so i moved into an apartment a few days ago, need to change the settings of my linksys access point but i dont know what IP address was assigned to the AP. at home on my parents network i had it default to 192.168.1.245, but here it was assigned a new one. is there a utility or something that can tell me the IP address from a client computer? i already looked around linksys site but couldnt really find anything. any help would be appreciated. thanks.

Start --> Run --> IPconfig

It its getting its IP from dhcp of your router, just look in the dhcp client list on the router.

A simple broadcast ping to your network if your plugged into it, ie 192.168.1.255 should make it show up in your arp table..

you can view that with arp -a

If it does not, unplug it from your router and try again - so that it will be the only other host to respond to the broadcast ping. Or you could use any port scanner will allow you to sweep the whole network range. https://www.foundstone.com/resources/proddesc/superscan.htm comes to mind - FREE, small easy to use, etc..

edit: The accesspoint would not be the default gateway, the router would -- so no ipconfig will not give me the LAN ip of the access point.

my problem here is i dont have access to the router.. the apartment complex manages the network.

are you getting a connection from it? if you are go to start -> run -> type cmd -> click ok -> type ipconfig -all -> now see where it says default gateway? that is your ap ip

I gave you 2 different ways to find the accesspoint without access to dhcp client list, ie router.. either do a broadcast ping - or scan -- with a link to a FREE easy to use, very small scanner..

Its an ACCESSPOINT - not a router, it will NOT be the default gateway!

Even if there are hundreds of IPs active on the network, from looking at your arp table and matching up the MAC of what your wireless client tells you, you can quite easy find the IP of the accesspoint.

both times correct
an access point is somewhat like a brige
the MAC address of incoming packets will be the precedent node of the network, which is the access point

do a reverse ARP and you'll get the IP

Hmmm, no not quite..

Here I did a broadcast ping 192.168.2.255 -- this found my access point (.253), and I also pinged my kids laptop (.97)

Now I can take a look at my arp cache.

arp -a

Interface: 192.168.2.90 --- 0x4
Internet Address Physical Address Type
192.168.2.1 00-00-e8-ef-e1-86 dynamic
192.168.2.97 00-12-f0-0c-7a-06 dynamic
192.168.2.253 00-13-10-fe-84-08 dynamic

From looking at my arp table -- its quite clear different macs are listed for different IPs. The mac of incoming packets will not be the access point..

here is a dump of some traffic, and you can see an AP does not replace a clients mac with its own.

14:29:46.776301 00:12:f0:0c:7a:06 > 00:00:e8:ef:e1:86, ethertype IPv4 (0x0800), length 74: IP 192.168.2.97 > 192.168.1.100: icmp 40: echo reply seq 37377

This is a reply to my ping from my desktop machine 1.100 see the mac of the .97 (00:12:f0:0c:7a:06 ) going to to the interface of the router (00:00:e8:ef:e1:86)

Now here is a response from the accesspoint

14:29:50.982620 00:13:10:fe:84:08 > 00:00:e8:ef:e1:86, ethertype IPv4 (0x0800), length 74: IP 192.168.2.253 > 192.168.1.100: icmp 40: echo reply seq 37889

Macs are different, but you can find its mac and therefore its IP by looking at your wireless connection..

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hum i made my point based on Ethernet
i just remembered that wireless uses an other system