*Basic

A bridge router or brouter is a network device that works as a bridge and a router. The brouter routes packets for known protocols and simply forwards all other packets as a bridge would.[1]

**Intermediate

As networks become more complex, a mix of routable and non-routable protocols has led to the need for combined features of bridges and routers.[2] Brouters handle both routable and non-routable features by acting as routers for routable protocols and bridges for non routable protocols.[3] Bridged protocols might propagate throughout the network, but techniques like filtering and learning might be used to reduce potential congestion.[4] Brouters are used as connecting devices in the networking system, so they act as a bridge in the network and as a router in the internetwork.[5] So the brouter acts as a bridge – a connector, and also a router – a forwarder. For protocols that the device supports, it forwards those packets to the appropriate port. All other packets are bridged – connected, from one segement to the other.[6] The main function of a bridge is to connect two separate networks. It simply forwards the incoming packets from one network to the next.[7] A router is more advanced since it can route packets to specific systems connected to the router.[8]

***Advanced

Brouters work at both the network layer for routable protocols and at the data link layer for non-routable protocols.[9] While the term “brouter” is used to describe the bridge/router device, actual brouters are pretty rare. Instead, most brouters are simply routers that have been configured to also function as a bridge.[10]

Sources

[1] [10] Editors. Brouter Definition. Tech Terms. Techterms.com
[2] Editors. What is a Brouter? Include Help. Includehelp.com
[3] Editors. Definition of a Bridge Router. PC Magazine. Pcmag.com
[4] [6] Editors. What is b-router? Experts Mind. Expertsmind.com
[5] Editors. What is a brouter? Quora. Quora.com
[7] Editors. Network Bridge. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
[8] Editors. What is a Router? Cloud Flare. Cloudflare.com
[9] Editors. Bridge Router. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org