Probably the simplest way to understand is to think of it as an intermediary or middleman between your local network and the World Wide Web. It is essential for transmitting information from the local subnet to other subnets, and vice-versa.
On most home and business networks, which are usually made up of a single router and multiple connected computers and mobile devices, the private IP address given to your router is the default gateway IP address.
This numerical address will be called “default gateway” on Windows devices, while it is normally referred to as “router” on iOS and Mac devices. When it comes to other platforms, however, it might be named something along the likes of “gateway” or “gateway route”.
Learn the steps to find your gateway IP address on Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iPhone/iPad, Linux, and Chrome OS.
Note: The steps for finding your gateway IP on Android will vary depending on the version you are currently using.
It helps two or more hosts with different IPs to communicate with each other when connected to the same router. Without it, devices connected on the same router won’t be able to communicate with each other.
An IP address is a unique set of numbers assigned to each device. A subnet mask divides an IP address into two parts. The first part identifies your device, the other part identifies the network to which it belongs.
A broadcast address is what you use when you want all nearby devices to see your request visibly. On the other hand, a default gateway is what you use when you want a remote device to understand your request.
They can’t be the same. Each computer has a unique IP address, and that’s what distinguishes it from the rest of the devices.