FIG. 4 illustrates an example router, such as an edge router (e.g. 120a) or one of the routers in the IP-based network cloud (not shown). The router device includes a processor (4010), persistent and transient memories (4020), hardware network interfaces (4040a, 4040b), operating system (4050), and specialized application programs for IP route management (4030), packet redirection detection (4032), and a historical packet times database (4034). The example router, if an edge router, may also include BGP, NAT, and/or firewall/packet filtering programs (not shown). Included, either within the operating system or a standalone system, is an IP stack (4055), including IP protocol software (e.g. the IP stack), ARP table (4056), an interface/routing table (4057), a sent packet memory (part of memory 2020), and at least one network interface software (not shown) that interfaces to one or more of the network interface(s) (e.g. 4040a, 4040b). The IP protocol software updates and maintains the ARP table with Media Access Control (MAC)/IP address maps that convert between IP address and the low level network MAC, and updates the interface/routing table using the IP address parameters of the network interface(s) (e.g., 4040a, 4040b). The illustrative router further may include application programs (e.g. 4030, 4032, 4034) as described below that interface with the IP-based network server using the IP protocol via the IP stack, at least one network interface, and the network (not shown).