220-1102 Question 602
Single answerWi-FiA small office recently replaced its wireless router. Since the change, several employees report that their laptops can see the company Wi-Fi network, but they receive an "Incorrect password" message when trying to join. The SSID and password have been verified as correct, and the laptops can still connect to a mobile hotspot without issue. When checking the new router, a technician notices it is configured for WPA3-Personal only. Which action is the BEST way to restore connectivity for the affected laptops while maintaining reasonable wireless security?
- A
Change the router to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode
- B
Disable Wi-Fi encryption temporarily to allow the laptops to connect
- C
Change the SSID to a different network name and reconnect the laptops
- D
Enable MAC filtering for the affected laptops
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario tests practical Wi-Fi troubleshooting. A common real-world issue after replacing an access point or router is enabling WPA3-Personal only, which can break connectivity for devices with older operating systems, drivers, or wireless chipsets. These clients may present vague messages such as "incorrect password" even though the passphrase is accurate. The best practice is to use WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode when legacy compatibility is needed, then update client hardware, drivers, or operating systems where possible. This aligns with vendor documentation from major wireless manufacturers and endpoint vendors, which commonly note that WPA3 requires client support and may need updated drivers or OS versions. For A+ Core 2, candidates should recognize that authentication errors are not always caused by bad credentials; they can also indicate mismatched wireless security settings.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Some older laptops and wireless adapters do not support WPA3-Personal, and they may misleadingly display an authentication or incorrect password error even when the credentials are correct. Setting the router to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode allows newer devices to use WPA3 while permitting legacy clients to connect with WPA2. This is a common compatibility solution that preserves better security than falling back to open Wi-Fi.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling encryption would reduce security significantly and expose company traffic to interception. It also does not address the likely root cause, which is client incompatibility with WPA3. In a business environment, removing encryption is not an appropriate troubleshooting fix except perhaps in a tightly controlled temporary test, and even then it would not be the best action.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Changing the SSID may force clients to treat the network as new and can help in cases involving corrupted saved profiles, but the scenario already states the password is verified and multiple laptops are affected after a router replacement. The more likely issue is the security mode mismatch, not the network name itself.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. MAC filtering controls which devices are permitted to associate based on hardware address, but it does not resolve authentication failures caused by unsupported security protocols. This option might seem useful for access control, but it is unrelated to the reported incorrect password symptom.