220-1101 IP address conflict Practice Question
A small office network uses a router with DHCP enabled (192.168.1.0/24). A technician configures a network printer with a static IP address of 192.168.1.150, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1. Workstations on the same subnet can ping the router (192.168.1.1) and other workstations, but cannot ping the printer. The printer can ping its own IP and the router. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume a printer that can ping its gateway must be fully reachable, but they overlook that IP conflicts cause asymmetric or failed communication only from other hosts, not from the device itself.
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 printer's static IP address is within the DHCP scope and conflicts with a lease assigned to another device.
The printer's static IP address 192.168.1.150 falls within the DHCP scope (192.168.1.0/24). If the DHCP server has already leased that address to another device, a conflict occurs. The printer can ping its own IP and the router because its local stack and gateway are configured correctly, but workstations cannot reach it because the router's ARP table or the switch may map the IP to the wrong MAC address, or the conflicting device actively responds to ARP requests, causing communication failures.
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 printer's static IP address is within the DHCP scope and conflicts with a lease assigned to another device.
Why this is correct
An IP conflict can cause packets to be sent to the wrong device, making the printer unreachable even though its settings are valid.
- ✗
The printer's default gateway is set incorrectly.
Why it's wrong here
The printer can ping the router, so the gateway setting is correct.
- ✗
The printer's subnet mask is incorrect.
Why it's wrong here
If the subnet mask were wrong, the printer would likely fail to communicate with the router.
- ✗
The switch port the printer is connected to is malfunctioning.
Why it's wrong here
A malfunctioning switch port would prevent the printer from communicating with any device, including the router.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Command Tools: ping, ipconfig, nslookup, tracert
Key term
Media Access Control
Media Access Control (MAC) is a sublayer of the Data Link Layer in networking that controls how devices on the same network share access to the physical medium and uniquely identifies each device with a hardware address.
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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.