350-401 Question 164
Select 2A network engineer is troubleshooting a wireless network where users are experiencing poor connectivity and frequent disconnections. Upon investigation, the engineer finds that the RSSI is -85 dBm, the SNR is 5 dB, and there is significant interference from a nearby microwave oven operating on the same frequency band. What actions should the engineer take to improve wireless performance?
- A
Increase the RF power output of the access points.
- B
Move the wireless network to a different frequency band, such as 5 GHz.
- C
Add more access points to improve signal strength.
- D
Ensure the channels used by the wireless network are non-overlapping.
- E
Disable the affected SSID to reduce interference.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: B, D
Explanation
To address the poor connectivity, the root causes such as interference and poor SNR need to be mitigated. Moving to a different frequency band, like 5 GHz, avoids interference from devices like microwave ovens that operate in the 2.4 GHz range. Additionally, ensuring non-overlapping channels reduces interference between wireless devices, improving overall network performance. Increasing RF power or adding access points without addressing interference would not effectively solve the issue.
- A. Incorrect.
Increasing the RF power output may help in some cases, but it will not resolve the interference issue or significantly improve the SNR in this scenario. Additionally, increasing power could cause more interference in the environment.
- B. Correct.
Moving to a different frequency band, such as 5 GHz, can help mitigate the interference caused by the microwave oven, which typically operates on the 2.4 GHz band.
- C. Incorrect.
Adding more access points may improve signal strength, but it does not address the root cause of interference or poor SNR. Without addressing interference, the additional access points may not resolve the issue.
- D. Correct.
Ensuring non-overlapping channels is a best practice for wireless networks to minimize co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. This step can significantly improve wireless performance.
- E. Incorrect.
Disabling the affected SSID might reduce interference temporarily, but it is not a viable long-term solution and would reduce network availability for users.