What is the default gateway?

• A. Router that forwards traffic to outside subnets.
• B. DNS server used for domain name resolution.
• C. The management interface on a switch.
• D. A device that assigns IP addresses.

Answer: (A)

The default gateway is the router that forwards traffic to destinations outside the local network. When a device has a destination not in its own subnet, it sends the packets to this gateway, which then routes them toward other networks or the Internet. It’s typically the router’s address on the local subnet and is configured as the default route in the device’s routing table. The other roles described—DNS servers that resolve domain names, a management interface used for configuring a switch, and a DHCP server that assigns IP addresses—do not handle forwarding user traffic to external networks and thus are not the default gateway.