Question

You are working as a wireless networking technician and have been sent to a user's home to install a brand new 802.11ac wireless access point to replace their old access point. To ensure all of the current devices on the network will automatically connect to the new network, you set the SSID, encryption type, and password to the same ones as the existing access point. You turn the new access point on and notice most of the devices connect automatically, but one older wireless printer won't connect. You notice that the printer is about 7 years old, but the user says it has always worked great over the old wireless network. What is the MOST likely reason that the printer will not connect to the new access point?

a. The incorrect channel is configured on the access point
b. The wireless printer is configured with the wrong password
c. The transmit power on the access point is too low
d. The access point and the wireless printer have a frequency mismatch

Answer 1

The older wireless printer likely cannot connect to the new 802.11ac wireless access point due to a frequency mismatch, as the printer probably only supports the 2.4 GHz band while the new access point operates on the 5 GHz band.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely reason that the older wireless printer will not connect to the new access point is that there is a frequency mismatch. The new 802.11ac wireless access point operates primarily on the 5 GHz band, which is not supported by older devices that only work on the 2.4 GHz band. Since the printer is about 7 years old, it likely supports a previous standard like 802.11g or 802.11n that may not operate on the 5 GHz frequency. To resolve this issue, you should check if the new access point can operate on a dual-band mode that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, or consider getting a dual-band adapter for the printer.