Wake-on-LAN Setup for Self-Hosting

What Is Wake-on-LAN?

Wake-on-LAN (WoL) lets you power on a computer remotely by sending a special network packet called a magic packet. For self-hosting, a proper wake on lan setup means your server doesn’t need to run 24/7. You boot it on demand, run your workloads, and shut it down — cutting power costs by 50-80% depending on your usage pattern.

WoL is essential for servers that don’t need constant uptime. A Jellyfin media server that only runs during evenings, a backup server that wakes for nightly jobs, or a development machine you start from your phone — all perfect WoL use cases. Combined with scheduled tasks and auto-shutdown scripts, WoL turns a power-hungry server into an on-demand appliance.

The catch: WoL only works reliably on the local network. Over the internet, it’s fragile and insecure without a VPN. Use Tailscale if you need to wake machines remotely.

Prerequisites

A server with a wired Ethernet connection (Wi-Fi WoL exists but is unreliable — don’t bother)
A motherboard that supports Wake-on-LAN (virtually all modern boards do)
Linux installed on the server (Linux Basics)
Root/sudo access
ethtool installed (sudo apt install ethtool on Debian/Ubuntu)
A second device on the same network to send magic packets

How WoL Works

When your server shuts down, the network interface card (NIC) stays in a low-power standby state, drawing about 1-2 watts. It listens for a specific packet — the magic packet — on the network.

A magic packet contains:

6 bytes of 0xFF (the sync stream)
The target machine’s MAC address repeated 16 times (96 bytes)

That’s it — 102 bytes total. When the NIC sees its own MAC address repeated 16 times after the sync stream, it signals the motherboard to power on. The packet is typically sent as a UDP broadcast on port 9 or port 7.

The magic packet is a Layer 2 broadcast. It has no IP routing — it’s flooded across the local network segment. This is why WoL works trivially on a LAN but requires workarounds for remote use.

Enabling WoL in BIOS/UEFI

WoL must be enabled in firmware first. The setting location varies by manufacturer, but the process is the same.

Reboot your server and enter BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, Del, or F12 during POST)
Find the power management or network settings section
Look for one of these labels:
- Wake on LAN — enable it
- Wake on PCI/PCIe — enable it (for add-in NICs)
- Power On By PCI-E — enable it
- EuP/ErP Ready — disable this (ErP compliance disables standby power to the NIC, which kills WoL)
- Deep Sleep — disable this on some boards (same reason as ErP)
Save and exit

Common BIOS locations by vendor:

Vendor	Typical Path
ASUS	Advanced → APM Configuration → Power On By PCI-E
Gigabyte	Settings → Platform Power → Wake on LAN
ASRock	Advanced → ACPI Configuration → PCIE Devices Power On
MSI	Settings → Advanced → Wake Up Event Setup → Resume By PCI-E Device
Dell	Power Management → Wake on LAN
HP	Advanced → Power-On Options → Remote Wakeup
Lenovo	Power → Wake on LAN
Intel NUC	Power → Secondary Power Settings → Wake on LAN from S4/S5

If your BIOS has separate options for S4 (hibernate) and S5 (soft-off), enable WoL for S5 — that’s the state after a shutdown -h now.

Configuring WoL in Linux

Even with BIOS enabled, Linux may disable WoL at the OS level during boot. You need to verify and enable it.

Check Current WoL Status

# Find your Ethernet interface name
ip link show
# Look for your wired interface — usually eth0, enp0s3, enp0s25, or eno1

# Check WoL support and current setting
sudo ethtool enp0s3 | grep -i wake

Expected output:

Supports Wake-on: pumbg
Wake-on: d

The letters mean:

Letter	Meaning
`p`	Wake on PHY activity
`u`	Wake on unicast message
`m`	Wake on multicast message
`b`	Wake on broadcast message
`g`	Wake on magic packet (this is WoL)
`d`	Disabled

If Wake-on shows d, WoL is disabled at the OS level. If Supports Wake-on doesn’t include g, your NIC doesn’t support magic packet WoL (rare on modern hardware).

