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Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Performance

You’ll be able to

Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Performance

Bandwidth is capacity, throughput is achieved data rate, latency is delay, jitter is delay variation, and loss is missing data. Ethernet and Wi-Fi share local access but behave differently: switches forward frames by MAC address, while wireless clients share radio spectrum and face interference.

Decision lens

Strong technical decisions connect evidence → mechanism → impact → response. Identify what the evidence shows, explain the system behavior that produced it, state the likely effect on people or data, and choose a response that addresses the cause without creating unnecessary disruption.

Worked example

A video call uses only 3 Mbps on a 200 Mbps connection but freezes whenever a microwave runs.

  1. 1.Raw bandwidth is sufficient.
  2. 2.Radio interference can cause retries, loss, and jitter.
  3. 3.Compare wired and wireless tests near the same time.
  4. 4.Change channel or band, improve access-point placement, or use Ethernet for the call.
Answer: The evidence points to wireless quality, not insufficient advertised internet bandwidth.
Checkpoint

Which measure describes variation in packet delay?

Checkpoint

Which response best demonstrates complete reasoning about local media, switching, and performance measures?

On the exam

For a scenario about local media, switching, and performance measures, identify the decisive evidence before naming a response. A defensible conclusion here is: The evidence points to wireless quality, not insufficient advertised internet bandwidth.

Answer the 2 checkpoints as you read.

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