A network device designed to forward packets to an external network such as the Internet. Routers are used to direct traffic to a network outside of the one they reside in. However, when routers are used within an enterprise to separate subnetworks, they are called "routers" or possibly "core routers," but not WAN routers. The routers that make up the backbone of the Internet are "core routers." See
router,
core router and
edge router.