Which item represents the IP address of the next hop used to reach other networks?

Which item represents the IP address of the next hop used to reach other networks?

• A. IP address of a DNS server
• B. IP address of an IP gateway (next hop)
• C. Subnet mask
• D. IP address of a local device

Answer: (B)

Traffic to networks outside your local subnet is sent to a next-hop device—the default gateway—whose IP is on your local network. That gateway forwards packets toward remote destinations using routing logic, so its address is the next hop used to reach other networks. An IP address of a DNS server is for resolving domain names, not for routing packets. The subnet mask helps determine which devices are on the same local network, but it doesn’t specify where to send traffic beyond that network. The IP address of a local device is just the device’s own address, not the router you use to reach other networks.

Traffic to networks outside your local subnet is sent to a next-hop device—the default gateway—whose IP is on your local network. That gateway forwards packets toward remote destinations using routing logic, so its address is the next hop used to reach other networks. An IP address of a DNS server is for resolving domain names, not for routing packets. The subnet mask helps determine which devices are on the same local network, but it doesn’t specify where to send traffic beyond that network. The IP address of a local device is just the device’s own address, not the router you use to reach other networks.