When a device or router does not have a more specific route for a destination, traffic is sent to the default gateway or default route. The default gateway acts as the next hop for traffic destined outside the local network when no exact path is known locally. On an endpoint, the default gateway is usually a router interface. On a router, the default route points to another router or upstream path. A VPN gateway may be used for encrypted tunnel traffic, but it is not always the default path. A hub repeats signals and does not make routing decisions. The internet may be the eventual destination path for many routes, but traffic must first be forwarded to the configured default gateway. Default gateways are essential because without them, hosts could communicate only with systems on their local subnet unless specific routes were manually configured. Reference/topics: Network Fundamentals 2.3, function of a default gateway; Network Fundamentals 2.5, routing.