What device is commonly used to connect multiple networks and forward packets between them?

A router is the device designed to connect multiple networks and manage the flow of data packets between them. It operates at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model and uses IP addresses to determine the best path for forwarding packets toward their destination. Routers can connect different types of networks, such as a local area network (LAN) to a wide area network (WAN), and they often include features like network address translation (NAT) and firewall capabilities to enhance security.

In contrast, switches primarily operate within a single network by connecting multiple devices on a local area network and forwarding frames based on MAC addresses. Hubs, being simpler devices, transmit data to all connected devices within a local segment without filtering or managing data packets intelligently. Bridges function to connect and filter traffic between two network segments, but they do not route packets between separate networks in the way routers do. Therefore, the specific functionality of a router as a network-layer device makes it the correct answer for connecting and forwarding packets between multiple networks.