How do IP packets know what hoops/servers to go through to reach the intended recipient’s IP?
In: 2
Routers have routes.
Your router at home has 2 routes.
“send everything that belongs to your own subnet to your own subnet”
And
“send everything else to your ISPs router” (default route)
The first router from your ISP (directly connected to yours) will probably know much more routes and know the routes to your neighbors directly. However if it doesn’t have a route to the destination IP it will use its default route again.
Good example is a physical trip with public transport.
Visit someone in your street? No worries, hop in the bus and leave it on the next stop. Bus driver will know that destination.
Vistit someone in your city? Hop in the bus. Bus driver does not know your destination, so you end up at the central bus station.
There you get the information to use a different bus to get to your destination.
Visit someone in a suburb in a different country?
Bus->train->plane->train->bus
And yes, you actually benefit from living next to an airport.
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