220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that…

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 5 GHz router is too far from the laptop.

  Why it's wrong here

  While 5 GHz signals inherently have a shorter effective range and are more susceptible to signal attenuation by physical obstacles compared to 2.4 GHz, this is unlikely the sole cause of a complete inability to connect if the laptop can successfully connect to the 2.4 GHz band. If range were the primary issue, the 5 GHz network might appear with a weak signal or connect intermittently, but a total failure to connect suggests a more fundamental problem than just physical distance, especially if other devices can connect to the 5 GHz network from the same location.

• ✓

  The laptop's Wi-Fi driver is outdated or misconfigured for 5 GHz.

  Why this is correct

  An outdated or corrupted Wi-Fi driver is a common cause for specific band connectivity issues. The driver acts as the interface between the operating system and the wireless adapter. If it lacks support for newer 5 GHz channels (e.g., DFS channels), fails to properly negotiate 802.11ac/ax protocols, or misinterprets band steering commands, the laptop may fail to detect or establish a stable connection to the 5 GHz network, even if the hardware is physically capable. Updating the driver is often the first troubleshooting step.

• ✗

  The 5 GHz network is using WEP encryption.

  Why it's wrong here

  WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is an obsolete and highly insecure encryption standard that should not be used on modern networks. While a 5 GHz network could theoretically be configured with WEP, this security setting would typically apply uniformly across both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands on a dual-band router. If the laptop can connect to the 2.4 GHz network, it implies that WEP is either not in use, or the laptop is compatible with the network's security settings, making WEP an unlikely specific cause for only 5 GHz connection failure.

• ✗

  The laptop's Wi-Fi card is only 2.4 GHz capable.

  Why it's wrong here

  This option contradicts the implied premise that the laptop should be able to connect to 5 GHz. If the laptop's Wi-Fi card were exclusively 2.4 GHz capable, it would physically lack the necessary radio frequency (RF) components and circuitry to detect or communicate on the 5 GHz spectrum. In such a case, the 5 GHz network would simply not appear as an available option, and the laptop would never attempt to connect to it, making hardware limitation a distinct issue from a connection failure on an expected band.

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