If you want to set up a server at home, you can access it remotely. Of course, you can only connect remotely if you leave your computer or server running. However, you may not want to do this, especially if you want to lower your electricity bills.
A good workaround is to shut down your computer or server and then wake it up remotely only when you’re ready to use it. If you want to wake up your Windows 10 computer remotely, you can do so using existing methods such as Wake-on-LAN (WOL), or using remote access software such as Teamviewer.
Prepare your network router or firewall
Before you start using the Remote Wake Tool to remotely wake your Windows 10 computer, you need to make sure your network router is properly configured to allow you access to the computer, including setting up the appropriate firewall rules.
For example, most home network routers have built-in Wake-on-LAN support. You may need to refer to your user manual for more information on how to set this up, including how to forward a magic packet (a special data packet sent to turn on your PC) to your PC’s MAC address.
You can access the home settings menu for most home routers by typing http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1 in your web browser. To log in, you need an administrator username and password, which (if you have not changed them) should be printed on the router itself or in the supplied user manual.
Enable Wake-on-LAN on Windows 10 PC
If your router is configured correctly, the next step to enable Wake-on-LAN on Windows 10 PC is to enable this feature in BIOS / UEFI settings.
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This option can be placed in different sections depending on the motherboard firmware, but you should be able to find it in the Advanced or Power Management menu. Make sure Wake-on-LAN is set to On. Or Included. If it doesn’t, the magic WOL package (used to turn the computer back on) won’t enable it.
If the Wake-on-LAN feature is enabled in the BIOS, the next step is to enable it as a feature in Windows 10. You need to configure your network adapter to respond to the magic packet.
Note. This can only work with computers connected to an Ethernet network, meaning you cannot usually use Wake-on-LAN over Wi-Fi.
- To enable WOL in Window 10, you need to enable it in the Device Manager settings menu. Right-click the Start Menu and select Device Manager to start.
- In the Device Manager window, open the Network Adapters category. Right click on the network adapter that you are using to connect to the network, then select the Properties option.
- On the Advanced tab in the Properties window, you can access various custom settings for your network adapter. Click the Wake on Magic Packet option, then select Enabled from the Value drop-down menu.
- After enabling the magic package setting, go to the Power Management tab. Windows needs to allow your computer to respond to the magic WOL packet, so make sure the Allow this device to wake the computer and Allow only the magic packet to wake the computer check boxes are selected. Click “OK” to save the new settings.
After saving the settings, your computer should be ready to be woken up using the magic Wake-on-LAN packet from another computer.
Send Wake-On-LAN Magic Packet
To wake up your Windows 10 PC remotely, you’ll need software on another PC capable of emitting a magic WOL packet, such as NirSoft WakeMeOnLAN. Despite the somewhat dated interface, WakeMeOnLan still works as a free and easy solution for using WOL on Windows PCs.
- To use WakeMeOnLan, you need to download the software from the NirSoft website After extracting the ZIP file, run the WakeMeOnLan.exe file to launch the software. You can start scanning WOL-enabled PCs on your local network by clicking File> Start Scan, or manually adding a PC by clicking Add New Computer instead.
- If you have a PC (or PC) in your saved list, you can enable them with the magic WOL package by selecting it and clicking the Wake Up Selected Computers icon. Either right-click and select the Wake Selected Computers option, or press the F8 key on your keyboard instead.
- You need to confirm that you really want to wake up these computers remotely. Click OK to confirm.
Once you confirm this, the magic WOL packet will be sent automatically. If everything is configured correctly, your computer should start waking up from sleep mode, allowing you to access it remotely.
Using remote access software
You can also use remote access software such as TeamViewer to wake your Windows 10 PC remotely. TeamViewer uses the same WOL technology to wake up a PC remotely, allowing you to wake up a computer that is not connected to your local network.
You can do this if you want to access your work computer from home or if you are away from home and want to connect to your home computer, for example.
- You will need to first enable Wake-on-LAN in Teamviewer settings. To do this, open the Teamviewer client and click Advanced> Options.
- On the General tab of the TeamViewer Settings window, you should see the Network Settings section. You can configure the Wake-on-LAN settings by clicking the Configure button next to the Wake-on-LAN setting, where you can configure the TeamViewer IDs that are allowed to connect to your PC. If you don’t see this option, your network device might not support the Wake-on-LAN feature.
After enabling WOL in Teamviewer, you can launch it by clicking the “Wake up” button on your PC, listed in the Computers & Contacts menu. Your remote PC must have TeamViewer installed and logged in with the same TeamViewer account for this to work.
Manage your computer remotely
You may have a remote computer or server that you want to access, but you also need a secure way to manage it. One way to do this is to turn on your computer from afar, but you may need to make more substantial changes to your computer’s configuration. You may need to remotely modify the registry, for example, to fix the problem.
If you’re having trouble changing your IP address regularly, you can set up a free dynamic DNS address to always be able to connect. If you’re worried about your data, you might even consider setting up your own personal cloud storage for quick access to important files from home.
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