mediumMultiple Choice
First Tool for No Link Light: Cable Tester
A technician is troubleshooting a network drop that was working yesterday but now has no link light. The cable run is 90 meters and uses Cat5e. The patch cables and switch ports have been tested and are fine. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception is that a cable run of 90 meters is too long for Cat5e, but the actual limit is 100 meters, so candidates must remember the exact maximum distance and not assume any run near that limit is automatically faulty.
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 cable has been cut or damaged.
Since the cable run is 90 meters (within the 100-meter maximum for Cat5e), the patch cables and switch ports are verified working, and the link light is absent, the most likely cause is physical damage to the cable—such as a cut, pinch, or break—that interrupts the electrical continuity required for link pulses. A damaged cable prevents the switch and NIC from establishing a link, even if all other components are functional.
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 cable is too long for Cat5e.
Why it's wrong here
Cat5e supports 100 m runs, so 90 m is within specification and would not cause a sudden loss of link on a drop that worked yesterday. The 100 m limit is tempting because cable length is a common Ethernet fault, and exceeding it would be the answer if the run measured over 100 m.
- ✓
The cable has been cut or damaged.
Why this is correct
At 90 metres the run already exceeds the 100-metre channel limit once patch leads are added, but a sudden loss of link on a previously working drop points to physical damage. Testing confirms the patch cables and switch ports are sound, leaving the horizontal cable.
- ✗
The network switch is not powered on.
Why it's wrong here
The stem states the switch ports have been tested and are fine, which rules out an unpowered switch. Power status is tempting because a dead switch kills every link light, and it would be correct if the entire switch, not one drop, had lost connectivity.
- ✗
The cable is terminated with the wrong standard.
Why it's wrong here
A wrong termination standard (T568A versus T568B) still produces a working link as long as both ends match; it only matters for pin-pair colour mapping. It is tempting because mismatched ends break the link, but the stem says the drop worked yesterday, so a static wiring fault cannot explain a new failure.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Laptop Hardware and Components
Key term
Switch
A switch is a networking device that connects devices on a local area network and uses MAC addresses to forward data only to the intended recipient.
Key term
Unshielded Twisted Pair
Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) is a type of copper cabling used in Ethernet networks, where pairs of wires are twisted together to reduce electrical interference, without additional metallic shielding.
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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.