Wake-on-Lan over WiFi: Remotely Wake Devices and Stream Games
Wake-on-Lan (WoL) is a technology that allows you to remotely wake up devices on a network using a special "magic packet." This technology is particularly useful for gamers who want to stream games from one device to another, even if the device is turned off. In this article, we'll cover the key concepts of Wake-on-Lan over WiFi, and provide detailed instructions for setting it up and using it to stream games from one device to another.
What is Wake-on-Lan?
Wake-on-Lan is a technology that allows you to remotely wake up devices on a network. It works by sending a special "magic packet" to the device's network interface card (NIC), which then powers on the device. This technology is particularly useful for devices that are turned off or in a low-power state, as it allows you to remotely turn them on without having to physically access the device.
Wake-on-Lan over WiFi
Traditionally, Wake-on-Lan has been used over wired networks, but it can also be used over WiFi. In order to use Wake-on-Lan over WiFi, the device's NIC must support WoWLAN (Wake-on-Wireless-LAN) and the router must support broadcasting the magic packet over the wireless network. Once these requirements are met, you can use Wake-on-Lan over WiFi just like you would over a wired network.
Setting up Wake-on-Lan over WiFi
To set up Wake-on-Lan over WiFi, you'll need to do the following:
- Make sure the device's NIC supports WoWLAN
- Enable Wake-on-Lan in the device's BIOS settings
- Make sure the router supports broadcasting the magic packet over the wireless network
- Use a Wake-on-Lan utility to send the magic packet to the device's NIC
Streaming Games with Wake-on-Lan over WiFi
Once you have Wake-on-Lan set up over WiFi, you can use it to stream games from one device to another. One popular way to do this is by using Steam Remote Play, which allows you to stream games from one device to another over a network. To use Steam Remote Play with Wake-on-Lan, you'll need to do the following:
- Make sure both devices are connected to the same network
- Wake up the device running the game using Wake-on-Lan
- Launch the game on the device running the game
- Connect to the game using Steam Remote Play on the other device
Troubleshooting
If you're having trouble using Wake-on-Lan over WiFi, here are a few things to check:
- Make sure the device's NIC supports WoWLAN
- Make sure Wake-on-Lan is enabled in the device's BIOS settings
- Make sure the router supports broadcasting the magic packet over the wireless network
- Make sure the magic packet is being sent to the correct MAC address
- Make sure the devices are on the same network
References
- How to Use Wake-on-Lan to Turn on Your Computer Over the Internet
- How to Remotely Wake Up Your Computer Using Wake-on-Lan
- Steam Remote Play
// Example of a Wake-on-Lan utility written in Python
import socket
def send\_magic\_packet(mac\_address):
magic\_packet = b"\xff\xff\xff\xff\xff\xff"
for i in range(16):
magic\_packet += bytes.fromhex(mac\_address.replace(":", ""))
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF\_INET, socket.SOCK\_DGRAM)
sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL\_SOCKET, socket.SO\_BROADCAST, 1)
sock.sendto(magic\_packet, ("", 9))
In this example, the utility takes a MAC address as an argument and sends a magic packet to the broadcast address on port 9. You can use this utility to wake up devices on your network by running it and passing in the MAC address of the device's NIC.
In conclusion, Wake-on-Lan over WiFi is a powerful technology that allows you to remotely wake up devices on a network and stream games from one device to another. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up Wake-on-Lan over WiFi and start streaming games from one device to another today.