mediumMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: During a site survey, a technician needs to…
During a site survey, a technician needs to measure the signal strength of a wireless access point from various locations in an office to ensure adequate coverage. Which tool should be used for this task?
⚠ Common exam trap
In CompTIA A+ exams, candidates often confuse Wi-Fi analyzers with spectrum analyzers. A Wi-Fi analyzer measures signal strength from access points for coverage surveys, while a spectrum analyzer detects RF interference and noise.
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
✓
Wi-Fi analyzer
A Wi-Fi analyzer is the correct tool because it is specifically designed to measure wireless signal strength (RSSI), channel utilization, and interference from access points. During a site survey, the technician uses a Wi-Fi analyzer to collect real-time signal data from various locations, ensuring adequate coverage and identifying dead zones or co-channel interference.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Multimeter
Why it's wrong here
A multimeter measures electrical quantities such as voltage, current and resistance over copper, and cannot detect radio-frequency signals at all. It is tempting because it is a common technician tool for verifying power and continuity, and it would be correct when checking PoE voltage at an access point's Ethernet port.
- ✓
Wi-Fi analyzer
Why this is correct
A Wi-Fi analyzer reports received signal strength (RSSI) and signal-to-noise ratio per access point at each surveyed location, letting the technician map coverage gaps and dead zones. It measures the actual RF environment rather than inferring it from link speed.
- ✗
Spectrum analyzer
Why it's wrong here
A spectrum analyser displays RF energy across frequency bands to identify interference and channel occupancy, not the received signal level of a specific access point. It is tempting because it is a genuine wireless survey tool, and it would be the right choice when diagnosing co-channel interference or locating a rogue transmitter.
- ✗
Cable tester
Why it's wrong here
A cable tester verifies continuity, pinout and faults on copper or fibre cabling; it reports no radio-frequency measurements. It is tempting because wireless access points are usually fed by Ethernet, and it would be the correct tool when a suspected cable fault prevents an access point from powering on or linking.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Wireless Security: WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3
Key term
Access Point
An access point is a device that creates a wireless local area network, usually by connecting to a wired network and broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal for computers, phones, and tablets to join.
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.
About these practice questions
One of 871 original 220-1201 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.