Practical Networking Foundations and Troubleshooting
Learn how modern networks work through 20 tutor-led sessions at DigiUK Academy in Manchester. Every session lasts 90 minutes, giving you 30 hours of guided learning across network devices, traffic flow, cabling, addressing, switching, routing, wireless, services, security, monitoring and fault finding.
The course starts with the basics and develops towards an integrated business-network capstone. It is independently developed by DigiUK and aligned with the published CompTIA Network+ N10-009 knowledge areas, while lessons focus on understanding and practical evidence rather than exam memorisation.
Your Network+ Induction Is Free
Free Induction and Course Guidance
The induction takes place before Session 1 and is separate from the 20 paid course sessions. Visit the academy, meet the tutor, see the learning environment and confirm that the course matches your starting level and goals.
- Discuss your current computer and networking knowledge
- Review the complete 20-chapter learning order
- See examples of the practical teaching method
- Ask about the current timetable and available places
- Plan the right next step after Network+
Simple, Flexible Payments
£30 per 90-minute session
- Four-session block: £120 paid in advance
- No long contract: Continue while the course remains right for you
- Small classes: Maximum of five learners
- Guided practice: Tutor explanation, demonstration, activity and feedback
Why Choose DigiUK Network+ Training?
Networking becomes easier when every idea is connected to a real traffic flow, device, packet, cable, command result or fault. The course follows that approach from the first chapter to the final capstone.
- Beginner-friendly order from simple concepts to integrated networks
- All 20 chapters taught in 90-minute instructor-led sessions
- Maximum five learners for individual support
- Physical cabling, packet analysis and troubleshooting practice
- Windows commands explained with their purpose and output
- Prepared Packet Tracer scenarios for observation and fault finding
- Modern cloud, SDN, SD-WAN, SASE, automation and AI topics
- Questions, evidence tasks, performance-based activities and capstone
Understand Before You Configure
You learn what each component does, how traffic should move, which evidence confirms the result and which limitation still remains. This builds useful reasoning for support, infrastructure and security work.
Network+ Is Not CCNA
Switching, VLANs, routing, wireless and network services are explained fully at Network+ level. Prepared topologies are used to observe and troubleshoot behaviour, but vendor-specific Cisco command-line configuration belongs to DigiUK’s separate CCNA course.
Complete 20-Chapter Network+ Curriculum
Each chapter combines clear explanation, diagrams, comparisons, an evidence scenario, guided practical work, original questions and a performance-based task. Open the four stages below to see every chapter.
Stage One — Network Foundations and Local Connectivity · Chapters 1–5
Chapter 1 — Network Outcomes, Device Roles and Service Dependencies
Start with the purpose of a network. Understand clients, servers, switches, routers, firewalls, access points, load balancers and common appliances, then trace how people, applications, identities, addressing, name resolution and network paths depend on one another.
Chapter 2 — Topologies, Architectures and End-to-End Traffic Flow
Compare physical and logical topologies, LAN, WAN, campus, branch, data-centre, internet, peer-to-peer and client-server designs. Follow a real request from an endpoint through access, distribution, routing, security and services to its destination and back.
Chapter 3 — OSI and TCP/IP as Troubleshooting Models
Use encapsulation, frames, packets, segments, ports, addresses and application data to explain what changes at every layer. Apply the models as fault-isolation tools instead of learning seven layer names without context.
Chapter 4 — Ethernet Switching, VLANs, Trunks, STP and Link Aggregation
Understand MAC learning, forwarding, flooding, collision and broadcast domains, access and trunk links, native and voice VLANs, inter-VLAN routing, spanning tree, RSTP, LACP, LLDP, speed, duplex and MTU. Investigate a prepared two-switch VLAN fault without turning the lesson into Cisco CLI training.
Chapter 5 — Copper Structured Cabling and Hands-On Termination
Compare Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6A, solid and stranded conductors, length limits, interference and T568A/T568B. Punch down a keystone, terminate a modular plug, inspect workmanship, use a wire-map tester and diagnose opens, shorts, reversals and split pairs.
Stage Two — Media, Addressing, Routing and Transport · Chapters 6–10
Chapter 6 — Fibre, Transceivers, Racks, Power and Physical Installation
Compare single-mode and multimode fibre, connectors, wavelengths, optics, transceivers, distance, loss and cleanliness. Connect physical installation to racks, patching, airflow, grounding, UPS protection, power planning, safety, labelling and documented handover.
Chapter 7 — IPv4 Addressing, CIDR, Subnetting and VLSM
Read a 32-bit IPv4 address, apply masks and prefixes, find network, broadcast and host ranges, recognise private and special-use addresses, choose a gateway and design efficient VLSM subnets. Troubleshoot duplicate addresses, wrong masks, overlap and poor allocation using calculated facts.
