start Guide	15 min
2	Deployment planning (regions, redundancy, multi-site)	Deployment Planning	15 min
3	Network configuration and RADIUS server details	Networks	15 min

Stage 2: Access Point Configuration (90 min)

Configure your specific network equipment to work with IronWiFi.

#	Topic	Link	Time
4	Configure your AP vendor (Meraki, UniFi, Aruba, MikroTik, etc.)	Configuration Guides	30 min
5	WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise deployment	Enterprise Quick Start	20 min
6	Guest WiFi with captive portal	Guest WiFi Quick Start	20 min
7	Client device configuration (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS)	Client Configuration	20 min

Stage 3: Network Segmentation (60 min)

Design and implement VLAN-based network segmentation.

#	Topic	Link	Time
8	VLAN assignment via RADIUS	Network Segmentation	20 min
9	RADIUS attributes for VLANs, bandwidth, session control	Attributes	20 min
10	Group policies for different user segments	Groups	20 min

Stage 4: High Availability (60 min)

Ensure your WiFi authentication is resilient and always available.

#	Topic	Link	Time
11	RADIUS failover and caching	RADIUS Caching & Failover	20 min
12	High availability and multi-region deployment	High Availability	20 min
13	WPA3-Enterprise configuration	WPA3-Enterprise	20 min

Stage 5: Advanced Wireless (45 min)

Explore advanced WiFi technologies.

#	Topic	Link	Time
14	Passpoint (Hotspot 2.0)	Passpoint	15 min
15	OpenRoaming	OpenRoaming	15 min
16	WiFi Calling	WiFi Calling	15 min

Stage 6: Troubleshooting (30 min)

#	Topic	Link	Time
17	Troubleshooting authentication and connectivity	Troubleshooting	15 min
18	Solving Access-Reject issues	Access-Reject Guide	15 min

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Help Desk Path

Who this is for: Support staff who handle end-user WiFi connectivity issues, reset passwords, manage vouchers, and perform first-level troubleshooting.

Estimated time: 2-3 hours

Stage 1: IronWiFi Basics (30 min)

Understand what IronWiFi does and how to navigate the Console.

#	Topic	Link	Time
1	What IronWiFi does and how it works	Quick Start Guide	15 min
2	Navigating the IronWiFi Console	Networks	15 min

Stage 2: User Support Tasks (60 min)

Learn the tasks you will perform most frequently.

#	Topic	Link	Time
3	Managing user accounts (create, enable, disable, reset password)	Users	15 min
4	Managing Groups (check membership, move users)	Groups	15 min
5	Creating and managing vouchers	Vouchers	15 min
6	Reading authentication reports (finding why a user was rejected)	Reporting	15 min

Stage 3: Troubleshooting (60 min)

Diagnose and resolve common end-user WiFi issues.

#	Topic	Link	Time
7	Common issues and quick fixes	Troubleshooting	20 min
8	Solving Access-Reject issues	Access-Reject Guide	20 min
9	Captive portal issues (splash page not loading, social login failures)	Troubleshooting	20 min

Stage 4: Escalation (15 min)

Know when and how to escalate issues beyond first-level support.

#	Topic	Link	Time
10	Escalation paths and support channels	Operational Runbooks	15 min

Quick Reference Card for Help Desk

User cannot connect to WiFi:

1. Check Reports > Authentication -- filter by username
2. If

   Access-Reject

   : check the reject reason
   • "Invalid credentials" -> Reset password in Users
   • "User disabled" -> Enable the account
   • "Account expired" -> Update Valid-To date
3. If no authentication entry: the issue is likely with the AP or user's device, not IronWiFi

Guest cannot see splash page:

1. Ask the guest to open

   http://neverssl.com

   in their browser
2. If no redirect: escalate to network team (walled garden or AP issue)
3. If splash page loads but authentication fails: check captive portal settings

Voucher not working:

1. Navigate to Users > Vouchers
2. Search for the voucher code
3. Check: Is it expired? Has it reached max usage? Is it assigned to the correct Network?
4. Generate a new voucher if the old one is invalid

Need to create temporary access:

1. Navigate to Users > Vouchers
2. Click Add Voucher or Generate Batch
3. Set the validity period and usage limit
4. Give the voucher code to the user

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Choosing Your Path

Not sure which path to follow? Use this decision guide:

If you...	Follow this path
Manage user accounts and IronWiFi settings	System Administrator
Configure access points, VLANs, and network infrastructure	Network Engineer
Help end users connect to WiFi and troubleshoot issues	Help Desk
Do all of the above (small team)	Start with System Administrator, then add Network Engineer Stage 2

Tracking Your Progress

Print or save this page and check off each topic as you complete it. For team onboarding, use this as a training plan -- assign paths to new team members and track completion.

Related Topics

• Quick Start Guide -- The starting point for all paths
• Deployment Planning -- Architecture decisions
• FAQ -- Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting -- Detailed troubleshooting reference