A technician is troubleshooting intermittent wireless connectivity issues for laptops in a high-density office area. The laptops experience high packet loss and severe throughput degradation despite showing full signal strength for the corporate SSID. A wireless spectrum analysis reveals that three neighboring access points covering this workspace are configured to broadcast on 2.4 GHz channels 1, 3, and 5. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the network instability?
- Adjacent-channel interference resulting from overlapping frequencies on the 2.4 GHz spectrumAnswer
- BFailure of the local DNS server to lease IP addresses to wireless clients across the subnet
- CAutomatic assignment of APIPA self-assigned addresses due to an unreachable DHCP scope
- DUnlit network interface card link lights indicating a physical Layer 1 cable failure at the client laptops
Answer
Adjacent-channel interference resulting from overlapping frequencies on the 2.4 GHz spectrum
The correct answer identifies adjacent-channel interference on the 2.4 GHz band. Because 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels are 20-22 MHz wide and spaced only 5 MHz apart, channels 1, 3, and 5 overlap heavily in frequency. This creates severe RF interference and frame collisions, causing high packet loss and slow throughput even when signal strength (RSSI) is strong.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Non-Overlapping Channels and Interference
Estimated Time:2m 0s