Cisco CCNA (200-301)Network FundamentalsMedium
A wireless engineer configures an access point to use 40 MHz channel bonding in the 5 GHz band to increase throughput. What is a direct consequence of this configuration?
- AThe number of available non-overlapping channels decreases because pairs of 20 MHz channels are combined
- BThe number of available non-overlapping channels in the deployment increases
- CThe AP's transmit power automatically doubles to compensate for wider channels
- DThe AP switches from 802.11ac to 802.11b to support the wider channel
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The number of available non-overlapping channels decreases because pairs of 20 MHz channels are combined
Channel bonding combines two adjacent 20 MHz channels into a single 40 MHz channel to increase throughput, but this reduces the total number of independent non-overlapping channels available in a given band, which can increase co-channel interference in dense deployments.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Bonding reduces, not increases, the count of independent channels.
- C. Transmit power is unrelated to channel width and is not automatically doubled.
- D. Channel bonding is a feature of 802.11n/ac/ax, not a reason to downgrade standards.
5 GHz Channel Bonding
Channel bonding combines two or more adjacent 20 MHz channels (e.g., into 40, 80, or 160 MHz) to boost throughput at the cost of fewer available non-overlapping channels.
- Increases throughput but increases interference risk
- Reduces total independent channel count in a band
- Common in 802.11n/ac/ax for higher-speed WLANs
Memory trick: Wider lanes on the highway mean fewer separate roads.