easyMultiple Choice
220-1102 Practice Question: A small business owner reports that after…
A small business owner reports that after upgrading their wireless router to a newer model, their older laptops running Windows 7 cannot connect to the Wi-Fi network. The new router is configured with WPA3-Personal. Which of the following is the most likely reason for the connectivity failure?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that older Windows 7 laptops can connect to any Wi-Fi network as long as they have the password, but the trap here is that WPA3 requires both hardware and driver-level support, which legacy adapters lack.
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 laptops' wireless adapters do not support WPA3.
WPA3-Personal is a newer wireless security protocol that requires hardware support in the wireless adapter. Older laptops running Windows 7 typically have legacy wireless adapters that only support WPA2 or earlier protocols. Since the router is configured to use WPA3 only, the laptops' adapters cannot negotiate a connection, resulting in failure.
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 router's SSID is hidden.
Why it's wrong here
A hidden SSID still permits association when the network name is entered manually, and Windows 7 handles hidden networks without issue, so it does not explain the failure. Hiding the SSID would be the likely cause only if clients could see the network but failed to join after manual configuration.
- ✓
The laptops' wireless adapters do not support WPA3.
Why this is correct
WPA3-Personal mandates SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals), a handshake older wireless adapters lack firmware support for. Windows 7 laptops with legacy 802.11n chipsets cannot negotiate SAE, so association fails against the WPA3-only router. This directly satisfies the stem's constraint: the router was upgraded to WPA3-Personal, and the older hardware predates that standard.
- ✗
The router is broadcasting on a 5 GHz band only.
Why it's wrong here
Windows 7 laptops can join 5 GHz networks provided their wireless adapters support the band, so band selection alone does not explain the failure; the WPA3-Personal configuration is the actual blocker. 5 GHz-only broadcasting would be the answer if the adapters were confirmed single-band 2.4 GHz hardware.
- ✗
The laptops have incorrect DNS settings.
Why it's wrong here
DNS resolves hostnames to IP addresses and plays no part in the WPA3-Personal authentication and key-exchange handshake, so incorrect DNS settings cannot prevent association with the access point. It is tempting because DNS misconfiguration does cause connectivity symptoms, but only after a client has already joined the wireless network.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Browser Security Settings and Add-ons
Key term
Wi-Fi Protected Access
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a security standard designed to secure wireless networks by encrypting data and controlling access, replacing the older and less secure WEP standard.
Key term
Wi-Fi Protected Setup
A network security feature designed to simplify the process of connecting devices to a Wi-Fi network by using a push button or PIN instead of entering the full password.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 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 220-1202 exam.