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Router
A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles the connection between two or more networks, e.g. between a local network and the Internet. Wherever two networks meet on the Internet there is a router. The job of the routers is to find the fastest path through the network for any given packet of data. In order to find the most suitable path through the network, the routers communicate continuously, updating each other on the best available data paths (maximum bandwidth) to the receiver available at any given time.
When a router receives a data packet from a host on its network, it uses the destination IP address of the data packet to decide where to send the packet. First of all it asks itself, whether the packet is destined for another node on its own network. If it is, it forwards the packet to the particular node. If it is not, the router simply guides the packet towards another router, which then decides if the packet is destined for its local network or not, and so on, until the data packet has reached its destination.
Related terms:
Bridge, Gateway, Internet, Network, Routing, V.35
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