diff --git a/client/internal/routemanager/systemops.go b/client/internal/routemanager/systemops.go
index 595425b94..9115763d8 100644
--- a/client/internal/routemanager/systemops.go
+++ b/client/internal/routemanager/systemops.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func addToRouteTableIfNoExists(prefix netip.Prefix, addr string) error {
 	}
 
 	if prefixGateway != nil && !prefixGateway.Equal(gateway) {
-		log.Warnf("route for network %s already exist and is pointing to the gateway: %s, won't add another one", prefix, prefixGateway)
+		log.Warnf("skipping adding a new route for network %s because it already exists and is pointing to the non default gateway: %s", prefix, prefixGateway)
 		return nil
 	}
 	return addToRouteTable(prefix, addr)
@@ -45,11 +45,14 @@ func getExistingRIBRouteGateway(prefix netip.Prefix) (net.IP, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	_, _, localGatewayAddress, err := r.Route(prefix.Addr().AsSlice())
+	_, gateway, preferredSrc, err := r.Route(prefix.Addr().AsSlice())
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("getting routes returned an error: %v", err)
 		return nil, errRouteNotFound
 	}
+	if gateway == nil {
+		return preferredSrc, nil
+	}
 
-	return localGatewayAddress, nil
+	return gateway, nil
 }
diff --git a/client/internal/routemanager/systemops_test.go b/client/internal/routemanager/systemops_test.go
index 821e9a46e..8f6f4c6fe 100644
--- a/client/internal/routemanager/systemops_test.go
+++ b/client/internal/routemanager/systemops_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/iface"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"net"
 	"net/netip"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -66,3 +67,45 @@ func TestAddRemoveRoutes(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGetExistingRIBRouteGateway(t *testing.T) {
+	gateway, err := getExistingRIBRouteGateway(netip.MustParsePrefix("0.0.0.0/0"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("shouldn't return error when fetching the gateway: ", err)
+	}
+	if gateway == nil {
+		t.Fatal("should return a gateway")
+	}
+	addresses, err := net.InterfaceAddrs()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("shouldn't return error when fetching interface addresses: ", err)
+	}
+
+	var testingIP string
+	var testingPrefix netip.Prefix
+	for _, address := range addresses {
+		if address.Network() != "ip+net" {
+			continue
+		}
+		prefix := netip.MustParsePrefix(address.String())
+		if !prefix.Addr().IsLoopback() && prefix.Addr().Is4() {
+			testingIP = prefix.Addr().String()
+			testingPrefix = prefix.Masked()
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	localIP, err := getExistingRIBRouteGateway(testingPrefix)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("shouldn't return error: ", err)
+	}
+	if localIP == nil {
+		t.Fatal("should return a gateway for local network")
+	}
+	if localIP.String() == gateway.String() {
+		t.Fatal("local ip should not match with gateway IP")
+	}
+	if localIP.String() != testingIP {
+		t.Fatalf("local ip should match with testing IP: want %s got %s", testingIP, localIP.String())
+	}
+}