Question

What is the purpose of the default gateway IP address?

Answer 1

IP address and purpose of the default gateway IP address

Before discussing the purpose of default gateway IP address (Internet Protocol address), we should slightly know about the IP address. Every computer has own IP address to connect with the internet. Every machine on a network has a unique identifier. Just as you would address a letter to send in the mail, computers use the unique identifier to send data to specific computers on a network. Today, most networks, including all computers on the internet, use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP protocol) as the standard for how to communicate on the network. In the TCP/IP protocol, the unique identifier for a computer is called its IP address.

Purpose of default gateway IP address

In simple words, a default gateway in computer network is a device that passes network traffic from one network to the other. In reality, default gateway connects a local network to the Internet. In Networking world, a default gateway is the path to a device (generally a router ) where the devices ( including PCs , mobile or virtually any device which has IP address & sends traffic on the network) will send the packets if they don't know where the target destination is located.

Without the gateway address, your computer does not know which router to connect to in order to be able to communicate with another device in another network or the internet.

How to find my PC’s default gateway IP address

By using Command Prompt window, type “ipconfig” then press “Enter/Return” on your keyboard. We can see a lot of information generated in this window. Just scroll up we can see “Default Gateway” with the device's IP address (e.g., 192.168.255.1) listed to the right of it.