Which device interconnects multiple networks and makes forwarding decisions based on IP addresses?

Which device interconnects multiple networks and makes forwarding decisions based on IP addresses?

• A. Switch
• B. Bridge
• C. Router
• D. Repeater

Answer: (C)

The ability to interconnect multiple networks and forward based on IP addresses is what a router does. It operates at the network layer and has interfaces on different networks or subnets. When a packet arrives, the router examines the destination IP address, consults its routing table (often using routing protocols to learn paths), and forwards the packet to the next hop toward its destination. This is how devices on separate networks communicate with each other. A switch, by contrast, works mainly at the data link layer and forwards frames using MAC addresses within a single local network. A bridge does something similar at Layer 2 as a way to connect segments, still relying on MAC addresses. A repeater simply amplifies and regenerates signals at the physical layer and doesn’t make forwarding decisions based on addresses.

The ability to interconnect multiple networks and forward based on IP addresses is what a router does. It operates at the network layer and has interfaces on different networks or subnets. When a packet arrives, the router examines the destination IP address, consults its routing table (often using routing protocols to learn paths), and forwards the packet to the next hop toward its destination. This is how devices on separate networks communicate with each other.

A switch, by contrast, works mainly at the data link layer and forwards frames using MAC addresses within a single local network. A bridge does something similar at Layer 2 as a way to connect segments, still relying on MAC addresses. A repeater simply amplifies and regenerates signals at the physical layer and doesn’t make forwarding decisions based on addresses.