Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingNetworking FundamentalsHard

A network administrator is implementing a new wireless network that needs to support very high throughput, operate exclusively in the 5 GHz band to avoid congestion from older devices, and utilize advanced features like MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) for improved efficiency with multiple clients. Which Wi-Fi standard should be chosen?

  1. A802.11ax
  2. B802.11ac
  3. C802.11n
  4. D802.11g
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. 802.11ac

802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) operates exclusively in the 5 GHz band, supports very high throughput (gigabit speeds), and introduced MU-MIMO (downlink only) to efficiently communicate with multiple clients simultaneously.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) also meets these criteria and is newer, but 802.11ac is the first standard to introduce these specific features of 5 GHz exclusive operation and MU-MIMO for high throughput.
  • C. 802.11n operates in both 2.4/5 GHz and uses MIMO, but not MU-MIMO and typically not gigabit speeds.
  • D. 802.11g operates only in 2.4 GHz and has much lower speeds (54 Mbps).

802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)

An IEEE standard for wireless local area networks, also known as Wi-Fi 5, designed for high-throughput data transfer in the 5 GHz frequency band.

  • Operates exclusively in the 5 GHz frequency band.
  • Introduced MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) for downlink.
  • Offers theoretical maximum data rates up to several Gbps.
  • Utilizes wider channels (up to 160 MHz) and higher-density modulation.

Memory trick: AC for 'Accelerated' and 'Advanced' wireless.

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