Which network issue occurs when a device cannot sense another device's transmission, leading to collisions?

Which network issue occurs when a device cannot sense another device's transmission, leading to collisions?

• A. Exposed node problem
• B. Collision domain risk
• C. Hidden node problem
• D. Broadcast storm

Answer: (C)

When devices share a single communication medium and listen before sending, they must hear others' transmissions to avoid collisions. A hidden node problem occurs when two devices cannot sense each other because they’re out of range of one another, yet both can reach a common receiver. Because they can’t hear each other, they may start transmitting simultaneously, and their signals collide at the receiver. This collision forces both transmissions to fail and requires retransmission, reducing network efficiency. This is different from an exposed node scenario, where one transmitter’s activity unintentionally prevents another node from sending to a different receiver, often reducing spatial reuse but not necessarily causing a collision. The term collision domain refers to the network segment where collisions can happen, not the specific cause of collisions. A broadcast storm involves endless propagation of broadcast frames and is a separate failure mode. So the described issue fits the hidden node problem: the lack of sensing between two transmitters leads to collisions at the shared receiver.

When devices share a single communication medium and listen before sending, they must hear others' transmissions to avoid collisions. A hidden node problem occurs when two devices cannot sense each other because they’re out of range of one another, yet both can reach a common receiver. Because they can’t hear each other, they may start transmitting simultaneously, and their signals collide at the receiver. This collision forces both transmissions to fail and requires retransmission, reducing network efficiency.

This is different from an exposed node scenario, where one transmitter’s activity unintentionally prevents another node from sending to a different receiver, often reducing spatial reuse but not necessarily causing a collision. The term collision domain refers to the network segment where collisions can happen, not the specific cause of collisions. A broadcast storm involves endless propagation of broadcast frames and is a separate failure mode.

So the described issue fits the hidden node problem: the lack of sensing between two transmitters leads to collisions at the shared receiver.