Enable WoL

# Enable WoL for magic packets
sudo ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g

# Verify it's enabled
sudo ethtool enp0s3 | grep "Wake-on:"
# Should show: Wake-on: g

This only lasts until the next reboot. You must make it persistent.

Making WoL Persistent Across Reboots

Linux resets ethtool settings on every boot. Pick one method to make WoL persistent.

Method 1: systemd-networkd (Recommended for Modern Systems)

If you’re using systemd-networkd (default on Ubuntu Server 20.04+, Debian 12+):

sudo nano /etc/systemd/network/50-wol.link

[Match]
MACAddress=aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

[Link]
WakeOnLan=magic

Replace aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff with your server’s MAC address. Find it with:

ip link show enp0s3 | grep link/ether

Apply the configuration:

sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd

Method 2: Netplan (Ubuntu Desktop/Server with Netplan)

If your system uses Netplan (check with ls /etc/netplan/):

sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp0s3:
      dhcp4: true
      wakeonlan: true

Apply:

sudo netplan apply

Method 3: systemd Service (Works Everywhere)

Create a oneshot service that runs ethtool at boot:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/wol-enable.service

[Unit]
Description=Enable Wake-on-LAN on enp0s3
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable it:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable wol-enable.service
sudo systemctl start wol-enable.service

Method 4: NetworkManager (Desktop Distros)

If you’re running NetworkManager:

# Find the connection name
nmcli connection show

# Enable WoL for that connection
nmcli connection modify "Wired connection 1" 802-3-ethernet.wake-on-lan magic

# Restart NetworkManager
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

Verify After Reboot

After configuring persistence, reboot and check:

sudo reboot

# After reboot, SSH back in and verify
sudo ethtool enp0s3 | grep "Wake-on:"
# Should show: Wake-on: g

If it still shows d, your persistence method isn’t working. Try a different method from the list above.

Sending WoL Magic Packets

You need the server’s MAC address and a tool to send the magic packet. Grab the MAC before shutting down:

ip link show enp0s3 | grep link/ether
# link/ether aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

Write this down. You’ll need it every time.

From Linux

# Install wakeonlan
sudo apt install wakeonlan    # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install wol          # Fedora

# Send magic packet
wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

# Or specify the broadcast address (needed on some networks)
wakeonlan -i 192.168.1.255 aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

Alternative using etherwake:

sudo apt install etherwake
sudo etherwake -i enp0s3 aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

From Windows

# PowerShell — no extra software needed
$mac = 'AABBCCDDEEFF'
$magicPacket = [byte[]](,0xFF * 6) + (($mac -split '(.{2})' | Where-Object { $_ } | ForEach-Object { [byte]('0x' + $_) }) * 16)
$udpClient = New-Object System.Net.Sockets.UdpClient
$udpClient.Connect([System.Net.IPAddress]::Broadcast, 9)
$udpClient.Send($magicPacket, $magicPacket.Length) | Out-Null
$udpClient.Close()

Or use a free tool like WakeMeOnLan from NirSoft — it scans your network and lets you wake devices with one click.

From macOS

# Install via Homebrew
brew install wakeonlan

# Send magic packet
wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

From a Phone

Android: Wake On Lan (free, no ads)
iOS: Mocha WOL (free) or RemoteBoot WOL

Enter your server’s MAC address and the broadcast address (192.168.1.255 for most home networks). Tap send. The server should boot within 5-10 seconds.

WoL Over the Internet (via VPN)

Sending WoL magic packets over the internet directly is a bad idea. The magic packet is an unauthenticated UDP broadcast — anyone who knows your MAC address can wake your machine. You’d also need to forward UDP port 9 through your router and set up a directed broadcast, which most routers don’t support.

Use a VPN instead. The approach: keep a small, low-power device (Raspberry Pi, router, or always-on NUC) on your LAN running Tailscale. SSH into that device from anywhere, then send the magic packet locally.