Chapter 8 — IPv6, Neighbour Discovery and Transition
Understand IPv6 notation, prefix length, global unicast, link-local, multicast and other address types. Follow router discovery, SLAAC, DHCPv6, neighbour discovery and duplicate-address detection, then compare dual stack, tunnelling and translation approaches.
Chapter 9 — Routing, Route Selection, NAT/PAT and WAN Connectivity
Explain routing tables, longest-prefix match, metrics, administrative preference, static and dynamic routing concepts, default routes and asymmetric paths. Follow source and destination translation, port translation and common WAN options while identifying where reachability can fail.
Chapter 10 — TCP, UDP, Ports and Application Protocols
Compare connection-oriented TCP with connectionless UDP, follow handshakes, acknowledgements, sequence numbers, retransmission, windows and session closure, and connect well-known ports to real services such as web, email, file transfer, remote access, voice and management.
Stage Three — Services, Wireless, Cloud and Network Operations · Chapters 11–15
Chapter 11 — DHCP, DNS, NTP/PTP and Core Network Services
Follow DHCP discovery, offers, requests, acknowledgements, leases, renewal and relay. Trace recursive and authoritative DNS resolution, records, caching, TTL, DNSSEC and response codes, then explain why accurate NTP or PTP time is essential for trust and event correlation.
Chapter 12 — Wireless LAN Operation, Design and Troubleshooting
Understand shared radio access, 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands, channels, width, RSSI, noise, SNR, association, roaming, MIMO, OFDMA, antennas, WPA2, WPA3, 802.1X and guest or IoT segmentation. Use a floor plan, survey evidence and a prepared wireless scenario to diagnose service problems.
Chapter 13 — Cloud, Virtualisation, Data Centres, Availability and Recovery
Compare virtual machines, containers, public, private and hybrid cloud, service models, virtual networks, regions, zones and edge services. Connect redundancy, clustering, load balancing, backups, disaster recovery, RTO and RPO to the dependencies that keep a service available.
Chapter 14 — Modern Networking, SDN, SD-WAN, VXLAN, SASE, Automation and AI
Separate data, control and management planes; compare underlays with overlays; and explain SDN, VXLAN, SD-WAN, SASE and SSE. Read API and JSON data, review infrastructure-as-code ideas and test an AI-generated network suggestion against authorised evidence before accepting it.
Chapter 15 — Documentation, IPAM, Change, Lifecycle and Service Operations
Create useful physical, logical and service documentation; maintain inventory, address records, baselines and configuration information; and follow change, approval, maintenance, rollback, incident, problem and lifecycle processes that make technical work repeatable and supportable.
Stage Four — Evidence, Security, Troubleshooting and Capstone · Chapters 16–20
Chapter 16 — Monitoring, Observability, Logging, Flow and Packet Evidence
Compare metrics, logs, traces, SNMP, Syslog, flow records, packet captures, baselines, thresholds and interface counters. Correlate different evidence sources without assuming that events occurring at the same time automatically prove the same cause.
Chapter 17 — Identity, Cryptography, Segmentation and Secure Access
Apply risk, AAA, RADIUS, TACACS+, 802.1X, NAC, certificates, PKI, encryption, hashing, VPNs, VLANs, VRFs, firewall zones, ACLs and secure management. Follow identity from authentication through policy assignment to the final permitted or denied service.
Chapter 18 — Network Threats, Defences, Hardening and Incident Response
Recognise reconnaissance, credential attacks, spoofing, on-path attacks, rogue services, Layer 2 attacks, denial of service, malware traffic and IoT or OT risk. Connect each threat to layered controls, hardening, monitoring and a careful prepare-detect-contain-recover response.
Chapter 19 — Structured Troubleshooting, Tools and Common Fault Domains
Use a repeatable method to define scope, form and test a theory, plan a controlled correction, verify service and document the result. Rotate through realistic copper, IP, DNS, wireless and service-listener faults using the tool that provides the most useful next evidence.
Chapter 20 — Integrated Enterprise Capstone and Network+ Exam Readiness
Bring the course together through a small-enterprise design and multi-symptom outage. Use requirements, diagrams, addressing, routes, leases, DNS, wireless, security, logs, flows and packet evidence to diagnose the faults, justify decisions and complete a professional handover.
Practical Network Learning and Troubleshooting
A practical task is useful only when you understand its purpose, perform it safely, read the result and explain what the evidence does—and does not—prove.
