Two student laptops in a campus lounge pass files straight to each other, and no access point takes part in the exchange. Which wireless arrangement is that?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Two people handing a folder across a table do not need the front desk in the middle. You are looking at an ad hoc wireless network: the laptops talk directly, and no access point is part of the exchange. Infrastructure mode, even with the access point hidden, or a bridge between buildings, inserts a structure this lounge session does not have.
Full Explanation
An ad hoc wireless network is formed by the stations themselves. The laptops pass files with no access point in the path. Infrastructure mode requires each client to associate to an access point. The stem says no access point takes part. Hiding the access point is the tempting twin because the network name disappears. The access point is still in the path, and this exchange has none. A building bridge links two sites with dedicated radios. Two laptops in one lounge are not that bridge. Exam caveat: ad hoc also removes the controls that usually live on the access point, including enterprise authentication. Operational check: confirm the wireless mode is ad hoc, confirm no access-point name is part of the association, and confirm the copy succeeds with the lounge access points powered off. Record the reading before the change and the reading after it so the next shift can see the symptom actually moved. Leave both readings in the ticket with the time, and do not close the item on a guess.