What type of address do routers use to forward multicast packets?

Routers use multicast addresses to forward multicast packets. Multicast addressing is specifically designed for scenarios where a single packet needs to be delivered to multiple recipients simultaneously. The range of multicast addresses is defined in the IPv4 address space as addresses from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255.

When a router receives a multicast packet, it examines the multicast address to determine the group of devices that should receive the packet. Routers use multicast routing protocols to efficiently manage the delivery of these packets to destinations that have joined the specific multicast group.

By utilizing multicast addresses, routers can minimize bandwidth usage and reduce unnecessary traffic since a single packet is sent to multiple receivers without requiring individual copies for each recipient. This makes multicast addressing essential for applications such as video conferencing, streaming media, and other scenarios where data is meant for multiple receivers at once.