Considering the networking machine is usually pronounced rowter and not rooter, I think the differentiation may have been popularized to avoid confusion with the word root, like android devices, and plants.
In Australia route is normally pronounced "root", but in networking parlance the American "rowt" pronunciation is universal, despite the potential confusion with rout. Only context separates these two devices, both of which are called "rowters":
A complicating factor in Australia, is that "root" is a synonym for "fuck", especially when used as a verb, so referring to a "
rooting table" might provoke sniggers. And you never root for a football-team etc. here; you "barrack" for it. Just like "fuck", "root" can imply that something is broken or otherwise in trouble: "If my wife finds out that I rooted my secretary, I'll be rooted!" So talking about rooting your phone can also be ambiguous: "I tried to root my phone last night, but it didn't work and now it's rooted!"
English...