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220-1201 Practice Question: After deploying a new 802.11ac access point,…
After deploying a new 802.11ac access point, users report that some devices can connect but others cannot, even though they are in the same room. All devices support 5 GHz. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that because all devices support 5 GHz and are in the same room, the issue must be AP-side (such as band settings or client capacity), overlooking the possibility that only some devices have incorrect credentials.
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 devices have incorrect SSID credentials.
The scenario describes a new 802.11ac access point where some devices connect and others cannot, and all devices support 5 GHz. Since 802.11ac operates on 5 GHz, disabling 2.4 GHz radios would not prevent these devices from connecting. Using a non-overlapping channel is a best practice and would not cause selective failures. An overloaded AP can prevent new clients from associating, but the question gives no indication of a high-density environment or client limit. If only some devices have incorrect SSID credentials, those devices will fail authentication while devices with correct credentials connect successfully, directly explaining the selective connectivity.
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 access point is using a non-overlapping channel.
Why it's wrong here
Using a non-overlapping channel is beneficial and would not cause connectivity issues for some devices. This is not the likely cause.
- ✗
The access point has 2.4 GHz radios disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling the 2.4 GHz radios would not prevent any device from connecting, since all devices support 5 GHz. Thus, it is not the cause.
- ✓
The devices have incorrect SSID credentials.
Why this is correct
If the SSID credentials were incorrect, all devices would fail to connect. The symptom of partial connectivity rules this out.
- ✗
The access point is overloaded with clients.
Why it's wrong here
Client overload causes the access point to refuse or drop associations once its association table or throughput capacity is exhausted, so some devices connect while others in the same room fail. This matches the symptom of selective connectivity despite adequate 5 GHz signal coverage.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Laptop Connectivity Ports: USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI
Key term
SSID
An SSID is the public name of a Wi-Fi network that devices use to identify and connect to it.
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.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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