Comptia A+ Core 1 Chapter 1

Types of Batteries in Laptop

Lithium-Ion (Li-ion)

Lithium-Ion Poylmer (LiPo)

Why are lithium batteries used in laptops

Before we had something called a memory effect happen in batteries where repeated partial charging would leave the battery at a lower max capacity then it previously had

How are batteries built into laptops

Some are very modular, easy to be replaced, while others are built into the laptop, and have to completely take apart the laptop just to replace the battery.

Most used part of laptop / most likely to be replaced

Keyboard

How to troubleshoot laptop keyboard

Plug in external USB keyboard

How to usually easily replace laptop keynoard

Take out a few screws and unplug a single ribbon cable

Laptop keycaps vs mechanical keyboard key caps

Laptop keycaps are much more fragile

What modular memory is used in laptops

Small Outline Dual In-Line Memory Module (SO-DIMM)

Generally how to replace modular memory in laptop

Open window in back of laptop, remove/add memory in slots, push down to lock clips

Is memory in laptops always easy to replace

No, sometimes may be soldered to system board, requiring a full system board replacement to replace

What storage drives are used in laptops

Magnetic Disk → 2.5 inch form factor, spinning disk

SSD → all memory, no moving disks, 2.5 inch form factors

M.2 → is an SSD but faster smaller form factor, no power cables, easy to replace

What are the pros of SSD

Silent, fast access time, less latency

How to migrate from HDD to SSD

Slow option → install the OS on the SSD then manually copy everything from the HDD to the SDD

Faster option → Clone the HDD onto the SSD using software (includes OS)

802.11 cards in laptops

Mini PCI or Mini PCI express

What is 802.11

WiFi, LAN

What is Bluetooth, what does it offer, what does it do

Personal area network (PAN)
Short Range

Connect peripherals and other nearby devices

Atennas in Laptops, what are they used for, where are they located

Laptop has attenas that connect to system board or individual 802.11/bluetooth cards.

There are mutltiple different antennas, used for wifi, aux, and bluetooth.

The attennas wrap around the laptop display screen.

Biometrics

Sign in feature using fingerprint or face recognition.

What is NFC, what is an example, what is the distance

Near-Field Communication

Example: apple pay

4 cm or less

Where often is webcam + mic on keyboard

Above screen in middle, microphones on the sides of webcam

USB, what does it stand for

Universal Serial Bus

What type of plug is this

USB Micro B Plug or microUSB

What type of plug is this

USB Mini B Plug or miniUSB

What type of plug is this

USB Type A Plug or just USB

USB-C # of pins

24 pins

What are the profs of USB-C

It can transmit more signals, such as HDMI, DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt

Reversible (doesn’t matter which way u plug it in)

Lightning Connection, what is it, how many pins

Made by apple for IPhones and IPads

Has 8-pins

What are the advantages for lightning over micro-usb

Higher power output, simpler design, easier to be inserted

Hotspot, what is it

Using a mobile device as an internet router, where many people are connected to it

Tethering, what is it

Using a mobile device as an internet router for only ONE other device

Before removing a battery from a laptop, what should you do

Turn off the laptop, unplug the power cord from the laptop

How to troubleshoot/inspect battery help

• Use of software (not really needed to known)

• Checking for physical damage or wear

• Test by swapping two batteries

• Seeing if battery charge doesn’t last as long as it did before

How to inspect/troubleshoot keyboard keyboard

• check for warn or damaged keys

• Make sure no spills/debris between keys

• Verify ribbon cable is connected

• Use of software

How to monitor/troubleshoot ram

• Software (Don’t need to know specifics)

• Physical inspection

• If things aren’t loading as fast as they used to

How do you connect drives (only HDDs and SSDs) in laptops, what do you use internally, what about externally

Internally → SATA connectors

Externally → eSATA connectors

How to replace drives

• If modular, there will be an access point, just unscrewing access point, connecting unscrewing old drive, screwing in new drive