Setup with Tailscale

Install Tailscale on a device that’s always on (a Pi Zero 2 W draws under 1 watt):

# On the always-on device
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up

Install wakeonlan on that device:

sudo apt install wakeonlan

From anywhere in the world:

# SSH into the always-on device via Tailscale
ssh [email protected]

# Send the magic packet to your server
wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

Your server boots. You can then Tailscale into the server directly once it’s up (if Tailscale is configured to start at boot on the server).

This is the correct way to do remote WoL. No port forwarding, no security holes, works through any NAT or firewall.

Automating WoL

Scheduled Wake with a Cron Job

Run a cron job on an always-on device to wake your server on a schedule. See Cron Jobs for cron basics.

crontab -e

# Wake the server at 6 PM every day (for evening media streaming)
0 18 * * * /usr/bin/wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

# Wake the server at 2 AM for nightly backups
0 2 * * * /usr/bin/wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

Pair this with an auto-shutdown on the server itself:

# On the server — shut down at midnight if no active SSH sessions
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/auto-shutdown.sh

#!/bin/bash
# Shut down if no SSH sessions are active and load is low
SESSIONS=$(who | grep -c pts/)
LOAD=$(awk '{print int($1)}' /proc/loadavg)

if [ "$SESSIONS" -eq 0 ] && [ "$LOAD" -eq 0 ]; then
    /usr/sbin/shutdown -h +5 "Auto-shutdown in 5 minutes — no active sessions"
fi

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/auto-shutdown.sh

Schedule it via systemd timer or cron:

# Check every 30 minutes after 11 PM
*/30 23-5 * * * /usr/local/bin/auto-shutdown.sh

Wake-on-LAN with Home Assistant

If you run Home Assistant, you can wake servers from automations, dashboards, or voice assistants.

Add to your configuration.yaml:

wake_on_lan:

switch:
  - platform: wake_on_lan
    name: "Home Server"
    mac: "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff"
    host: 192.168.1.50
    turn_off:
      service: shell_command.shutdown_server

shell_command:
  shutdown_server: "ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no [email protected] 'sudo shutdown -h now'"

This creates a toggle switch. Turning it on sends the magic packet. Turning it off SSHes into the server and shuts it down. You can use this in automations:

automation:
  - alias: "Wake server before Plex time"
    trigger:
      - platform: time
        at: "17:55:00"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: switch.home_server

For the SSH shutdown command to work, you need passwordless SSH from your Home Assistant host to the server. Generate an SSH key on the HA machine and add the public key to the server’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

Simple Wake Script

A wrapper script for quick use:

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/wake-server

#!/bin/bash
SERVER_MAC="aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff"
SERVER_IP="192.168.1.50"
TIMEOUT=120

echo "Sending magic packet to $SERVER_MAC..."
wakeonlan "$SERVER_MAC"

echo "Waiting for server to boot..."
SECONDS=0
while ! ping -c 1 -W 1 "$SERVER_IP" &>/dev/null; do
    if [ "$SECONDS" -ge "$TIMEOUT" ]; then
        echo "ERROR: Server did not respond within ${TIMEOUT}s"
        exit 1
    fi
    sleep 2
done

echo "Server is up after ${SECONDS}s"

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/wake-server

Troubleshooting WoL

WoL Not Working at All

Check 1: Is WoL enabled in BIOS? Reboot, enter BIOS, verify the Wake-on-LAN setting is enabled. Also check that ErP/EuP is disabled.

Check 2: Is WoL enabled in Linux?

sudo ethtool enp0s3 | grep "Wake-on:"

If it shows d, WoL is disabled at the OS level. Enable it with sudo ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g.

Check 3: Are you using the right MAC address? Double-check with ip link show. A common mistake is using the Wi-Fi MAC instead of the Ethernet MAC.

Check 4: Is the server plugged into Ethernet? WoL requires a wired connection. The Ethernet cable must be connected when the server is shut down. The link LEDs on the NIC should still blink/glow when the machine is off.

Check 5: Is the PSU providing standby power? The power supply must be switched on (rear toggle) and plugged in. ATX standby power (5VSB) keeps the NIC alive.