Define the affected user, service, place, time and impact
View the practical activities and tools
| Practical area | Examples | Evidence produced |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint diagnosis | Windows Command Prompt and PowerShell networking tools | Address, gateway, route, name-resolution, reachability, port and process evidence |
| Packet analysis | Wireshark captures for ARP, ICMP, DHCP, DNS, TCP, TLS and application traffic | Packet fields, conversation flow, timing, retransmissions and response behaviour |
| Copper installation | Cat6 cable, keystone, modular plug, punch-down tool, crimper and wire-map tester | Correct pair order, continuity, identified fault type, label and test record |
| Network behaviour | Prepared Packet Tracer switching, VLAN, routing and wireless scenarios | Observed path, failed boundary, corrected state and retest result |
| Services and security | DHCP/DNS evidence, Windows Firewall scope, authentication and access logs | Service dependency, allowed or blocked flow, error location and safe correction |
| Operations | Diagrams, IPAM records, baselines, tickets, change and rollback plans | A repeatable record of the problem, decision, change, validation and handover |
View the main Windows networking commands taught
| Example | What it helps you check | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
ipconfig /all |
Adapter state, IPv4/IPv6 address, mask or prefix, gateway, DHCP, DNS and lease information | It shows the local configuration; it does not prove that each remote service works. |
ping <destination> |
Basic IP reachability, round-trip time and packet loss when ICMP replies are allowed | A failed reply may mean filtering, not necessarily that the destination is offline. |
tracert <destination> |
The responding Layer 3 hops towards a destination and the point where replies stop | Missing hops can result from filtering or rate limits; the display is not a full physical map. |
pathping <destination> |
Route information plus measured loss and delay across responding hops | It takes time and still depends on ICMP behaviour along the path. |
arp -a |
Current IPv4-to-MAC neighbour mappings learned on local interfaces | The cache changes over time and covers local-neighbour resolution, not the complete routed path. |
route print |
Local IPv4/IPv6 routes, interface use and route preference | It explains the endpoint decision; it does not show every router’s table. |
nslookup <name> |
The resolver used, DNS response, returned records and common DNS errors | A correct DNS answer does not prove that the application service accepts connections. |
netstat -ano |
Listening ports, active connections, protocol, local/remote endpoints and process ID | A listener alone does not prove firewall reachability or application health. |
Test-NetConnection <host> -Port <port> |
DNS resolution, route context and a focused TCP connection test to one port | A successful TCP connection does not prove the application completed its full transaction. |
The Method Used in Every Fault-Finding Activity
CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Knowledge Coverage
DigiUK’s original course connects the 20 chapters to the five published Network+ knowledge domains. The comparison supports structured learning; it does not make DigiUK an authorised CompTIA training partner or replace official examination materials.
- Networking Concepts
- Network Implementation
- Network Operations
- Network Security
- Network Troubleshooting
View the chapter-to-domain coverage map
| Knowledge domain | Main DigiUK chapters | How the course applies it |
|---|---|---|
| Networking Concepts | 1–3, 7–10, 13–14 | Devices, architectures, models, addressing, routing, transport, applications, cloud and modern network abstractions. |
| Network Implementation | 4–6, 9, 11–12, 17 | Ethernet, VLANs, media, routing, core services, wireless, secure access and segmentation. |
| Network Operations | 13–16 and 20 | Availability, recovery, documentation, IPAM, change, monitoring, logs, flow, packets and service handover. |
| Network Security | 12, 17–18 and 20 | Wireless protection, identity, cryptography, VPNs, segmentation, threats, hardening, defence and response. |
| Network Troubleshooting | Applied throughout; focused in 16, 19 and 20 | Structured diagnosis using endpoint, physical, packet, service, log and topology evidence. |
Network+ Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to explain a network clearly, collect the right evidence, isolate common faults and communicate a safe, supportable solution.
View all practical learning outcomes
- Explain common network devices, roles and service dependencies
- Trace data through Ethernet, IP, TCP/UDP and application layers
- Compare common topologies, architectures and connection types
- Explain switching, VLANs, trunks, loop prevention and aggregation
- Select, terminate, test and document common copper cabling
- Compare fibre types, transceivers and physical installation needs
- Calculate IPv4 subnets and create a practical VLSM plan
- Explain IPv6 addressing, neighbour discovery and transition
- Interpret routing, NAT/PAT and WAN connectivity decisions
- Troubleshoot DHCP, DNS, time and common application services
- Design and diagnose a small wireless network from evidence
- Explain cloud, virtualisation, SDN, SD-WAN, SASE and automation
- Use documentation, baselines, monitoring, logs, flow and packets
- Apply identity, segmentation, cryptography, hardening and response principles
- Complete a structured multi-source troubleshooting capstone and handover
Who Is This Course For?
