In diagnosing WAN issues, which device is typically located at the edge of the customer network and can cause an outage if faulty?

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Multiple Choice

In diagnosing WAN issues, which device is typically located at the edge of the customer network and can cause an outage if faulty?

In WAN troubleshooting, the device that sits at the boundary between the customer network and the service provider is the one that directly controls the WAN path. This is the Customer Edge router, which terminates the provider’s link and routes traffic between the internal LAN and the wide-area network. If this device fails or is misconfigured, no traffic can reach the provider, so Internet access for the whole site drops, regardless of the health of other devices. A firewall can be at the edge and, if faulty, could block traffic, but it isn’t inherently the device that establishes or maintains the WAN connection. An access point focuses on wireless client connectivity, and a switch handles internal LAN switching; neither alone governs the WAN path to the provider, so their failure is less likely to cause a complete WAN outage.

In WAN troubleshooting, the device that sits at the boundary between the customer network and the service provider is the one that directly controls the WAN path. This is the Customer Edge router, which terminates the provider’s link and routes traffic between the internal LAN and the wide-area network. If this device fails or is misconfigured, no traffic can reach the provider, so Internet access for the whole site drops, regardless of the health of other devices.

A firewall can be at the edge and, if faulty, could block traffic, but it isn’t inherently the device that establishes or maintains the WAN connection. An access point focuses on wireless client connectivity, and a switch handles internal LAN switching; neither alone governs the WAN path to the provider, so their failure is less likely to cause a complete WAN outage.

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