Question

A user calls to report that she is experiencing intermittent problems while accessing the wireless network form her laptop computer. While talking to her, you discover that she is trying to work form the break room two floors above the floor where she normally works.
Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of her connectivity problem?

• The user has not yet rebooted her laptop computer while at her new location.
• The user needs a new IP address because she is working on a different floor.
• The wireless network access point on the user's normal floor has failed.
• The user is out of the effective range of the wireless access point on her floor.
• The user has not yet logged off and back on to the network while at her new location.

Answer 1

Answer:

The user is out of the effective range of the wireless access point on her floor.

Explanation:

This user is obviously not close to the access point. As help desk, if a user ever calls to complain about slow speeds or intermittent connectivity while trying to access the network, the first question that you should ask them is how far out are they from the modem or the Access Point. The location between her and the access point might affect the performance of the wireless network. Since she is working from the break room that is two floors above the floor where she normally works, then this means that the walls and ceilings will act as an obstruction to the Wi-Fi signal. The number of Walls and other obstacles will obviously affect the range of the Wi-Fi and will limit the signal’s effectiveness. I will advise the user to go back to her initial working area or be within range to the access point.