WoL Works Once, Then Stops

This usually means Linux is disabling WoL during shutdown. Some network drivers reset WoL settings when the interface goes down.

Fix: create a shutdown hook:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/wol-shutdown.service

[Unit]
Description=Re-enable WoL before shutdown
DefaultDependencies=no
Before=shutdown.target reboot.target halt.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g

[Install]
WantedBy=halt.target reboot.target shutdown.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable wol-shutdown.service

WoL Works from One Device but Not Another

The sending device must be on the same broadcast domain (same subnet/VLAN). If you have VLANs, the magic packet won’t cross VLAN boundaries unless your router/switch is configured to relay broadcasts. See Subnets and VLANs.

Server Wakes Up Randomly

Something on your network is sending packets that the NIC interprets as a wake event. Fix by restricting WoL to magic packets only:

# Use 'g' only — not 'ug' or 'bg'
sudo ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g

Also check BIOS for “Wake on LAN from S1-S3” — disable this unless you specifically need it. Some boards wake on any network activity in light sleep states.

Common Mistakes

Using Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet. Wi-Fi WoL (WoWLAN) is a different standard, requires specific driver support, and is unreliable. Always use a wired Ethernet connection.

Forgetting to disable ErP/EuP in BIOS. The EU Energy-related Products directive compliance mode cuts standby power to under 0.5W — which starves the NIC. WoL requires about 1-2W of standby power.

Not making ethtool settings persistent. Running ethtool -s enp0s3 wol g once works until the next reboot. Use one of the persistence methods above.

Trying WoL over the internet without a VPN. Magic packets are Layer 2 broadcasts. They don’t route across the internet. Even with port forwarding tricks, ARP entries expire after a few minutes, making it unreliable. Use Tailscale.

Wrong broadcast address. If wakeonlan aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff doesn’t work, try specifying the broadcast address explicitly: wakeonlan -i 192.168.1.255 aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff. The default broadcast 255.255.255.255 doesn’t work on all systems.

Next Steps

Set up power management policies to auto-shutdown your server during idle periods — Power Management
Configure Tailscale for secure remote WoL — Tailscale Setup
Create systemd services for your WoL automation — Linux systemd
Schedule wake/sleep cycles with cron — Cron Jobs
Segment your network to control WoL broadcast domains — Home Network Setup

FAQ

Does Wake-on-LAN work over Wi-Fi?

Technically, WoWLAN (Wake on Wireless LAN) exists, but it’s unreliable. Most Wi-Fi chipsets don’t support it, and those that do require specific driver configurations that vary by chipset and kernel version. Use a wired Ethernet connection — it works consistently across all hardware.

How much power does WoL use in standby?

A server in S5 (soft-off) with WoL enabled draws 1-3 watts from the power supply. The NIC stays in a low-power listening mode. Over a month, that’s roughly $0.01-0.03 in electricity — negligible compared to the 50-150W a running server draws.

Can I wake a server on a different VLAN or subnet?

Not directly. Magic packets are Layer 2 broadcasts and don’t cross VLAN or subnet boundaries. You need a device on the same VLAN as the target server to send the packet. Alternatively, some managed switches support “directed broadcast” or “IP helper” forwarding for WoL packets, but this is switch-dependent and adds complexity. The simpler approach: put a low-power device (Pi Zero) on the same VLAN and SSH into it to send the packet.

Is Wake-on-LAN secure?

The magic packet has no authentication. Anyone on your local network who knows the MAC address can wake your machine. On a trusted home network, this is a non-issue. Never expose WoL to the internet — use a VPN like Tailscale for remote wakeups.

Does WoL work after a power outage?

It depends on your BIOS setting for “AC Power Recovery” or “After Power Loss.” If set to “Power Off” (the default), the machine stays off after power returns but WoL will work once standby power is restored. If set to “Power On,” the machine boots automatically when power returns — which may be what you want for a server anyway. WoL itself works fine after power is restored as long as the PSU is receiving mains power.