A router is a networking device that forwards data packets between separate networks, deciding which path each packet should take toward its destination.1
Overview
A router reads the destination IP address on each packet and consults a routing table to choose the next hop, moving traffic between networks rather than within one — that distinguishes it from a switch, which forwards frames inside a single network. The familiar home “router” is really several devices in one box: a router, a switch, a wireless access point, and often a modem, bridging a home LAN to the internet and performing address translation (NAT).
Where it fits
A router is the gateway between a local network and the wider WAN. On a GopherTrunk network it lets a capture node, a storage server, and a viewing laptop reach each other and, where desired, the internet — while keeping the capture node addressable on the LAN.
Sources
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Router (computing) — Wikipedia, on the device that forwards packets between networks. ↩