Objective 5.4

Question 1

What happens when too many users or devices attempt to use the network at the same time?
- Bottlenecking
- Jitter
- Congestion/Contention
- Packet loss

Answer 1

Congestion/Contention | Practical Use: Too many students streaming videos on school Wi-Fi at once. | Explanation: Congestion occurs when demand exceeds capacity. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: How can QoS reduce congestion?

Question 2

What is bottlenecking in a network?
- DHCP pool exhaustion
- A switch in blocking state
- Duplicate IP addresses
- The slowest part of the network limiting overall performance

Answer 2

The slowest part of the network limiting overall performance | Practical Use: A 100 Mbps uplink slowing a gigabit LAN. | Explanation: Bottlenecks restrict throughput by limiting capacity. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: How can you identify a network bottleneck?

Question 3

What does bandwidth represent in a network?
- Actual throughput achieved
- Maximum data transfer rate of a connection
- Variability in packet arrival
- Latency

Answer 3

Maximum data transfer rate of a connection | Practical Use: A 1 Gbps internet line. | Explanation: Bandwidth is the theoretical maximum speed. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: How is bandwidth different from throughput?

Question 4

What is throughput capacity?
- The maximum possible bandwidth
- The actual rate of data successfully transmitted
- The speed of light in fiber
- The size of IP address pools

Answer 4

The actual rate of data successfully transmitted | Practical Use: A gigabit connection delivering only 600 Mbps due to congestion. | Explanation: Throughput shows real-world performance, not theoretical max. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: What factors reduce throughput compared to bandwidth?

Question 5

What is latency in networking?
- Variability of packet arrival
- Time delay for data to travel from source to destination
- Loss of packets during transmission
- Speed of fiber optics

Answer 5

Time delay for data to travel from source to destination | Practical Use: Lag when gaming due to high ping times. | Explanation: Latency slows down real-time communications. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: What can increase network latency?

Question 6

What happens when data packets fail to reach their destination?
- Congestion
- Latency
- Jitter
- Packet loss

Answer 6

Packet loss | Practical Use: Dropped VoIP calls. | Explanation: Lost packets lead to retransmissions and degraded performance. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: How can faulty cabling contribute to packet loss?

Question 7

What is jitter in networking?
- Variability in packet arrival times
- The maximum data transfer rate
- A network bottleneck
- Loss of packets during transmission

Answer 7

Variability in packet arrival times | Practical Use: Choppy video in Zoom meetings. | Explanation: Jitter affects quality of real-time communication. | Objective: 5.4 – Performance issues | Follow-up Question: How does QoS reduce jitter in VoIP?

Question 8

What causes wireless interference?
- Overlapping signals from devices or obstructions
- Packet fragmentation
- Misconfigured routing tables
- Incorrect VLAN assignment

Answer 8

Overlapping signals from devices or obstructions | Practical Use: Microwave ovens disrupting Wi-Fi. | Explanation: Interference reduces signal quality and reliability. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: What’s one way to reduce wireless interference?

Question 9

What happens when wireless channels overlap?
- Packet loss is eliminated
- DHCP pools exhaust
- VLANs stop working
- Increased interference and reduced throughput

Answer 9

Increased interference and reduced throughput | Practical Use: Two APs using channel 6 in the same area. | Explanation: Overlapping channels degrade performance. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: Which 2.4 GHz channels don’t overlap?

Question 10

What is wireless signal degradation?
- Port suspension
- Jitter increase
- Weakening of signal due to distance or obstacles
- Duplicate IP address

Answer 10

Weakening of signal due to distance or obstacles | Practical Use: Weak Wi-Fi at the far end of an office. | Explanation: Signal degradation reduces reliability and speed. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: How can repeaters help reduce signal degradation?

Question 11

What issue results from insufficient wireless coverage?
- Dead zones where users cannot connect
- Increased bandwidth
- VLAN assignment problems
- Lower latency

Answer 11

Dead zones where users cannot connect | Practical Use: No Wi-Fi signal in building corners. | Explanation: Poor coverage prevents reliable connectivity. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: How does a site survey help identify coverage gaps?

Question 12

What are client disassociation issues?
- Duplicate IP addresses
- Incorrect default gateway
- Frequent disconnections from the wireless network
- VLAN loops

Answer 12

Frequent disconnections from the wireless network | Practical Use: Laptop constantly disconnects from Wi-Fi. | Explanation: Client disassociation causes unstable connectivity. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: What can cause frequent client disassociation?

Question 13

What happens if roaming is misconfigured in wireless networks?
- Lower packet loss
- Slow or failed handoffs between access points
- Elimination of jitter
- Increased VLANs

Answer 13

Slow or failed handoffs between access points | Practical Use: Smartphone dropping calls while moving across offices. | Explanation: Roaming misconfigurations disrupt seamless connectivity. | Objective: 5.4 – Wireless issues | Follow-up Question: What’s one way to optimize roaming?