hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
Upgrade to 10 Gbps with Existing Cat6a Cabling
A company is upgrading its network to support 10 Gbps speeds for a server farm. The existing cabling is Cat6a, and the switches are Gigabit. The IT manager wants to minimize cost while achieving 10 Gbps. Which hardware change is required?
Quick Answer
The answer is to install 10 Gbps switches while keeping the existing Cat6a cabling. This is correct because Cat6a cabling is specifically rated to support 10 Gbps speeds at distances up to 100 meters, so the physical infrastructure is already capable of handling the upgrade. The real bottleneck in this scenario is the current Gigabit switches, which cap throughput at 1 Gbps regardless of cable quality. On the CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 exam, this question tests your understanding of cabling standards versus hardware limitations—a common trap is assuming you need new cable, when in fact Cat6a is fully 10 Gbps-ready. A useful memory tip: think of the cable as the highway and the switch as the on-ramp; a wide highway (Cat6a) is useless if the on-ramp (switch) is narrow.
⚠ Common exam trap
Students often think a higher category cable (e.g., Cat7) is needed for 10 Gbps, but Cat6a supports it. The real bottleneck is the switch hardware, not the cabling.
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
✓
Install 10 Gbps switches and use the existing Cat6a cabling.
Cat6a cabling is rated to support 10 Gbps Ethernet up to 100 meters, so no cable replacement is needed. The bottleneck is the existing Gigabit switches, which must be upgraded to 10 Gbps switches to achieve the desired speed. This is the most cost-effective approach because it avoids the expense of new cabling.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the Cat6a cabling with Cat7 cabling.
Why it's wrong here
Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at 100 meters. Cat7 is not necessary and is not a standard recognized by TIA/EIA for Ethernet.
- ✓
Install 10 Gbps switches and use the existing Cat6a cabling.
Why this is correct
Correct. Cat6a supports 10 Gbps, so only the switches need to be upgraded to 10 Gbps models. This is the most cost-effective solution.
- ✗
Replace the switches with Gigabit models that have SFP+ ports for fiber.
Why it's wrong here
SFP+ ports can support 10 Gbps, but the scenario states existing cabling is Cat6a, which is copper. Using SFP+ would require fiber cabling, adding cost.
- ✗
Add a repeater to boost the signal on the existing Cat6a cabling.
Why it's wrong here
Repeaters are used to extend distance, not increase speed. Cat6a already supports 10 Gbps at the required distance, so a repeater is unnecessary.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 220-1201
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 small office with 15 employees uses a single switch to connect all workstations. Users report that the network becomes extremely slow during peak hours, and some packets are being dropped. The switch is a 10/100 model with a 1 Gbps uplink to the router. What is the most likely cause of the slowdown?
easy- A.The switch is not a managed switch and cannot prioritize traffic.
- ✓ B.The switch's ports are only 100 Mbps, causing a bottleneck when multiple users are active.
- C.The router's uplink port is faulty and needs to be replaced.
- D.The switch is a hub, not a switch, causing collisions.
Why B: The switch operates at 10/100 Mbps per port, meaning each workstation is limited to a maximum of 100 Mbps. With 15 employees active during peak hours, the aggregate traffic can easily exceed the 100 Mbps per-port capacity, causing congestion, packet drops, and slowdowns. The 1 Gbps uplink to the router is not the bottleneck; the bottleneck is the 100 Mbps access ports connecting the workstations.
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.