What is Wake-On-Lan (WoL)

What is Wake-On-Lan (WoL)

Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is an industry standard protocol for waking computers up remotely.The protocol also allows for a supplementary Wake-On-Wireless-LAN ability as well.

Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is dependant on two things , your motherboard model and your network interface card (NIC). Your motherboard must be connected to an ATX-compatible power supply. Your Ethernet or Wireless card must also supply this functionality because it is set either through the BIOS or through your NIC's firmware, you don't need specific software to enable it. Support for WoL is pretty universal now a days.

The Magic packet :  How WoL Works :

WoL enabled computers essentially wait for a "magic packet" to arrive that includes the NIC'c MAC address in it

The MagicPacket: How WoL Works

WoL-enabled computers essentially wait for a “magic packet” to arrive that includes the NIC’s MAC address in it. These magic packets are sent out by professional software made for any platform, but can also be sent by routers and internet-based websites. The typical ports used for WoL magic packets are UDP 7 and 9. Because your computer is actively listening for a packet, some power is feeding your network card which will result in your laptop’s battery draining faster, so road warriors should take care to turn this off when you need to eke out some extra juice.