Question 568 of 750

Wireless Security Protocols →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

220-1202 Wireless Security Protocols Practice Question

This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of wireless security protocols. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A small business owner reports that after upgrading their wireless router to a newer model, several older laptops running Windows 7 can no longer connect to the Wi-Fi network. The new router is configured to use WPA3. What is the most likely reason for the connection failures?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

A
The laptops have outdated wireless drivers that do not support WPA3.
Correct. Older Windows 7 laptops typically lack WPA3 support in both drivers and OS, making them unable to authenticate with a WPA3-only network.
B
The router's firewall is blocking the older laptops' MAC addresses.
Why wrong: Incorrect. MAC address filtering is unrelated to the security protocol; if it were the issue, it would affect all devices, not just older ones.
C
The laptops are using an incompatible encryption cipher like TKIP.
Why wrong: Incorrect. While TKIP is outdated, WPA3 does not use it; the issue is the laptops' inability to negotiate WPA3 at all, not a cipher mismatch.
D
The router's SSID is hidden, and the laptops cannot discover it.
Why wrong: Incorrect. A hidden SSID would affect all devices equally, not specifically older ones, and is unrelated to the security protocol upgrade.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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The laptops have outdated wireless drivers that do not support WPA3.

WPA3 is a newer security protocol that requires both the router and the client device to support it. Older laptops running Windows 7 typically have wireless network adapters and drivers that were designed before WPA3 was standardized (2018), so they only support WPA2 or earlier protocols. Without updated drivers that include WPA3 support, these laptops cannot authenticate with the router, causing the connection failures.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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 laptops have outdated wireless drivers that do not support WPA3.
Why this is correct
Correct. Older Windows 7 laptops typically lack WPA3 support in both drivers and OS, making them unable to authenticate with a WPA3-only network.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The router's firewall is blocking the older laptops' MAC addresses.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. MAC address filtering is unrelated to the security protocol; if it were the issue, it would affect all devices, not just older ones.
✗
The laptops are using an incompatible encryption cipher like TKIP.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. While TKIP is outdated, WPA3 does not use it; the issue is the laptops' inability to negotiate WPA3 at all, not a cipher mismatch.
✗
The router's SSID is hidden, and the laptops cannot discover it.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. A hidden SSID would affect all devices equally, not specifically older ones, and is unrelated to the security protocol upgrade.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Cisco often tests the misconception that encryption ciphers (like TKIP) are the primary cause of incompatibility, when in fact the core issue is the security protocol version (WPA3 vs. WPA2) and the driver's lack of support for the new authentication handshake.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

WPA3 introduces the Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) handshake, replacing the Pre-Shared Key (PSK) method used in WPA2. Older wireless drivers that only implement the 4-way handshake of WPA2 cannot negotiate the SAE handshake, causing the connection to fail at the authentication stage. In practice, this is a common issue when upgrading to WPA3-only routers, as many legacy devices (including Windows 7 machines) lack driver updates for WPA3 support.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1202 question test?

Wireless Security Protocols — This question tests Wireless Security Protocols — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The laptops have outdated wireless drivers that do not support WPA3. — WPA3 is a newer security protocol that requires both the router and the client device to support it. Older laptops running Windows 7 typically have wireless network adapters and drivers that were designed before WPA3 was standardized (2018), so they only support WPA2 or earlier protocols. Without updated drivers that include WPA3 support, these laptops cannot authenticate with the router, causing the connection failures.

What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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