220-1101 Networking Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a small office network where users are reporting slow internet speeds. The network consists of a router connected to an unmanaged switch, and several workstations and printers connected to the switch. The technician notices that the cable connecting the router to the switch is a crossover cable. Both the router and the switch support Auto-MDI/X. Which of the following BEST describes the impact of using a crossover cable in this scenario?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume crossover cables always cause problems or must be replaced, ignoring that Auto-MDI/X (a standard feature on modern Gigabit devices) automatically compensates, so the cable type is not the root cause of the reported slow speeds.
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 crossover cable is not causing the issue; Auto-MDI/X will handle the connection properly
Both the router and the switch support Auto-MDI/X (Automatic Medium-Dependent Interface Crossover), which allows them to automatically detect and correct the signal pairing for either a straight-through or crossover cable. Therefore, the crossover cable does not cause connectivity or speed issues; the slow internet problem must be investigated elsewhere (e.g., bandwidth saturation, duplex mismatch, or faulty hardware).
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 crossover cable will prevent the devices from communicating because crossover cables are only used for connecting two similar devices directly
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because Auto-MDI/X (Automatic Medium-Dependent Interface Crossover) is built into virtually all modern Ethernet NICs and switches. When a crossover cable is used, the NICs automatically negotiate which pins are used for transmit and receive, compensating for the swapped pairs. The result is that a crossover cable will not block communication; it works identically to a straight-through cable on Auto-MDI/X-capable ports.
- ✗
The crossover cable is faulty and should be replaced with a straight-through cable
Why it's wrong here
There is no evidence pointing to a defective cable, and the mere fact that it is crossover does not make it faulty. If the cable is actually damaged (for example, a split pair or attenuation), it would cause errors and slow speed, but swapping it for a straight-through cable wouldn't fix the problem unless the straight-through cable tested good. The technician should first use a cable tester or swap in a known-good transient cable to isolate the issue.
- ✓
The crossover cable is not causing the issue; Auto-MDI/X will handle the connection properly
Why this is correct
Auto-MDI/X allows a device to automatically detect and configure the transmit and receive pairs on a twisted-pair connection, so the crossover cable is fully compatible with the network. Because both devices support this feature, the cable type is irrelevant, and the slow speeds must be traced to something else — such as network congestion, duplex mismatch, or a subtle cable discontinuity. This is the technically correct conclusion.
- ✗
The crossover cable should be replaced with a straight-through cable to achieve maximum throughput
Why it's wrong here
This misconception assumes that crossover cables are inherently slower than straight-through cables, but with Auto-MDI/X no speed difference exists; both are rated and operate at identical data rates. Replacing a crossover with a straight-through cable would not increase throughput, because the bottleneck is not the cable type. The technician should instead check for layer 1 issues like faulty termination or interference, or layer 2 issues like packet collisions.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 896 original 220-1101 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 220-1101 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.