Understanding the Role of the Default Gateway and Destination MAC Address in Sending Frames to a Destination Device on a Remote Local Network

What destination MAC address would be included in a frame sent from a source device to a destination device on a remote local network?

When a frame is sent from a source device to a destination device on a remote local network, the destination MAC address included in the frame would be the MAC address of the default gateway.

The default gateway is a device (usually a router) that acts as an intermediary between different local networks and helps in routing packets between them. When a device wants to send data to a destination device on a remote local network, it sends the data packet to the default gateway which then routes it to the appropriate destination.

To ensure that the frame reaches the default gateway, the source device needs to know the MAC address of the default gateway. This MAC address is typically obtained through the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) process. The source device sends an ARP request on its local network to discover the MAC address corresponding to the IP address of the default gateway. Once it receives the ARP response with the MAC address, it includes that MAC address as the destination MAC address in the frame before sending it out on the local network.

The destination MAC address of the destination device on the remote local network is encapsulated within the IP packet and is not directly included in the frame’s MAC header. When the frame reaches the default gateway, it looks at the destination IP address in the IP packet, performs its routing logic, and then encapsulates the IP packet into a new frame with the appropriate destination MAC address of the next hop towards the destination device.

In summary, the destination MAC address in the frame sent from a source device to a destination device on a remote local network would be the MAC address of the default gateway.

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