Performance & Wireless Issues

Question 1

Congestion

Answer 1

Congestion → Occurs when too much traffic is sent across a network segment, causing slowdowns, dropped packets, and reduced performance.

Question 2

Bottlenecks

Answer 2

Bottlenecks → A point in the network where performance is limited, often causing users to say “the network is slow”; usually caused by overloaded links, old hardware, or insufficient bandwidth.

Question 3

Bandwidth

Answer 3

Bandwidth → The maximum data capacity of a connection, measured in bits per second, representing how much data can theoretically be sent at once.

Question 4

Throughput

Answer 4

Throughput → The actual amount of data successfully transmitted over a network, usually lower than the maximum bandwidth due to overhead and congestion.

Question 5

Latency

Answer 5

Latency → The time it takes for data to travel from source to destination, often measured in milliseconds; high latency causes slow responses in applications.

Question 6

Packet Loss

Answer 6

Packet Loss → When transmitted packets never reach their destination, often due to congestion, interference, or bad cabling, resulting in slow or unreliable communication.

Question 7

Jitter

Answer 7

Jitter → Variability in packet arrival times, often caused by congestion or interference; heavily affects voice, video, and real-time applications.

Question 8

Wireless Interference

Answer 8

Wireless Interference → Disruptions caused by other Wi-Fi networks, microwaves, Bluetooth, cordless phones, or physical barriers that weaken or distort wireless signals.

Question 9

Managing Wi-Fi Channel Usage

Answer 9

Managing Wi-Fi Channel Usage → Optimize wireless performance by disabling legacy low-speed support, checking for channel conflicts, using automatic channel selection, adjusting access point power, and splitting coverage with multiple access points.

Question 10

Insufficient Wireless Coverage

Answer 10

Insufficient Wireless Coverage → Occurs when access points are spread too far apart or blocked by obstacles; fixed by conducting site surveys with heat maps to measure signal strength.

Question 11

Client Disassociation Issues

Answer 11

Client Disassociation Issues → When a wireless client unexpectedly disconnects due to weak signals, interference, power saving features, or access point misconfiguration.

Question 12

Roaming Misconfiguration

Answer 12

Roaming Misconfiguration → When wireless clients fail to move smoothly between access points because roaming thresholds, transmit power, or access point settings are not properly aligned.