Can Ping Gateway but No Internet: Check Router's WAN Connection
A technician sets up a small office network. The router is configured with DHCP providing addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range. A new employee's laptop obtains an IP address of 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, and default gateway 192.168.1.1. The laptop can ping other local workstations and the router (192.168.1.1), but cannot access any external websites by domain name or IP address. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?
Quick Answer
The answer is that the router's WAN connection is not properly configured or is down. This is correct because the laptop’s ability to ping the gateway (192.168.1.1) and other local workstations confirms that its IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway settings are all valid and that the local LAN is fully operational. However, the failure to reach any external website by either domain name or IP address indicates the router itself cannot forward traffic beyond its local subnet, pointing directly to a WAN-side issue rather than a DNS or client configuration problem. On the CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1101 exam, this scenario tests your ability to isolate network faults by process of elimination—a common trap is to suspect DNS first, but since even IP addresses fail, the bottleneck must be at the router’s internet uplink. Remember the memory tip: “Local ping works, internet fails? Check the WAN rails.”
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a local ping success to the default gateway proves internet connectivity, but the CompTIA 220-1101 exam tests the understanding that the gateway's WAN link is a separate point of failure; the inability to reach external IP addresses directly isolates the issue to the router's upstream connection, not the laptop's configuration or local firewall rules.
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 router's WAN connection is not properly configured or is down.
The laptop can ping the local router (192.168.1.1) and other local workstations, which confirms that the laptop's IP configuration (address, subnet mask, default gateway) is correct and that the local LAN is functioning. However, the inability to reach any external websites by either domain name or IP address indicates that the router cannot forward traffic beyond its local subnet. The most likely cause is that the router's WAN connection is not properly configured or is down, preventing any outbound traffic from reaching the internet.
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 DNS server configuration is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect DNS settings would prevent the laptop from resolving domain names to IP addresses, but the user reports that they cannot access websites by IP address either. This indicates the problem is not DNS-related, as DNS is only needed for name resolution.
- ✗
The default gateway is not set correctly on the laptop.
Why it's wrong here
The laptop already reaches the router at 192.168.1.1, proving the default gateway is correct and functional. It is tempting because a wrong gateway typically blocks external access, but here local and gateway pings succeed, so the fault lies in DNS resolution or upstream routing.
- ✓
The router's WAN connection is not properly configured or is down.
Why this is correct
If the router's WAN interface does not have a valid internet connection or the default route (0.0.0.0/0) is missing, traffic cannot exit the local network. The laptop's ability to ping the router's LAN IP does not confirm that the router can forward traffic to the internet. This is the most common cause when local connectivity works but external access fails.
- ✗
A firewall on the router is blocking all outbound traffic from the laptop.
Why it's wrong here
While a firewall could block external access, it typically blocks specific ports or protocols, not all traffic to all external IP addresses. If it blocked all outbound traffic, the laptop would likely not be able to reach any external IP, but the scenario says the user cannot access websites by IP, which could still be consistent. However, the more likely and simple explanation is a WAN issue, as firewalls usually have some exceptions or allow basic connectivity by default.
Visual reference
Quick reference
IPv4 Address Class Summary
| Class | First Octet Range | Default Mask | Networks | Hosts per Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–126 | /8 (255.0.0.0) | 126 | 16,777,214 |
| B | 128–191 | /16 (255.255.0.0) | 16,384 | 65,534 |
| C | 192–223 | /24 (255.255.255.0) | 2,097,152 | 254 |
| D | 224–239 | N/A | Multicast groups | — |
| E | 240–255 | N/A | Reserved / experimental | — |
127.x.x.x is reserved for loopback. Modern networks use CIDR (classless) rather than classful addressing.
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About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 220-1101
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A technician is setting up a small office network. The router is configured with DHCP and provides addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range. A workstation obtains an IP address of 192.168.1.15 but cannot access any external websites. The workstation can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) and other local workstations. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
medium- A.The workstation's subnet mask is incorrect
- B.The default gateway is not set
- ✓ C.The DNS server address is not configured
- D.The router's DHCP pool is exhausted
Why C: The workstation can ping the default gateway and local devices, confirming that Layer 3 connectivity and the default gateway are functional. However, it cannot access external websites, which typically requires DNS resolution to translate domain names to IP addresses. Since the router's DHCP is configured but the workstation lacks a DNS server address, name resolution fails, preventing web access while IP-level communication remains intact.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.