hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is configuring a network for a…
A technician is configuring a network for a municipal government that needs to connect public Wi-Fi hotspots across a city, covering an area of about 50 square kilometers. The network must be secure and provide internet access to citizens. Which network type should be deployed?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse a MAN with a WAN because both cover large areas, but a WAN is designed for inter-city or inter-country links, while a MAN is specifically optimized for a city-scale network, making it the correct choice for this scenario.
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
✓
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is designed to cover a geographic area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, typically spanning a city or a large campus. For a municipal government connecting public Wi-Fi hotspots across 50 square kilometers, a MAN provides the necessary range and can utilize technologies like Metro Ethernet or fiber-optic rings to deliver secure, high-speed internet access to citizens.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Local Area Network (LAN)
Why it's wrong here
A Local Area Network (LAN) is inherently designed to connect devices within a very limited geographical area, typically a single building, a home, or a small campus. While providing high-speed connectivity for local resource sharing, its physical infrastructure, often Ethernet cabling or Wi-Fi access points, is not scalable or cost-effective for extending across an entire city. Therefore, a LAN is fundamentally inadequate for establishing city-wide network services.
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Wide Area Network (WAN)
Why it's wrong here
A Wide Area Network (WAN) is engineered to interconnect geographically distant LANs, spanning vast regions such as states, countries, or even continents, utilizing technologies like MPLS, dedicated fiber lines, or satellite links. While capable of immense coverage, deploying a full-scale WAN for the sole purpose of connecting a single city would be an over-engineered and unnecessarily expensive solution. It introduces complexities and overhead that are not optimal for a metropolitan-scale network, as its primary role is inter-regional connectivity.
- ✓
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
Why this is correct
A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is specifically designed to cover a geographic area the size of a city or a large campus, typically spanning tens of kilometers. It interconnects multiple LANs within an urban environment, providing high-speed connectivity suitable for municipal services, public Wi-Fi hotspots, and linking various government or educational institutions. The MAN offers an optimal balance of coverage, speed, and cost-effectiveness for urban-scale networking requirements.
- ✗
Personal Area Network (PAN)
Why it's wrong here
A Personal Area Network (PAN) is strictly limited to short-range communication among personal devices, typically within a few meters, such as connecting a smartphone to a Bluetooth headset, a fitness tracker, or a computer to a wireless mouse. Technologies like Bluetooth or NFC characterize PANs. Its extremely confined spatial coverage and inherently low data throughput capabilities make it entirely unsuitable and impractical for any form of city-wide network infrastructure.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Configuration: IP, DNS, DHCP
Key term
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a technology that lets devices like laptops and phones connect to the internet or communicate with each other wirelessly using radio waves.
Key term
Metropolitan Area Network
A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is a network that connects multiple locations across a city or large campus, providing high-speed communication like a single large network.
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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.