Networking · Free · ₹0
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.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Networks, devices and how the CCNA exam works
freeCodeCamp.org
Packet Tracer and the Cisco command line
David Bombal Tech
IPv4 addressing
Jeremy's IT Lab
Subnetting and VLSM
Jeremy's IT Lab
Spanning Tree Protocol
Jeremy's IT Lab
IPv6
Jeremy's IT Lab
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
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
The course project · about 12 hours
Designing and building a segmented office and plant network for a juice bottling site in Packet Tracer
Design the network for a juice bottling plant with an office, a filling and packing hall and CCTV, then build and test it in Cisco Packet Tracer: a VLSM address plan, VLANs and trunks, Rapid PVST+ with a chosen root, inter-VLAN routing on a multilayer switch, OSPF to the edge router, PAT to the internet, DHCP, and an ACL that lets the office read the plant historian and nothing else. The sample pack shows each document for a plant in Chile.
Sample document pack, 5 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Network designOffice, packing hall and CCTV network
- IP planSite addresses and device list
- Network architectureDevices and links by level
- RegisterACL and NAT register
- Test reportPacket Tracer build and fault exercises
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
15 modules · 36 lessons · 17h 13m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Networks, devices and how the CCNA exam works2 lessons39m
- 02Cables, interfaces and the OSI and TCP/IP models2 lessons1h 9m
- 03Packet Tracer and the Cisco command line3 lessons52m
- 04Ethernet switching, MAC address tables and ARP3 lessons1h 22m
- 05IPv4 addressing3 lessons1h 21m
- 06Routing fundamentals and static routes3 lessons1h 21m
- 07Subnetting and VLSM3 lessons1h 18m
- 08VLANs, trunks and inter-VLAN routing3 lessons1h 15m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner to intermediate. For IT and OT technicians, students and anyone new to networking. You need to use a computer confidently; no networking experience is assumed, and the binary arithmetic is taught from the start.
- Software
- Cisco Packet Tracer, free with a Cisco Networking Academy account (Windows 11, macOS 12 or newer, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS on a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor). A web browser for everything else. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- A computer that can run Packet Tracer. No routers or switches are needed.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Packet Tracer is free with a Cisco Networking Academy account. Wireshark is optional, for looking at real traffic on a network you own.
Required
- 01Free
Cisco Packet Tracer
Cisco Networking Academy
- Runs on
- Windows 11, macOS 12 or newer, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS; 64-bit Intel or AMD (x86-64) processor, 4 GB of free RAM and 1.4 GB of free disk space
- Account
- A free Cisco Networking Academy (netacad.com) account
Free for Cisco Networking Academy students, instructors and alumni. Download it only from netacad.com, after signing in.
Steps
- 1.Sign up for a free account at netacad.com.
- 2.Enrol in the free Getting Started with Cisco Packet Tracer course, which explains the download and installation.
- 3.Sign in and open Resources, then Lab downloads (the Resource Hub), and download Packet Tracer for your system.
- 4.Run the installer, then sign in with your Networking Academy account when Packet Tracer asks.
- Copies on other websites may be old or altered; use only netacad.com.
- Packet Tracer simulates IOS: a few commands differ from real equipment, which does not matter for CCNA practice.
Official download pagenetacad.com
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 02Free
Wireshark
Wireshark Foundation
- Runs on
- Windows 11 or 10 64-bit (x64 or Arm64), Windows Server 2016 or later, macOS (Universal disk image), Linux
- Account
- None needed
Free, open source software. No licence fee for any use.
Steps
- 1.Open wireshark.org/download.html.
- 2.Download the Windows x64 Installer (or Arm64, or the macOS Universal Disk Image).
- 3.Run the installer and keep the Npcap option ticked on Windows.
- 4.Open Wireshark, pick your network interface and click the blue fin to start capturing.
- Npcap is needed for live capture on Windows. The Windows installer includes it.
- Only capture traffic on networks you own or have written permission to monitor.
Official download pagewireshark.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep at a glance
Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for IT and OT technicians, students and network beginners preparing for Cisco's CCNA 200-301 exam. It has 15 modules and 17h 13m of video lessons by Jeremy's IT Lab, freeCodeCamp.org, David Bombal Tech and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- ₹0, free for good. No trial, no card. Comparable classroom training of this length costs about ₹8,999.
- Who it is for
- IT and OT technicians, students and network beginners preparing for Cisco's CCNA 200-301 exam
- Format
- 15 self-paced modules, 17h 13m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. For IT and OT technicians, students and anyone new to networking. You need to use a computer confidently; no networking experience is assumed, and the binary arithmetic is taught from the start.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- Cisco Packet Tracer, free with a Cisco Networking Academy account (Windows 11, macOS 12 or newer, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS on a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor). A web browser for everything else.
- Hardware
- A computer that can run Packet Tracer. No routers or switches are needed.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Jeremy's IT Lab, freeCodeCamp.org, David Bombal Tech, PowerCert Animated Videos (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
PLC programming · FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming · FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming · FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.
Instrumentation · FreeInstrumentation for PLC EngineersThe half of the loop that is not code. Follow one measurement from the transmitter in the field, down the 4-20 mA loop, into the analog card, through NORM_X and SCALE_X into engineering units, out again to a valve, and back to the control room when the reading is wrong.More free courses: Free industrial networking courses
Learner reviews
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
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 the Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep 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 Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep 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 the Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep course 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 in the Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep course?
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.
Is the Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep course free in India, and what does the certificate cost?
Yes. Learning costs ₹0 in India: every module, the written notes, the practice tasks and the final assessment, with no card and no trial period. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, ₹459 including GST for this beginner course, paid in rupees through Razorpay, and only if you want it after passing the final assessment.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Computer Networking and CCNA 200-301 Prep
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens India (Wartens Automation Private Limited) as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- Jeremy's IT Labmost 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.orgthe short introduction to computer networks: LANs, WANs, network interface cards and MAC addresses
- David Bombal Techthe lesson on installing Cisco Packet Tracer on Windows 11
- PowerCert Animated Videosthe animated explanation of how a DNS server resolves names
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.