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I want to configure my WiFi repeater's settings. I'm connected through WiFi, as my laptop's Ethernet port broke.

I searched for the repeater's manual, it says that I should be able to connect using the 192.168.10.253 address, but it doesn't work. In the ipconfig report the default gateway I get is the 192.168.1.254, but that sends me to the main routers config page (which I don't know what password was set up, since it's not the default, and the guy who configured it says that it was some months ago and can't remember the correct password), not the repeater's page.

I tried to traceroute to that router, or to other devices in the network, hoping that I would get a hop in the way, from the repeater, but I don't.

Any ideas on how I could find it's adress? Thanks in advance.

oScarDiAnno
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    You should start by resetting your main router so you can login to it. Then you can see what devices are connected together with thier IP addresses. – DavidPostill Apr 20 '19 at 19:47
  • Would also be nice to know which repeater you're working with. – Outdated Computer Tech Apr 20 '19 at 19:48
  • Repeater is a Steren COM-818, I'm afraid it won't be a common one, at least outside my country maybe. I wanted to find a solution without having to reset the main router since I don't want to mess with any current configuration the guy in charge did. He's on vacations right now and doesn't remember the password he set up. But if there's no other option then I'll talk to him to see if it's convenient to do so and set it up again. – oScarDiAnno Apr 20 '19 at 20:20
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    You might want to try configuring your PC with a static ip address of 192.168.10.1, netmask 255.255.255.0 You may then be able to connect to the AP and change its IP to something on your LAN. – davidgo Apr 21 '19 at 04:47

5 Answers5

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Since you refer to ipconfig, I presume you are on some version of Windows, so I shall offer a solution based on this assumption.

Since your router is 192.168.1.254, then any IP addresses in your subnet will probably be in the range 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254, so I would propose creating the following batch file, called for example OnLine.cmd:-

@echo off
set IPrange=192.168.1
for /l %%f in (1,1,254) do ping -n 1 -w 1000 %IPrange%.%%f > nul: 2>&1 && echo %IPrange%.%%f on line

Running it will step through all possible subnet addresses to see if there is a device on this address, and report if so. Note that each non-existent address will take a second to time out, so the whole scan will take upwards of four minutes. You will see something like:-

192.168.1.1 on line
192.168.1.2 on line
192.168.1.7 on line
192.168.1.118 on line
192.168.1.236 on line

Some of these devices you will recognise, such as your main router an the PC you're using, but any of the remaining devices is could be your repeater, so direct your browser at each of them in turn until you find your repeater's log-in page.

If you could log into your router, you could probably identify the repeater from its DHCP client list. You can always do a factory reset on the router, which will restore the default password, but don't do this unless you know how to reconfigure it, especially if it is a modem/router handling the connection with your ISP.

If you can identify your router's DHCP pool range, then it is a good idea to assign a fixed address to the repeater which is outside this range: then you will always be able to find it in the future, whereas DHCP-assigned addresses can vary after network restarts.

AFH
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  • Thank you. I did download Angry IP Scanner and ran a test between 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.255.254. It just finished, however, only found 5 active devices, all within the 192.168.1 net. 4 devices and the main router, nothing else :( – oScarDiAnno Apr 20 '19 at 20:23
  • And you know what all these devices are? None is the repeater? Does the repeater have a factory reset button? If so, maybe that will connect it to your subnet by DHCP. Or if it has an Ethernet port, maybe you can configure through that. – AFH Apr 20 '19 at 21:29
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I had this same problem today and no forum or blog post had the actual solution to my problem (that I could find).

Most answers focus on the local network and finding the IP through nmap, ipconfig, main router's configuration, etc. You should try all those options first.

If you can't find the repeater or access point (AP) IP address on your local network anywhere it might mean that your repeater's IP ISN'T in your local network.

When you set your router in Reapeater Mode, the connection between the router and AP is done outside the network layer. Meaning your default access point's IP might be outside your local network.

What you can do to access it (or find it) is disabling DHCP on your computer, and set your device's IP address in the range of your AP network. For example, if your local network is 192.168.0.0/24, and your AP's network is 192.168.1.0/24, set your IP something like 192.168.1.30. If done correctly, your computer might not have internet access for the moment but you will be able to log into the AP's configuration through its 192.168.1.X IP.

  • If you know your access point default (or configured) IP but couldnt reach it, just check the IP's first 3 decimal numbers to know the subnet to use ( 192.168.100.X would probably be a 192.168.100.0/24 network)

  • If you don't know your access point's IP, test common default networks like 192.168.0.0/24, 192.168.1.0/24, 192.168.100.0/24, 192.168.254/24, 10.10.1.0/24, among others. For more common IPs you can check this article. In each network tested, follow the common steps to finding the IP (nmap, ipconfig, arp -a, etc.)

Suaze
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The default 192 address will not work, as most likely as the repeater has a new address assigned to it.

If you have physical access to the repeater, look for its MAC address. It is typically found on a sticker on the bottom, similar to the image below:

enter image description here

Then, on your main router's web configuration, look at the connected devices to find its address. You should see the MAC address and the IP address associated with it. Check your router's manual for more detailed information, as different manufactueres make different configuration pages.

You might be able to recognize the repeater in the list without the MAC address, as it your router might pull the repeaters name. However, it is always a good idea to know for sure, as some network devices report a name that might not be recognizable, or there may be several devices with the same name.

Keltari
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  • Sorry, my answer crossed with yours, but I'll let mine stand, since it is based on different assumptions, especially the questioner's inability to log into his main router. – AFH Apr 20 '19 at 20:13
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I had the same issue, what i did was connected to main router and checked all the device connected through it.

Checked IP of each device by opening in browser and one of them was of repeater.

AMIT SINGH
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  • This will work, although maybe tedious and OP may *not* have router administrator access. An alternative is to use `nmap` to scan all IPs and then visit each one. Note that the use of `nmap` may not be allowed on corporate networks (if it is one) and the WiFi repeater may not even have a webserver running... – QuickishFM Jan 13 '20 at 16:09
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I had a same issue, my repeater keeps on going to sleep mode.
So, wanted to disable it, what I did was:

  1. Accessed main router page in IP 192.168.100.1 through browser tab, it will be different for different routers.

  2. Located, the "connected devices" window in router settings while keeping repeater "on" (this is important). A strange device without name but address 192.168.100.14 was found.

  3. Opened a new tab in browser and entered this IP, now that opened repeaters page.

  4. Logged in with its own username and password.

Now I can reconfigure it to deactivate auto "sleep mode"

Io-oI
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adnan al fakhroo
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