N10-009 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) Practice Question
An organization wants to deploy Wi-Fi in a large, open office space. They need high throughput and the ability to support many simultaneous clients, but they are budget-constrained. Which IEEE wireless standard should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may assume that newer is always better and choose 802.11ax, but the budget constraint makes 802.11ac the more practical and cost-effective option for high throughput and many simultaneous clients.
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
✓
802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) is the best choice for this scenario because it offers high throughput (up to 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band) and supports MU-MIMO (downlink) for handling multiple clients simultaneously, all at a lower cost than 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). Since the organization is budget-constrained, 802.11ac provides a good balance of performance and affordability for a dense open office environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
Why this is correct
Correct. 802.11ac provides high throughput and supports many clients with MU-MIMO, at a lower cost than 802.11ax, making it ideal for budget-constrained dense deployments.
- ✗
802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Although 802.11ax offers better performance with OFDMA and uplink MU-MIMO, it is typically more expensive, which conflicts with the budget constraint.
- ✗
802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) is older and offers lower maximum throughput (up to 600 Mbps) and less efficient client handling compared to 802.11ac.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization needs to upgrade from legacy equipment on a very tight budget, requires basic Wi-Fi coverage for a small number of clients, and does not need high throughput or support for many simultaneous devices.
- ✗
802.11b (Wi-Fi 1)
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 802.11b is an old standard with very low throughput (up to 11 Mbps) and no support for high-density scenarios.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization needs to connect legacy devices that only support 802.11b, or they require maximum range in a low-data-rate application (e.g., IoT sensors) and are operating on a minimal budget.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The N10-009 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Correct. 802.11ac provides high throughput and supports many clients with MU-MIMO, at a lower cost than 802.11ax, making it ideal for budget-constrained dense deployments.
✗802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) is outdated and offers lower throughput (up to 600 Mbps) and less efficient handling of many simultaneous clients compared to 802.11ax, which is designed for high-density environments.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization needs to upgrade from legacy equipment on a very tight budget, requires basic Wi-Fi coverage for a small number of clients, and does not need high throughput or support for many simultaneous devices.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may recall that 802.11n was a significant improvement over older standards and assume it is sufficient for modern needs, not realizing that 802.11ax offers much better performance in dense environments.
✗802.11b (Wi-Fi 1)Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
802.11b (Wi-Fi 1) offers a maximum data rate of only 11 Mbps and supports very few simultaneous clients, making it unsuitable for high throughput and dense client environments.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization needs to connect legacy devices that only support 802.11b, or they require maximum range in a low-data-rate application (e.g., IoT sensors) and are operating on a minimal budget.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly think older standards are cheaper and sufficient for basic connectivity, overlooking the throughput and client capacity requirements specified in the question.
Analysis generated from the official N10-009blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Wireless Roaming: BSS, ESS, and Fast Roaming
Key term
Throughput
Throughput is the rate at which data is successfully transferred from one point to another over a network, typically measured in bits per second.
Key term
Multiple Input Multiple Output
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) is a wireless technology that uses multiple antennas at both the sender and receiver to increase data throughput and connection reliability without needing more bandwidth or power.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every N10-009 question from scratch — 472 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This N10-009 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 N10-009 exam.