mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Is troubleshooting a wireless connectivity issue…
A network engineer is troubleshooting a wireless connectivity issue in a campus network managed by Cisco DNA Center. The Assurance module shows that several access points have high client association failures. The engineer checks the wireless controller configuration and finds that the APs are registered and functional. What is the most likely cause of the association failures?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates focus on configuration or software causes (firmware, controller limits, monitoring config) when the scenario explicitly states APs are registered and functional — pointing to the physical/RF layer as the remaining variable.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
RF interference or poor signal-to-noise ratio on the affected APs.
High client association failures with functional, registered APs most commonly indicate RF-layer problems such as interference, poor SNR, or coverage gaps. Association failures occur when clients cannot complete the 802.11 association handshake, which is heavily dependent on RF signal quality. DNA Center Assurance would flag these as RF health issues rather than configuration or controller problems.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
RF interference or poor signal-to-noise ratio on the affected APs.
Why this is correct
With APs registered and functional, association failures point to the radio layer. RF interference or a poor signal-to-noise ratio prevents clients from completing association, which Cisco DNA Center Assurance surfaces as high client association failure counts on the affected APs.
- ✗
The APs are not running the recommended firmware version.
Why it's wrong here
Registered, functional APs on a supported controller release associate clients normally; firmware mismatches typically cause AP join or CAPWAP failures, which the stem rules out. Firmware checks are correct when APs repeatedly deregister or fail to join the controller.
- ✗
The wireless controller has reached its maximum number of APs.
Why it's wrong here
The stem confirms the APs are registered, so the controller accepted them; an AP licence or capacity ceiling would block registration itself. Capacity exhaustion is the correct diagnosis when new APs cannot join while existing ones remain online.
- ✗
The DNA Center Assurance module is not properly configured to monitor wireless events.
Why it's wrong here
Assurance already reports the association failures, proving it collects wireless telemetry; misconfiguration would produce missing or blank data, not specific failure counts. Assurance misconfiguration is the right diagnosis when dashboards show no client or AP data at all.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 350-401 question is part of Courseiva's 1,923-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 350-401 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-401 exam.