What role does a router fulfill in a network?

A router serves a crucial function in managing and directing data traffic between different networks, ensuring that data packets are efficiently routed to their intended destinations. This involves analyzing data headers and determining the best path for each packet based on network conditions, which facilitates communication between devices on different networks or subnets.

By regulating traffic and managing how data flows in and out of a network, routers help maintain optimal network performance and security by preventing data collisions and managing data bandwidth. This role is essential for enabling devices on different networks to communicate with each other seamlessly, demonstrating why this choice accurately captures the primary purpose of a router in networking.

The other options, while related to networking in general, do not accurately describe the primary role of a router: storing data is typically the role of a server or storage device; providing a user interface is more characteristic of software or operating systems; and powering devices is the function of a power supply, not a router.