220-1102 Question 616
Single answerLimited internet connectivityA support technician is troubleshooting a user's Windows 11 laptop. The user reports that web pages either do not load or only some sites work, but Microsoft Teams chat still connects intermittently. The laptop shows it is connected to the office Wi-Fi. The technician runs ipconfig and sees a valid IPv4 address, subnet mask, and default gateway, but no DNS servers are listed. Other users on the same Wi-Fi can browse normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the limited internet connectivity?
- A
The laptop has an incorrect DNS configuration, preventing name resolution
- B
The wireless access point is offline and the laptop is using a cached connection
- C
The default gateway on the laptop is unreachable because the NIC has no IP address
- D
The ISP is down for the entire office, causing partial connectivity
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical troubleshooting of limited internet connectivity by interpreting client network settings. In Windows, a system can appear connected to Wi-Fi and still have limited access if key TCP/IP settings are missing or incorrect. A valid IP address and default gateway indicate the client is connected to the local network and likely received at least partial DHCP information. However, missing DNS servers prevents normal hostname resolution, which is required for most web browsing and many internet-based services. Best practice is to verify the adapter's IPv4 settings, confirm whether DNS should be obtained automatically via DHCP, and test with tools such as ipconfig /all, ping by IP address, and nslookup. Microsoft documentation and standard TCP/IP troubleshooting methodology support checking IP addressing, gateway, and DNS in that order when diagnosing limited connectivity.
- A. Correct.
Correct. If the system has a valid IPv4 address and default gateway but no DNS servers configured, the client may still have limited network communication by IP address while failing to resolve hostnames. This commonly causes symptoms where some applications appear to work intermittently, especially if they use cached connections or previously resolved addresses, while web browsing to named sites fails.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. If the wireless access point were offline, the laptop would not normally maintain an active connection to the office Wi-Fi in a usable state, and other users on the same Wi-Fi would likely also be affected. The scenario specifically states that other users can browse normally, which points away from an access point outage.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The scenario explicitly states that ipconfig shows a valid IPv4 address, so the NIC does have an IP configuration. Also, if the default gateway were unreachable, the issue would be broader than simple hostname resolution and would more likely affect all off-subnet traffic, not just named internet resources.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. If the ISP were down for the entire office, other users on the same network would also be experiencing internet issues. The fact that other users can browse normally indicates the problem is isolated to this laptop rather than the external internet connection.