- Complete networking beginners
- College and university students
- Career changers entering IT
- Helpdesk and IT support staff
- Aspiring network technicians
- Learners preparing for Kali Linux, CCNA or cybersecurity study
- Professionals who need stronger network troubleshooting skills
What You Need Before Starting
No previous networking qualification is required. You should be comfortable with basic computer use and willing to practise between sessions.
- Use Windows and manage ordinary files and folders
- Follow step-by-step technical instructions
- Read simple diagrams and record observations
- Ask questions when a result differs from the example
The free induction lets the tutor check your starting point and explain any preparation that would help.
Network+ Course Information
Twenty tutor-led sessions, 90 minutes each, 30 guided hours, practical activities and a maximum of five learners at DigiUK Academy in Stretford, Manchester.
View price, delivery, assessment and certificate details
| Course | Network+ Course Manchester — Practical Networking Foundations and Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Total sessions | 20 structured tutor-led sessions covering 20 chapters |
| Session length | 90 minutes |
| Guided learning | 30 hours |
| Class size | Maximum of five learners |
| Price | £30 per session |
| Payment block | Four sessions for £120, paid in advance |
| Free induction | A separate induction before Session 1 is free, subject to arrangement and availability |
| Delivery | Instructor-led face-to-face classroom training and, where arranged, live online learning. Practical equipment requirements are confirmed before enrolment. |
| Location | DigiUK Academy, Stretford, Manchester; an online option may be arranged for suitable sessions |
| Entry requirement | Basic computer use; no previous networking qualification is required |
| Practical tools | Windows networking tools, PowerShell, Wireshark, prepared Packet Tracer scenarios, cabling tools and structured evidence packs |
| Assessment | Guided tasks, original knowledge checks, evidence interpretation, performance-based activities and an integrated capstone |
| Cisco configuration included? | No. Network concepts are taught fully, but Cisco IOS configuration belongs to DigiUK’s separate CCNA course. |
| Curriculum reference | Independently aligned with published CompTIA Network+ N10-009 knowledge areas |
| Award | DigiUK Academy Certificate of Completion |
| Current timetable | Provided when arranging the free induction |
| Official examination | External CompTIA examination and voucher are not included unless expressly stated in writing |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an official CompTIA course or examination?
No. This is an independently developed DigiUK Academy course aligned with relevant published Network+ N10-009 knowledge areas. DigiUK is not an authorised CompTIA training partner, and the course itself is not the external CompTIA examination.
Does the course fee include a CompTIA exam voucher?
No. An external examination, voucher, membership or subscription is not included unless DigiUK confirms it separately in writing.
Is the first Network+ session free?
No. The separate induction before Session 1 is free. The 20 teaching sessions are paid course sessions at £30 each.
Can I join if I have never studied networking?
Yes. The course begins with device roles, network purpose, traffic flow and core models before moving into addressing, implementation, services, security and troubleshooting. Basic computer confidence is helpful.
Is the training practical?
Yes. Depending on the chapter, practical work includes Windows commands, PowerShell, Wireshark, cabling and testing tools, prepared Packet Tracer scenarios, diagrams, logs, service evidence and structured fault finding.
Can I attend the Network+ course online?
Live online attendance may be arranged for suitable sessions. Because the course also includes physical cabling and testing activities, discuss your equipment and delivery needs during the free induction before enrolling.
Will I learn Cisco commands in this course?
No. You learn how switching, VLANs, trunks, spanning tree, link aggregation, routing and wireless networking work, and you investigate prepared scenarios. Cisco IOS command configuration is reserved for DigiUK’s separate CCNA course.
Why is Packet Tracer used if this is not CCNA?
Packet Tracer provides a safe visual environment for following traffic, observing device behaviour and finding faults. In this course it supports Network+ understanding; it is not used to teach a vendor-specific Cisco configuration syllabus.
Does this course teach Kali Linux or ethical hacking?
No. It provides the network knowledge needed before those subjects. DigiUK teaches Kali Linux administration and practical cybersecurity in separate courses so that each stage can be explained properly without repeating or rushing the foundation.
What can I study after Network+?
You can continue to Cisco CCNA for vendor-specific configuration, Kali Linux for command-line administration, or DigiUK’s cybersecurity and DCCP programmes. The tutor can help you choose during the induction or course review.
Book Your Free Network+ Induction
Visit DigiUK Academy or arrange an online induction to meet the tutor and discuss your starting level, learning goals and preferred progression. We will explain the 20-session course, practical method, current timetable and payment arrangement.
Each class is limited to a maximum of five learners. The induction is free and takes place before the paid course begins.