Features of Router

Multiple Active paths
Routers are able to keep track of multiple active paths.
They keep track of multiple active paths between any given source and destination network.
This makes it more rigid towards faults than a bridge.
This is because in a bridge multiple concurrent paths are not allowed.
Identify address
Routers work at the network layer and can access more information than a bridge.
Routers can identify source and destination network addresses within packets.
Traffic Management
Routers provide excellent traffic management using intelligent path selection.
Routers select the best route which is based on traffic loads line speeds number of hops or administrator pre set costs.
The various parameters used to determine routes for packets are known as metrics.
Sharing information
Routers can share status and routing information with other routers.
By doing this they can listen to the network and identify which connections are busy and which are not.
The routers then route network traffic avoiding slow or malfunctioning connections.
Filtering bad data
Routers do not forward any information that does not have a correct network address.
This is the reason they don't forward bad data.
Routers also filter broadcast traffic by not routing broadcast packets.
What this means is that network broadcasts do not propagate throughout the internetwork.
The broadcast storms are confined to a single subnet.
Performance
Routers perform complex tasks.
This means they are slower than bridges because they keep processing data intensively.
A router can be a dedicated box with a port to all networks.
On the other hand it can also be a NOS server with multiple interface cards.
Routers support multiple protocols however all protocols are not routable.
For example NetBEUI cannot be routed.