A node is the generic name for one addressable unit in a network. In an IoT deployment it usually means a single device: a soil-moisture probe in a field, a smart plug in a home, a vibration sensor bolted to a motor. The word is neutral about the device’s role, which is why it is paired with qualifiers such as end node, router node or coordinator.
Those roles matter in a mesh network. In Zigbee or Thread, some nodes stay powered and forward traffic for their neighbors while battery-powered end nodes sleep and only talk to a parent. In a star topology like LoRaWAN, every node speaks directly to a gateway and never relays. Choosing which nodes can route is a direct trade between coverage, battery life and complexity.
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