HTPC and WoL

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › HTPC and WoL

Bhugz

48 posts

Geek

#173520 26-May-2015 13:45

Hello,

I recently built an HTPC with the following specs: (it may be overkill considering there are cheaper options out there but each to their own)

-M/b: AsRock FM2A88X-ITX+
-CPU: AMD A4-6300 Dual Core 3.7GHz
-Memory: Adata 4GB Premier Pro DDR3 1600
-HDD: Adata SP900 128GB Sata3 SSD & WD Caviar Green 2TB
-PSU: Cooler Master RS400
-OS: Windows 8.1 64Bit OEM
-Case: SilverStone Milo ML04B MATX

After setting it up I, got Plex all up and running and it works great. The thing I can't get working is WoL when I'm not at home. It works fine at home using my android tablet or phone but I can't get it to work when I'm outside of my network (i.e. at work or at a friends house).

I have enabled all the correct settings in BIOS (Wake on Lan enabled) and in Windows (allow device to wake computer on magic packet, etc).

My internet connection is Vodafone Cable with Vodafone TV, so running the Motorola Cable Mode, Cisco Cable Modem and Netcomm Wifi Router. I've jumped into the Netcomm settings and forwarded the required ports for WoL.

Has anyone else with Vodafone Cable managed to get WoL working or can someone guide me through how to set it up so it will work even when I'm not at home.

Thanks heaps.
Bhugs

wasabi2k

2102 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 860

#1312031 26-May-2015 14:30

what ports are you forwarding? The only WoL I have used is layer 2 stuff, not going to work over the internet.

It has been a while though.

Bhugz

48 posts

Geek

#1312091 26-May-2015 15:19

I'm forwarding Port 7 and 9 (both UDP) as per all the posts have mentioned that I've come across on the net.

lapimate

353 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 28

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1312222 26-May-2015 19:08

Bhugz: ... I'm forwarding Port 7 and 9 (both UDP) as per all the posts have mentioned that I've come across on the net. ...

Not as simple as that, the ARP table will likely not have any IP address for the hibernating/sleeping HTPC (BTW Windows 8.1 can't WoL a completely shutdown nor hybrid shutdown PC); briefly, need to bind MAC and IP.

See for starters:
WoL from outside LAN
WoL through NAT
Depicus

mentor

134 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 34

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1312233 26-May-2015 19:49

As above make sure the PC has dhcp reservation and is assigned a fixed IP from the router.

Then port forward to the IP for WOL. I'm using this through an Android app and worked a treat when I had to start up the PC from overseas!

Edit: Just verified that I have port forwarding to port 9 on both TCP and UDP for magic packets.

andrewNZ

2487 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1461
Inactive user

#1312251 26-May-2015 20:29

The short answer is, you need a router that forwards magic packets to the network broadcast address.

Very few routers do it. Most alternative firmware can, but that's something you shouldn't just try without fully understanding the risks.

JonnyCam

644 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 52

ID Verified

#1312600 27-May-2015 11:22

I could never get this working, so thought I'd use something like this:

https://github.com/sciguy14/Remote-Wake-Sleep-On-LAN-Server

I have a raspberry pi running all the time doing my weather station stuff, so thought I cpuld use that to wake my Plex server from outside the house.
I'll have to use dynamic DNS as am not static, but hoping this will work.

The problems I had always seemed to be the router getting in the way as stated above.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Bhugz

48 posts

Geek

#1313823 29-May-2015 09:11

Hmm, so I checked all my settings, WAN already has a static IP and DHCP is already enabled with a fixed IP address as well. Wake on lan works fine at home but still can't get it running if I'm not connected to home WIFI. Tried WOL from Depicus using my phone data but that didn't seem to work. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I forwarded port 7 and 9 to my broadcast IP address as has been stated in a number of posts but still no luck

andrewNZ

2487 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1461
Inactive user

#1313887 29-May-2015 10:22

As I said, most modems/routers just wont forward the packet to the broadcast address whether it lets you enter it or not. The first thing you need to find out is if yours does. If it doesn't, you wont get it to work.