EIGRP is designed around using a composite metric to choose the best path, rather than relying on a single factor like hop count. It can weigh several path characteristics—such as bandwidth, delay, and optional factors like reliability and load—to determine the most efficient route. This gives more accurate and scalable routing decisions in diverse networks. What makes it really fast is the Diffusing Update Algorithm, which provides rapid, loop-free convergence. EIGRP sends updates only when there’s a topology change, and it can identify feasible successors to immediately switch to if the primary route fails, avoiding full network rebuilds. Historically, this protocol originated with Cisco, but it’s now available as an open standard, which aligns with the description given. In contrast, other protocols mentioned are either not Cisco-originated or use different mechanisms: RIP relies on hop count, OSPF is a link-state protocol, and BGP is a path-vector exterior gateway protocol with a very different metric and convergence behavior.

The main idea here is the division between centralized control and distributed control in wireless networks. In a controller-based setup, a Wireless LAN Controller handles configuration, policy enforcement, and radio frequency (RF) optimization for many APs from a single point. The access points are usually lightweight and rely on the controller for decisions, which makes it easier to push consistent security, QoS, guest access, roaming policies, and firmware updates across a large campus or enterprise network. This approach scales well as you add more APs, because you manage everything from one place and benefit from unified monitoring and troubleshooting. The trade-off is that it requires reliable connectivity to the controller and can be more complex or costly to deploy. In contrast, standalone (fat) APs operate with local control. Each AP is configured and managed independently, handling its own security, VLANs, and client roaming decisions. This makes installation quick and inexpensive for small networks or branch sites where centralized management isn’t necessary or practical. However, roaming between many APs isn’t as seamless, policy consistency across devices is harder to maintain, and scaling up means managing many individual devices rather than a single central system. So, the described option—centralized management, policy, and RF control for large deployments, versus independent operation for small networks or branch sites—best captures the practical differences and use cases.

The network name broadcast by an access point is the SSID, which stands for Service Set Identifier. This is the human-friendly name that devices scan for to identify and connect to a wireless network, and it is what you see in your Wi‑Fi list (like “HomeNetwork” or “GuestWiFi”). The beacon frames from the AP include this SSID so nearby clients can discover the network. The BSSID, by contrast, is the MAC address of the AP’s wireless interface, used to distinguish one AP from another within the same network. The MAC address is a hardware address, not the network name. ESSID is sometimes used in different contexts to refer to the extended service set name, but the standard term for the network name broadcast by the AP is SSID.

Inter-VLAN routing is the process that lets devices in different VLANs communicate by moving packets between their separate IP subnets. A Layer 3 switch includes both switching and routing capabilities, so it can perform this routing internally. By creating a separate VLAN interface (an SVI) for each VLAN, the switch acts like a router for those subnets and can route traffic between them without sending it to an external router. It also typically serves as the default gateway for hosts in each VLAN, with IP addresses assigned to those SVIs. This setup combines fast hardware-based routing with streamlined network design, reducing latency and complexity. The other options aren’t devices or features that perform inter-VLAN routing: 10GBASE-T is just a physical Ethernet standard for 10 Gbps copper links, not a device. Sticky MAC is a security feature for learning and locking MAC addresses on ports. BPDU Guard is a Spanning Tree protection feature.