easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: That their laptop can connect to the internet…
A user reports that their laptop can connect to the internet when using a wired connection at home, but cannot connect to any network resources when using Wi-Fi at the office. The office uses DHCP with a scope of 192.168.10.0/24. The laptop's IP configuration shows an address of 169.254.15.22. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
The A+ exam often tests the distinction between a DHCP server that is unreachable versus one that is out of addresses; the trap here is that candidates may assume a depleted scope (Option B) is the cause, but the APIPA address specifically indicates the client never received any response, not that it received a NAK or no available lease.
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
✓
The laptop cannot reach the DHCP server on the office network.
The IP address 169.254.15.22 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address (169.254.0.0/16), which Windows assigns when a DHCP client fails to receive a lease from a DHCP server. Since the laptop can connect via wired Ethernet at home but not via Wi-Fi at the office, the most likely cause is that the Wi-Fi adapter cannot communicate with the office DHCP server, preventing it from obtaining a valid 192.168.10.0/24 address.
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 laptop's Wi-Fi adapter is disabled in Device Manager.
Why it's wrong here
A disabled Wi-Fi adapter in Device Manager means the network interface card (NIC) is powered off and inactive at the operating system level. In this state, the laptop cannot send or receive any network traffic, including DHCP requests. Consequently, it would not be able to obtain any IP address, whether from a DHCP server or through APIPA self-assignment, as the network stack isn't even attempting communication.
- ✗
The office DHCP server is out of available IP addresses.
Why it's wrong here
An exhausted DHCP scope would cause the server to not respond, but the client would still attempt DHCP and eventually fall back to APIPA. However, the most common cause is the DHCP server being unreachable, not necessarily exhausted.
- ✓
The laptop cannot reach the DHCP server on the office network.
Why this is correct
When a laptop cannot reach the DHCP server, it fails to obtain a valid IP address, subnet mask, and other essential network configuration details. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to lease an IP address via DHCP, the operating system automatically assigns an APIPA address. This self-assigned address (in the 169.254.0.0/16 range) allows for limited local network communication but prevents access to the internet or other subnets.
- ✗
The laptop's DNS settings are misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
Misconfigured DNS settings primarily affect name resolution, which is the process of translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses. DNS issues occur *after* a device has successfully obtained an IP address and established basic network connectivity. An APIPA address, however, indicates a fundamental failure to acquire *any* routable IP address from a DHCP server, a problem that precedes and is unrelated to DNS functionality.
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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.