FC0-U71 Infrastructure Practice Question
Which of the following is an example of a PAN (Personal Area Network) technology?
⚠ Common exam trap
FC0-U71 often tests the boundary between PAN, LAN, and WAN by offering familiar wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and cellular, hoping candidates confuse 'wireless' with 'personal area' and pick Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth.
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
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Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology designed to connect devices within a person's immediate vicinity (typically 10 meters or less), which is the defining characteristic of a Personal Area Network (PAN). It operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band using frequency-hopping spread spectrum and is used for peripherals like headsets, keyboards, and smartphones. This makes it the textbook example of PAN technology.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Bluetooth
Why this is correct
Bluetooth operates over short-range radio links, typically within ten metres, connecting personal devices such as headphones, keyboards and phones to one user's handset. This satisfies the PAN constraint of a single person's immediate workspace, unlike LAN or WAN technologies that span buildings or wider geographic areas.
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Cellular
Why it's wrong here
Cellular provides wide-area mobile connectivity through carrier networks, spanning kilometres rather than the metres a PAN covers. It is tempting because phones host personal hotspots, yet cellular itself is a WAN technology, correct when connectivity must extend beyond a single person's immediate devices.
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Wi-Fi
Why it's wrong here
Wi-Fi operates as a WLAN, connecting devices across a building through access points rather than the metres a PAN spans. Its ubiquity on personal devices makes it tempting, but Wi-Fi is the right answer when the scenario requires shared infrastructure and coverage beyond one person's immediate vicinity.
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Ethernet
Why it's wrong here
Ethernet is a wired LAN technology using switches and cabling to link many hosts across a site, exceeding PAN range. It is tempting because devices connect directly, yet Ethernet suits fixed office networks, not the short-range personal links between one person's phone, earbuds and watch.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.