CompTIA A+ 1101 Unit 1

What material are laptop batteries usually made from?

Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Ion Polymer

What happens to a battery when it is charged?

The more a battery is charged, the more the battery capacity diminishing

which is why batteries need to be replaced after many years

What is the most used component of a laptop?

Keyboard

What do you do if a keyboard is small and has less space for different keyboard keys?

You use the function keys to access the ones that are not physically located on the board

What is memory?

Refers to the component that all programs are executed through and where data is temporarily stored while in use. It directly affects the performance and speed of a laptop.

What are the different storage disk types?

Magnetic disks (spinning drives)

SSD (Solid State Drive)

M.2

What types of laptops are magnetic disks located on?

older laptops

what type of laptops are ssd and m.2 drives located on?

newer laptops

Describe magnetic disks

low device cost

high capacity

low performance

Describe SSDs

silent

fast access time

less latency

easier to upgrade

relatively high cost

high performance

lower capacity in comparison to magnetic drives

Describe M.2

smaller form factor

no SATA data or power cables

easy to install and replace

how can you migrate from HDD to SSD?

1. Install an OS on the SSD to move user documents between dives

   1. time consuming and needs to be done manually

2. image/clone the HDD to the SSD

   1. no OS installation

   2. everything has to be moved (you can’t pick specific files)

   3. can be done by installing imaging software

LAN (local area network/ 802.11)

It allows users to share resources like printers and files and can be connected to the internet through a central router.

high speed

larger range

bluetooth (personal area network/PAN)

used to connect to peripherals and other nearby devices

short range

Biometrics

sign in with fingerprints or face recognition, but needs specific hardware to do so

relatively secure because faces and fingerprints are unique

NFCs

transferring data or authenticating without haveing to touch a device

what is the most common type of monitor display?

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

how does LCD word

light shines thourh liquid crystals to display images

what are the advantages and disadvantages of LCD

advantages:

• light weight

• relatively low power

• relatively inexpensive

disadvantages:

• the backing needs to be the perfect black levels for the light to shine thoruhg

• requires a separate blacklight fluorescent like LED

• hard to repair

what are the 3 types of LCD displays?

Twisted Nematic

• fast response time for gaming

• poor viewing angles

In Plane Switching

• excellent color representation

• more expensive

Veritcal Alignment

• compromise between TN and IPS

• slower than TN

• good color representation

Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)

organic compound that emits light when receiving an electric current

What are the advantages and disadvantages of OLED monitor displays?

advantages: 

• thinner and lighte

• flexible and mobile (bc there is no glass)

• very accurate color representation

• works without a backlight

• better contrast ratio and color representation

disadvantages:

• costs more

where are the wifi antennas on a laptop

wrapped around the laptop screen for wifi, aux, and bluetooth

What types of backlights are used in laptops?

flourescent and LED

flourescent vs LED

Flourescent:

• used in older laptops

• thicker than normal LED lights

LED:

• used in newer laptops

• thinner

Whar are inverters used for?

used to turn DC power to AC power

how do you know if a backlight has failed?

you can shine a flashlight to your display and see if you see any information on the screen

Digitizer

used in hybrid machines that allow for screen inputs using a pen

Touchscreen

used in merge laptop and tablet devices, which allows for finger inputs

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

Common form of connection to a phone for high speed wired communication

used for charging and data transfers

What are the 3 other types of USBs

Micro USB - small USB connections

Mini USB - used by olde devices

USB-C - used fo new phones and is used in both devices and computers

lightning cable

8 pin connector used in apple poducts fo highe power output on apple devices

serial interfaces

DB-9/DE-9 9 pin connections that was a recommended standard 232 since 1969 which was used before USB. now it is used for switches, routers, etc

hotspot

turns your phone into a wifi hotspot (personal wireless router)

extends cellular data network to all your devices so that they can connect over 802.11

docking station

is an external device designed to work with a specific laptop make and model that allows you to easily connect to multiple peripherals through a single connection.

quickly expand its existing interfaces for added functionality, reduce cable clutter, and even extend its hardware capabilities

port replicator

a simpler alternative to a docking station that expands the number of ports your laptop can connect to

what is GSM?

Global System for Mobile Communication. It was the original 2G mobile networking standard, mostly used by Tmobile and AT&T.

Used sim cards to identify the subscriber (easy to change phones)

Used multiplexing meaning it let many people communicate at the same time over the same frequency

what is CDMA?

Code Division Multiple Access. Also a majo 2g/3g network standard that was competing with GSM, by Verizon and Sprint.

subscription was tied to the phone itself not sim card

Allowed multiple people to communicate at the same time using a different code per user so that each call on the recieving side could be filtered

how was 3G technology better than 2G?

it allowed for much more capabilities with data such as enhanced megabits per second and bandwidth improvements for things like GPS, mobile television, etc

2G allowed for messaging and basic digital calls

3G allowed for app stores, google maps, mobile email, social media, video chat

How is 4G and LTE better than 3G?

it converged the standards of GSM and CDMA so there would be 1 standard across the board for different companies. this allowed for enhanced data rates (EDGE) and the ability to support download rates of 150Mbit/s

what is LTE advanced?

an upgraded version of LTE that supports downloading rates of 300 Mbit/s

how is 5G better than 4G?

there was higher frequency for data over networks, bandwidth became less of a constraint, allowed for larger data transfers, and added additional cloud processing

what is MDM (Mobile Device Management)?

MDM is a system that allows companies to manage, monitor, and secure mobile devices employees bring to work. It helps control apps, protect company data, and enforce security policies on phones used in the workplace.

How do MDM configurations make devices easier for users?

MDM configurations simplify setup by letting users authenticate once to access corporate resources, without manual setup. The MDM automatically configures settings like email accounts, Wi-Fi, and VPN.

What additional security features can MDM include?

MDM can enforce corporate email configuration settings and add two-factor authentication (2FA) for stronger security, ensuring only authorized users can access company data.

What is a PRL (Preferred Roaming List)?

A PRL is a database in CDMA phones that tells the device which cellular networks to connect to first, which ones to avoid, and how to find the best signal when roaming. It helps ensure efficient, reliable network connections while traveling.It tells your phone which towers to connect to first, based on your carrier’s network and roaming agreements.

What is MAM (Mobile Application Management)?

MAM is a system that manages and secures specific mobile apps instead of the whole device. It lets companies control app usage, protect corporate data, and remove work apps or data without affecting personal content