Which of the following describes a disadvantage of 802.11 as noted?

• A. Disadvantages: security is lax and bandwidth suffers with more connections
• B. It uses copper cabling
• C. It requires licensed spectrum
• D. It has unlimited bandwidth

Answer: (A)

Wireless networks like 802.11 rely on a shared radio channel in unlicensed spectrum, so two common drawbacks come into play. First, security can be lax because wireless signals travel through the air and can be intercepted by anyone in range; while encryption and better configurations help, the medium’s openness makes passive eavesdropping and access harder to prevent compared with wired networks. Second, bandwidth is shared among all devices on the same channel, so as more connections occur, the available airtime per device shrinks and throughput drops due to contention and backoff mechanisms. This combination—easier access for potential eavesdroppers and reduced efficiency as more devices contend for the same medium—captures the described disadvantage. The other statements don’t fit because 802.11 does not use copper cabling (that’s wired Ethernet), it does not require licensed spectrum (it uses unlicensed bands), and its bandwidth is not unlimited—it’s finite and degrades with interference and more users.