hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A user's smartphone can connect to a corporate…
A user's smartphone can connect to a corporate Wi-Fi network but cannot access any internet sites. Other devices on the same network work fine. The smartphone shows it is connected with full signal. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The 220-1201 exam often tests the distinction between Layer 2 connectivity (Wi-Fi association) and Layer 3/application-layer services (DNS, proxy), leading candidates to incorrectly blame the network infrastructure or hardware when the real problem is a device-specific configuration error.
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 smartphone's DNS settings are misconfigured or pointing to a non-functional server.
The smartphone can connect to the Wi-Fi network (Layer 2 connectivity is fine) and other devices work, so the issue is specific to this device's higher-layer configuration. DNS resolution is required to translate domain names to IP addresses; if the smartphone's DNS settings point to a non-functional or incorrect server, it will fail to resolve any hostname, preventing internet access even though the network connection itself is active. This matches the symptom of being connected with full signal but unable to browse.
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 smartphone's DNS settings are misconfigured or pointing to a non-functional server.
Why this is correct
If the smartphone's DNS settings are misconfigured or pointing to a non-functional server, the device can successfully connect to the Wi-Fi network and obtain an IP address. However, it will be unable to translate human-readable domain names (like google.com) into numerical IP addresses. This prevents the smartphone from reaching internet websites, even though its local network connectivity is otherwise functional, leading to the symptom of being connected but having no internet access.
- ✗
The corporate network is blocking the smartphone's MAC address.
Why it's wrong here
MAC address filtering operates at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model. If the corporate network were blocking the smartphone's MAC address, the device would be completely unable to associate with the access point or join the Wi-Fi network in the first place. The user would experience an inability to connect to the Wi-Fi network at all, rather than successfully connecting but lacking internet access.
- ✗
The smartphone's Wi-Fi adapter is faulty.
Why it's wrong here
A malfunctioning Wi-Fi adapter typically manifests as an inability to detect wireless networks, frequent disconnections, extremely slow speeds, or complete failure to connect to any network. Since the smartphone successfully connects to the corporate Wi-Fi, its adapter is likely functional enough to establish a Layer 2 connection. A faulty adapter would prevent the initial connection or cause instability, not a stable connection that simply lacks internet access.
- ✗
The corporate proxy server is down.
Why it's wrong here
A corporate proxy server acts as an intermediary for all outbound internet requests from devices configured to use it. If the proxy server were down, any device on the network attempting to access external websites through that proxy would experience connection failures. The problem statement implies this issue is specific to "a user's smartphone," making a system-wide failure like a downed proxy server an unlikely cause for an isolated incident.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Mobile Device Types and Features
Key term
CAN
A CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.
Key term
DNS
DNS is the system that translates human-friendly domain names like example.com into machine-readable IP addresses so computers can find each other on a network.
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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.