This explains what WOL is and how it works.
This explains what WOL is and how it works.
I have two Windows 11 Professional machines connected to my existing network. However, there was a problem with WOL on my primary PC. I tried everything possible, both within Windows and in the BIOS. The issue centered around one specific setting that needed to be activated, but why?
In Device Manager, under the network adapter, there are three choices:
1. Let the computer shut off the device to conserve energy
2. Permit the device to activate the computer
3. Allow only a magic packet to activate the computer
The first two options were always active, while the third was not. After activating the third option, WOL functioned correctly. The confusion lies in the phrasing; the third choice seemed like a sub-category of the second and included the word "only." In my view, it didn’t make logical sense that this setting should restrict functionality rather than enhance it. Once I enabled the third option, I was able to use WOL on my PC.
Additionally, it’s puzzling that when I turned off one option, the others became grayed out, suggesting I needed to enable "the computer can turn off the device to save power" for this setting to work. This also didn’t align with what I expected since turning off other options seemed unnecessary.
Notably, my second PC on the same network could always use WOL, but it lacked the third option enabled. This inconsistency left me confused and puzzled. My mind is spinning over these details. Nothing seems logical here.
There are several settings and options to consider. To grasp everything better, it helps to compare the two systems closely. More information is required about the network and power configuration settings on each system. You can explore powercfg commands and Powershell for deeper insights.
For reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/window...ne-options
https://woshub.com/wake-on-lan-windows/
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/traini...owershell/
https://4sysops.com/archives/get-netadap...owershell/
The Powershell Get-NetAdapter command can be useful for spotting differences. One benefit is that "Gets" commands don’t alter anything. Even if variations are noticed, you usually don’t need to modify anything—especially if you’re just exploring the distinctions.
You’ll find more links, tutorials, and explanations there.
Be cautious: some resources might lead to further confusion.
Thank you for your reply Ralston18. I realized there might be a single reason why my two computers behave differently. There is one BIOS setting I adjusted just before changing that specific bit.
In the BIOS of my MSI Z790 Carbon Wifi (my main computer), I can configure Wake on timers to be managed by either the BIOS or the operating system. It is currently set to use the OS, while the other PC likely uses BIOS. This seems like the only logical explanation.
This second PC just refused to activate WOL even though all BIOS configurations appeared correct. I searched for any hidden power-saving settings that might be enabled, but everything seemed normal and matches what it should be.
WOL should have a simpler setup—just an option in the OS to enable or disable it, with everything else automatically configured as intended.
I believe only a magic packet can activate the PC. This is due to the possibility of many LAN activities without any affecting this specific machine. The magic packet is sent across the LAN and includes the MAC address of the particular PC. It's this packet that the wake-on-LAN function looks for.
It feels oddly positioned and worded. The categorization seems to place magic packets as a subcategory of 2, suggesting method 2 already accounts for them. Point 3 emphasizes that only magic packets are considered, dismissing other approaches. I activated magic packets in several areas like BIOS and firewall, and this specific setting had to be verified for functionality. I haven't checked whether WOL works when all other settings are disabled, but it's strange that such a feature requires enabling it in multiple places instead of a single toggle. It should be a straightforward standard option.