• If not modular, you will have to take the entire back of the laptop off

Warning/monitoring signs for drives

• Software (Not Needed)

• Clicking sound coming from drive

• Decreasing reading/writing speed

• Temps

Difference between PCI and PCIe

PCIe is the more modern and faster version

What are examples of things NFC is used for

Payments

Data Transfer
Access Control

What is NIC, what does it do

Network Interface Card

Component responsible for handling network connections in a computer

Label the 4 parts of the TRRS connector

What does TRRS stand for, what is it used for commonly, what is another name for it, what are the dimensions

TRRS = Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleeve

Its commonly used for headsets

Another name for it is an analog audio jack

Dimensions are 3.5 mm

What is a Docking Station

Quick thing you would plug your laptop into, where you could leave all your peripherals plugged into, so you don’t have to keep plugging and unplugging peripherals 

What is a port replicator

Similar to a docking station, but connects via usb

Difference between port replicator and docking station

Docking station connects to entire laptop, port replicator is connected just via usb

What USB types are there from newest to oldest

USB-C
USB or USB Type A
microUSB
miniUSB

What does PAN stand for

Personal Area Network

Activs vs Passive Stylus

Active Stylus includes extra components, like pressure sensitivity

Passive stylus → simple stylus, just acts as a finger

What is a track point or pointing stick

Its a joystick like device embedded in keyboard used to control the cursor

3G, when was it introduced, what was the average speeds of it, what new functions did it allow for

Introduced in 1998

Average speeds were several megabits per second

Allowed for GPS, mobile television, video on demand, video conferencing

4G and LTE, what does LTE stand for, what was the average download speed, what was it based on, what new features did it allow for

LTE stands for Long Term Evolution

Based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution)

Supports download rates of 150 Mbit/s

High-Definition Video Streaming, Online Gaming

LTE-A, what are the average download speeds

300 Mbit/s

5G, when was it introduced, what were the average speeds, what were the highest speeds, what features did it allow for

Introduced in 2020

Average speeds of 100-900 Mbit/s

Highest speeds of 10 Gbit/s

Augmented Reality, Smart Cities, Autonomous Vehicles, Ultra-High-Definition Video Streaming 

IoT, what does it stand for

Internet of Things

SIM, what does it stand for, what is it, what data does it have

SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module

Is a tiny physical card inside the mobile device

Contains info such as SIM ID, phone #, Cellular network info, and storage

eSIM, what does it stand for, can you transfer it to another phone, how

eSIM → embedded SIM, often soldered onto the device’s motherboard

You can transfer it to another phone using software

Can devices sometimes hold multiple SIMs

Yes

What is the bluetooth pairing process

1. Enable bluetooth on both devices

2. Set devices to dfiscoverable mode

3. Select dicovered device

4. Enter or confirm PIN

GPS, what does it stand for, who was it created by, how many satellites help use it, how many satellites are needed, 

Stands for Global Positioning System

30 Satellites in orbit

Need to see 4 satellites to use properly

MDM, what does it stand for, what does it allow you to do

Stands for Mobile Device Management

Software that allows to manage devices within an organization/company

BYOD, what does it stand for

Bring Your Own Device

COPE, what does it stand for, what does it mean

COPE → Corporate owned, personally enabled

Company owns the device, lets employees use device

CYOD, what does it stand for, in what is it connected to

CYOD → Choose your own device

Connected to COPE, company owns device, but employee gets to pick the device they want to use

What frequency bands does WiFi connect over

2.4 GHz and 5GHz

Cellular Location Services, How do they work, what do they do

They use cell tower triangulation to estimate location

What is more precise, GPS or Cellular Location Services

GPS

What is containerization

Separating corporate data from personal data.

Bulk Enrollment, what does it mean

Easily enroll multiple devices into the MDM system using some software

APP Synchronization

Synchronizing data across multiple devices (Like emails and calendar is the same across devices) 

What does WAP stand for

Wireless Access Point