Border router
A device that connects a low-power IPv6 mesh such as Thread to a conventional IP network, forwarding packets rather than translating protocols.
A border router sits at the edge of a Thread or other 6LoWPAN network and routes IPv6 traffic between the mesh and Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Because both sides speak IP, it does not need to understand the application data: a Matter command addressed to a bulb is forwarded as a packet, the same way a home router forwards traffic to a laptop. This is the key difference from a Zigbee hub, which must translate between two unrelated protocols.
In practice border routers are built into smart speakers, TVs, displays and hubs from several vendors, and a single home may contain more than one, which adds redundancy. For IoT architects the border router is what makes a mesh of tiny sensors reachable by ordinary cloud or local services. See Thread explained for how it fits in Matter.
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