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CompTIA • Network Plus
CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)
Deploy wired and wireless devices, covering IP addressing, ports, protocols, and network architecture for network deployment.
Practice setup
Exam info
- Exam ID
- N10-009
- Cost of Exam
- $369.00
- Length of Test
- 90 Minutes
- Number of Questions
- Maximum of 90
View full exam details
- Exam Version
- V9
- Launch Date
- June 20, 2024
- Expected Retirement Date
- Currently Unknown
- Recommended Experience
- CompTIA A+ certification, with 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience in a junior network administrator or network support technician role
- Validity
- 3 years
- Question Types
- Multiple Choice / Performance Based
- Passing Score
- 720 (on a scale of 100-900)
Domains and Objectives
Networking concepts1.023%
Objectives in this domain
- OSI model layers: physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, application.
- Networking appliances: routers, switches, firewalls, IDS/IPS, load balancers, proxies, NAS, SAN, and wireless devices.
- Cloud concepts: NFV, VPC, network security groups, cloud gateways, deployment models (public, private, hybrid), service models (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS).
- Ports and protocols: FTP, SFTP, SSH, Telnet, SMTP, DNS, DHCP, HTTP, HTTPS, SNMP, LDAP, RDP, SIP.
- Traffic types: unicast, multicast, anycast, broadcast.
- Transmission media: wireless (802.11, cellular, satellite), wired (fiber, coaxial, DAC).
- Transceivers and connectors: SC, LC, ST, MPO, RJ11, RJ45, F-type, BNC.
- Network topologies: mesh, hybrid, star/hub and spoke, spine and leaf, point-to-point, three-tier, and collapsed core.
- IPv4 addressing: public vs. private, APIPA, RFC1918, loopback, subnetting (VLSM, CIDR), and address classes (A, B, C, D, E).
Network implementation2.020%
Objectives in this domain
- Routing technologies: static and dynamic routing (BGP, EIGRP, OSPF), route selection, NAT, PAT, FHRP, VIP, and subinterfaces.
- Switching technologies: VLANs, interface configuration, spanning tree, MTU, and jumbo frames.
- Wireless devices: channels, frequency options, SSID, network types, encryption, guest networks, authentication, antennas, and access points.
- Physical installations: installation implications, power considerations, and environmental factors.
Network operations3.019%
Objectives in this domain
- Documentation: physical vs. logical diagrams, rack diagrams, cable maps, network diagrams, asset inventory, IPAM, SLA, and wireless surveys.
- Life-cycle management: EOL, EOS, software management, and decommissioning.
- Change management: request process tracking.
- Configuration management: production, backup, baseline configurations.
- Network monitoring: SNMP, flow data, packet capture, baseline metrics, log aggregation, API integration, and port mirroring.
- Disaster recovery: RPO, RTO, MTTR, MTBF, cold/warm/hot sites, active-active/passive, and testing.
- Network services: DHCP, SLAAC, DNS, NTP, PTP, and NTS.
- Access and management: VPNs, SSH, GUI, API, and console.
Network security4.014%
Objectives in this domain
- Logical security: encryption (data in transit/rest), PKI, IAM, MFA, SSO, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, TACACS+, time-based authentication, authorization, least privilege, role-based access control, and geofencing.
- Physical security: cameras and locks.
- Deception technologies: honeypot and honeynet.
- Security terminology: risk, vulnerability, exploit, threat, and CIA triad.
- Audits and compliance: data locality, PCI DSS, and GDPR.
- Network segmentation: IoT, IIoT, SCADA, ICS, OT, guest, and BYOD.
- Types of attacks: DoS/DDoS, VLAN hopping, MAC flooding, ARP poisoning/spoofing, DNS poisoning/spoofing, rogue devices/services, evil twin, on-path attack, and social engineering (phishing, dumpster diving, shoulder surfing, tailgating).
- Security features and defense: device hardening, NAC, key management, ACL, URL/content filtering, trusted vs. untrusted zones, and screened subnet.
Network troubleshooting5.024%
Objectives in this domain
- Troubleshooting methodology: identifying the problem, establishing a theory, testing, planning, and implementing a solution, verifying functionality, and documenting findings.
- Cabling and physical interface issues: cable issues (incorrect type, signal degradation, improper termination, TX/RX transposed), interface issues (increasing counters, port status), and hardware issues (PoE, transceiver mismatch, signal strength).
- Network services issues: switching issues (STP, VLAN assignment, ACLs), routing issues (routing table and default routes), address pool exhaustion, and incorrect gateway/IP/subnet mask.
- Performance issues: congestion, latency, packet loss, and wireless interference.
- Tools and protocols: protocol analyzers, command line tools, cable testers, and Wi-Fi analyzers.
Resources
Resources are being added for this exam.
Exam history
The History of CompTIA Network+ (N10-009 Context)
Last reviewed: 2026-03-08
CompTIA Network+ has long been a foundational certification for early-career networking professionals. It is designed to validate practical networking competency across infrastructure, operations, security, and troubleshooting, making it a common starting point for technicians and administrators moving into network-focused roles.
From its early generations, Network+ has aimed to balance conceptual understanding with operational applicability. Candidates are expected not only to recognize network terms and technologies, but also to apply them in realistic scenarios involving connectivity, performance, and reliability outcomes.
As enterprise networks evolved, the exam blueprint expanded beyond classic LAN fundamentals. Over time, objectives increasingly reflected wireless networking, virtualization, cloud-connected architectures, policy-driven operations, and security controls that are now standard in modern environments.
Network+ has also remained relevant by preserving a strong troubleshooting orientation. Across versions, the exam has consistently reinforced structured diagnostic methods, interpretation of network behavior, and practical use of tools, because these skills translate directly to day-to-day support and administration work.
Recent versions show clear modernization. N10-007 emphasized core networking and baseline security operations in contemporary enterprise contexts. N10-008 further expanded focus on implementation and operations realities, including broader wireless and cloud integration patterns. The current N10-009 version continues this trajectory with stronger alignment to hybrid operations, lifecycle management, and security-conscious network administration.
N10-009, launched on June 20, 2024, reflects current job-role expectations for junior network professionals. Its domains cover networking concepts, implementation, operations, security, and troubleshooting in a distribution that mirrors real network support responsibilities rather than isolated theory.
Compared with earlier eras, N10-009 places clearer emphasis on operational process maturity, including change and configuration management, monitoring, service continuity concepts, and practical risk-aware administration. This makes the credential more representative of how networking teams actually work in production organizations.
Network+ remains one of the most recognized baseline networking credentials because it has adapted without abandoning fundamentals. Its history reflects a consistent pattern: retain core protocol and infrastructure knowledge, then update objective priorities so candidates are prepared for current network environments and employer expectations.
Change tracker
N10-009 (V9) launched
CompTIA released Network+ N10-009 with domain structure emphasizing modern implementation, operations, security, and troubleshooting expectations for contemporary networking roles.
Greater emphasis on lifecycle operations and manageability
Current objective framing gives stronger weight to documentation, change management, configuration management, and monitoring practices that support stable network operations at scale.
N10-008 launched
N10-008 modernized Network+ with broader attention to implementation and operations realities, including cloud-adjacent networking concepts, stronger security integration, and practical support workflows.
N10-007 launched
N10-007 reinforced foundational networking competencies while aligning to enterprise support environments, including updated treatment of infrastructure, operations, and security fundamentals.
Network+ maintained as core entry networking credential
Across revisions, CompTIA has kept Network+ positioned as a vendor-neutral baseline certification for technicians and administrators who need practical networking capability before moving into specialized pathways.