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220-1201 Practice Question: A home user complains that their internet is…
A home user complains that their internet is extremely slow during peak evening hours, but speed tests show fast results late at night. They have a cable modem connection. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the misconception that ISP throttling is the default explanation for slow speeds, but the key differentiator here is the time-based pattern, which points to shared medium congestion rather than selective traffic management.
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
✓
Bandwidth congestion from neighbors
Cable internet uses a shared bandwidth model where multiple homes in the same neighborhood connect to a common node. During peak evening hours, increased simultaneous usage from neighbors causes congestion on this shared medium, resulting in slower speeds. Late-night tests are fast because fewer users are active, confirming the issue is contention-based rather than a hardware or throttling problem.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The modem is overheating
Why it's wrong here
Overheating would cause intermittent drops, not predictable evening slowdowns.
- ✓
Bandwidth congestion from neighbors
Why this is correct
Cable internet shares bandwidth locally, leading to slower speeds during peak hours.
- ✗
A faulty Ethernet cable
Why it's wrong here
A faulty cable would cause constant issues, not time-specific slowdowns.
- ✗
The ISP is throttling video streaming
Why it's wrong here
Throttling would apply to specific services, not general speed tests.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1201 exam.