220-1101 - Networking (20% of the exam) - Section 2.2

Compare and contrast common networking hardware, including routers, switches, access points, firewalls, and the difference between managed and unmanaged devices.

Distinguish the role of a router, switch, access point, and firewall, and recognise where a hub differs from a switch in how it forwards traffic. Compare managed and unmanaged switches, identify Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices and injectors, and place specialty appliances such as patch panels and cable modems in a small-office topology.

Router vs switchAccess pointPower over EthernetPatch panel

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleNetworkingmedium

Priya is mounting a wireless access point on the ceiling of a conference room that has a single Ethernet drop but no mains power outlet nearby. Which approach delivers both data and electrical power to the access point over that one cable run?

AConnect the access point to an unmanaged switch and run a separate USB cable up to the ceiling for its power.
BFit an inline media converter at the wall jack so it boosts the signal and also supplies power to the unit.
CUse a KVM extender on the drop to carry keyboard, video, and power up to the mounted access point.
DTerminate the drop into a Power over Ethernet switch port so power and data travel together on the one Ethernet cable. Correct

Power over Ethernet delivers both data and electrical power to a device such as an access point over a single Ethernet cable. PoE injects DC power onto the same twisted-pair conductors that carry Ethernet data, letting a switch or injector power a remote device like a ceiling access point that has no local mains outlet.

Why A is wrong: Tempting because USB does carry power, but a USB run cannot reach a ceiling device reliably and does not solve powering the unit over the existing Ethernet drop.

Why B is wrong: A media converter changes the transmission medium, such as copper to fibre, and does not inject electrical power into the link.

Why C is wrong: A KVM extender stretches keyboard, video, and mouse signals for a workstation and has nothing to do with powering an access point.

Why D is correct: A PoE switch port carries data and DC power on the same twisted-pair cable, which is exactly how a ceiling access point with no outlet is fed.

See more 220-1101 practice questions, answers explained.

Exam traps in Networking

Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the 220-1101 bank for this domain.

Swap the patch cable for a thicker Cat 6a lead, because higher-grade cabling can carry mains voltage to the AP.
Why it is wrong: Cable grade affects bandwidth and crosstalk, not power delivery; upgrading the lead tempts candidates who conflate cable category with the ability to source power, but nothing injects voltage.
Quality of Service, which reserves cable bandwidth so the access point receives enough throughput for connected clients
Why it is wrong: QoS prioritises traffic types on a network but delivers no electrical power at all, so it cannot energise a remote access point.
An unmanaged switch, which forwards frames inside one broadcast domain but does not move packets between IP subnets.
Why it is wrong: A switch connects hosts and looks like the answer for LAN traffic, but it operates within a single subnet and has no ability to forward between the two different networks.

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