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350-401 The maximum hop count for EIGRP? Practice Question
What is the maximum hop count for EIGRP?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the EIGRP hop count limit to confuse candidates who associate hop counts with RIP (15) or confuse the value with the EIGRP multicast address (224.0.0.10).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
255
EIGRP uses a maximum hop count of 255 to prevent routing loops, as defined in RFC 7868. This is a hard-coded limit in the protocol, and routes with a hop count exceeding 255 are considered unreachable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
255
Why this is correct
EIGRP's maximum hop count is 255, inherited from IGRP.
- ✗
15
Why it's wrong here
15 is the maximum hop count for RIP, not EIGRP.
- ✗
224
Why it's wrong here
The value 224 is incorrect for EIGRP's maximum hop count, which is configurable up to 255, with a default of 100. This option is tempting because 224 relates to multicast IP addresses. EIGRP utilises the multicast address 224.0.0.10 to discover neighbours and exchange routing updates, a crucial operational aspect, but entirely separate from the metric used to determine path length.
- ✗
Unlimited
Why it's wrong here
EIGRP has a finite hop count limit of 255.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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