ROUTE on Windows - how can I access the router config page without manually setting the IP

Question

I've always had trouble understanding networking and routing. I mean, I know what an IP address is, I know what a mask is, I know what a subnet is, but aside from configuring internet access in basic scenarios I get confused and lost.

Such as the following scenario, which I figured might be a good starting point to get my bearings.

I've got a wireless router acting, basically, as an access point. As such, by default, you cannot access the routers configuration page. Here's why that is so (i.e. how the network looks like):

• main network is 10.150.0.0/16, with a Windows Server acting as DHCP and gateway on this network
• the routers configuration has been left almost unchanged - it's using 192.168.1.1/24
• I can access the router configuration page if I manually assign my laptop an IP in the 192.168.1.0/24 range (rather than use the DHCP).

I wanted to try and use the Windows ROUTE command for once. I tried route add 192.168.1.1 mask 255.255.255.0 10.150.4.2 (the last bit is my own IP in the in the main network), but I got a parameter is incorrect error.

What am I missing? How should the command look? Is there any good resource to get learn some more about networking (possibly with some exercises simulating real-world scenarios)?

Answer 1

Unfortunately what you are trying to do won't work because the Access point does not have knowledge of how to get to the 10.150.0.0/16 subnet. There are a few solutions - The most obvious is to change the IP address associated with the access point to be in the same subnet as your router. Harder alternatives (if supported) include having your router add a virtual interface on the 10.150.0.0/16 range on the Ethernet side in addition to the normal range, or adding a second (virtual) interface to your computer which is on the 10.150.0.0/16 network so that the AP and your PC are on the same network.