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220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a customer's home…
A technician is troubleshooting a customer's home network where the desktop PC is wired to the router, but the wireless printer intermittently disappears from the network. The printer is connected via Wi-Fi to the same router. After checking, the technician finds that the printer's IP address is in the 169.254.x.x range. Which network type is the printer attempting to use, and what does this indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the distinction between APIPA (self-assigned address due to DHCP failure) and other network types like ad hoc or peer-to-peer, where candidates may confuse the symptom of a missing DHCP server with a direct connection topology.
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
✓
WLAN with DHCP failure; the printer has self-assigned an APIPA address.
The 169.254.x.x IP address range is reserved for Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), which a device assigns to itself when it fails to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server. Since the printer is connected via Wi-Fi to the same router, this indicates a DHCP failure on the WLAN, causing the printer to use a self-assigned APIPA address and intermittently disappear from the network.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Peer-to-peer network; the printer is sharing directly with the PC.
Why it's wrong here
Peer-to-peer networking doesn't cause APIPA addresses; APIPA is a DHCP failure symptom on any network type.
- ✓
WLAN with DHCP failure; the printer has self-assigned an APIPA address.
Why this is correct
The 169.254.x.x address is an APIPA address, meaning the printer's DHCP request failed, so it self-assigned a link-local address.
- ✗
PAN network; the printer is using Bluetooth.
Why it's wrong here
Bluetooth PANs do not use IP addresses in the 169.254.x.x range; that range is specific to IPv4 link-local addressing.
- ✗
Ad hoc network; the printer is connecting directly to the PC.
Why it's wrong here
Ad hoc networks still require proper IP configuration; APIPA indicates a DHCP issue, not an ad hoc mode.
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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.