Mobile laptop users in an office building report that as they walk from the hallway into a… — CompTIA Network+

Mobile laptop users in an office building report that as they walk from the hallway into an adjacent conference room, their devices maintain a weak Wi-Fi connection to the distant hallway access point (AP) rather than connecting to the closer AP inside the conference room. A site survey reveals that the hallway AP is transmitting at maximum power ( $20\text{ dBm}$ ), while client laptops transmit at standard power ( $13\text{ dBm}$ ). Which of the following actions will BEST resolve this sticky client issue and promote seamless roaming?

Reduce the transmit power of the hallway access point to align with client device capabilities.Answer
B
Configure both the hallway AP and the conference room AP to operate on channel 3 in the 2.4 GHz spectrum.
C
Configure client laptops to use APIPA IP addresses to force immediate wireless re-association.
D
Assign the conference room AP an IP address on a different subnet than its configured default gateway.

Answer

Reduce the transmit power of the hallway access point to align with client device capabilities.

When an access point operates at maximum transmit power, its signal reaches far beyond the range at which client devices can transmit back effectively. Client laptops perceive the high signal strength from the hallway AP and refuse to roam (known as the sticky client problem). Lowering the AP's transmit power balances the cell size with client capabilities, allowing clients to detect signal attenuation and roam cleanly to the nearer access point.

Step-by-Step Solution

Analyze the site survey transmit power metrics.

The hallway AP transmits at

20\text{ dBm}

, while clients transmit at

13\text{ dBm}

. This creates an asymmetric coverage cell where clients receive a strong signal from the hallway AP far beyond the range at which the AP can reliably hear the client.

Because the AP's signal remains strong from the client's perspective, the client device does not hit its roaming threshold to search for a closer AP.

Determine the corrective action to balance coverage cell boundaries.

Reducing the hallway AP's transmit power matches its cell boundary to typical client transmission limits.

Symmetrical cell boundaries allow client RSSI to drop naturally as devices move away, prompting the client to disassociate and roam to the conference room AP.

Key Concept

AP Transmit Power Mismatch and Sticky Client Troubleshooting

Question

Answer

Step-by-Step Solution

Key Concept

Common Mistakes

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