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Difficulty: MediumWireless Networking Standards and Technologies

A network administrator installs new wireless access points in a warehouse facility and configures them to operate strictly in IEEE 802.11ac mode. Following the installation, existing inventory handheld scanners that only support the 2.4 GHz frequency band fail to detect or connect to the wireless network. Which of the following best explains why these handheld scanners are unable to connect to the new access points?

  1. IEEE 802.11ac operates exclusively in the 5 GHz frequency band, making it incompatible with 2.4 GHz-only client devices.Answer
  2. B
    IEEE 802.11ac requires 2.4 GHz non-overlapping channels 2, 4, and 8 to establish backwards-compatible handshakes.
  3. C
    The access points require a Layer 3 router to assign IP addresses via port 443 before 802.11ac client authentication can occur.
  4. D
    Handheld barcode scanners operating on 2.4 GHz automatically form a PAN topology and cannot communicate with LAN access points.

Answer

IEEE 802.11ac operates exclusively in the 5 GHz frequency band, making it incompatible with 2.4 GHz-only client devices.
The IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) wireless standard was designed to operate exclusively in the 5 GHz frequency spectrum to achieve high data throughput. Because access points configured strictly for 802.11ac do not broadcast on the 2.4 GHz frequency band, legacy client devices with 2.4 GHz-only wireless adapters cannot detect or connect to the network.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the operating requirements of the IEEE 802.11ac standard.
IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) broadcasts and operates solely within the 5 GHz frequency band.
Understanding standard frequency allocations is essential for troubleshooting client connectivity.
2
Compare the AP operational frequency with the handheld scanners' physical wireless radio limitations.
The handheld scanners possess 2.4 GHz radios and lack 5 GHz radio support.
Devices without a 5 GHz radio cannot hear or transmit frames on 5 GHz frequencies.
3
Determine the root cause of the connection failure.
The frequency band mismatch prevents the legacy 2.4 GHz scanners from associating with the 802.11ac access points.
Hardware frequency incompatibility prevents signal detection and network association.

Key Concept

802.11 Wireless Standards Frequency Band Compatibility
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Wireless Networking Standards and Technologies

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