Router (Computing)

A router is a device used for networking. It is designed to send data volumes between computer networks. It performs the function of directing traffic on the internet and forwards data from one router to another by using a network that constitutes the internet. The forwarding function goes on until the data reaches its intended destination.

Unlike the commonly used network switch which can be used for connecting data lines only from one network, the router can be connected to two or even more data lines and that too from different networks. When data arrives in one of the lines, the router decodes the address information in the packet to know its ultimate destination. The router makes use of the information in its routing table to send the data to the next network and so on, creating an internet work along the way. This process continues till the data is delivered to its final destination.