CompTIA Network+ (N10-008) — Question 735

A customer is having issues accessing local resources on the network. A technician questions the user and discovers that a small switch had been taken out of storage and installed so that additional devices could be connected in the room. The technician runs the ping command from the PC to the network server and does not find any issues. However, data transfers to the server are slow, and the transfer appears to be locked up at times. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the issue?

Answer options

Correct answer: A

Explanation

A duplexing mismatch can lead to issues with data transfer speeds and can cause the connection to freeze intermittently, as it prevents devices from communicating effectively. The other options, such as reversed TX/RX pinouts or cable crosstalk, could cause connectivity issues, but they are less likely to result in the specific symptoms of slow and inconsistent data transfers observed in this scenario.