Splashtop On-Prem provides a “Wake up this Computer” function to allow a user to wake up the target remote computer from a sleeping state so that he or she can connect to it. That is, Splashtop Gateway will wake up the Streamer on behalf of the mobile client device, provided the computer supports WoL (Wake on LAN) and the option has been enabled, and that the computer is connected by Ethernet, not WiFi.
Previous Splashtop On-Prem users might recall that Wake-on-LAN could only be used when the Streamers and Splashtop Gateway were on the same subnet (or when the nets were capable of forwarding magic packets). Due to customer demand, we are happy to say that we have enhanced this feature to be capable of waking up a computer even if it is on a different subnet. It can now handle these situations:
- The mobile client device (app) and the offline Streamer (remote computer to be awakened) are both on the same subnet, OR
- The mobile client device and the off-line Streamer are on different subnets, but Splashtop Gateway and the off-line Streamer are on the same subnet, OR
- The mobile client device and the off-line Streamer are on different subnets, but there is at least one on-line Streamer on the same subnet as the offline Streamer you want to awaken.
After you initiate a Wake-on-LAN request from your mobile device app, Splashtop On-Prem will automatically detect and take the necessary action according to which of the three topologies you have, and attempt to awaken the target computer.
First, we ask that you make sure the following conditions have been satisfied completely. Otherwise, there is no chance to make Wake-on-LAN work successfully. Please verify that the:
- Computer is connected by Ethernet, not WiFi. This requires LAN and will not work with WiFi.
- PC BIOS supports WoL, and that the option has been enabled in both OS and BIOS of the computer with the off-line Streamer.
- Settings in Windows or Mac have been properly set up.
Settings on computers running the Streamer
To connect to your computer when it is in Sleep or Hibernation mode, you need to do the following:
- Make sure your BIOS supports Wake-on-LAN, and that this option has been enabled. (This step pertains to Windows PCs only; Mac users can ignore this.)
- Configure your computer to be Wake-on-LAN ready. Please note that the term in BIOS might vary. For example, it might be "Wake on LAN," or "Onboard LAN Boot ROM," or something else.
For Windows users:
Enable Wake-on-LAN in the system BIOS if you want to allow your computer to wake from a powered-off (i.e., Hibernate) state.
Configure your LAN network interface adapter. For example, it might be at Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Network Adapter.
If the offline Streamer is a Notebook, please use AC electrical power (not battery power). Otherwise, the Notebook hardware will not allow Wake-on-LAN.
For Mac users:
Make sure the Wake for network access option is selected in the Energy Saver settings.
3. Your computer must be connected to your wireless router using the network cable (Ethernet).
4. If your Mac computer is a laptop (for example, a MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air). please make sure the power cable is plugged in to an electrical power source. If you are using only battery power on the laptop, this may cause the WoL feature to fail.
Steps to trigger Wake-on-LAN
Steps required to wake your computer from Sleep or Hibernation mode:
- On your tablet/phone, launch the Splashtop On-Prem app. Turn ON the “Show offline computers” option in Settings.
- Keep your computer ON and make a successful connection, then shut down your computer (power off).
- On your tablet/phone, you should see that the computer you want to awaken is an unavailable one (gray computer icon).
- Tap the "Edit" icon (at the far right of the desired computer name). A Wake up this computer button will appear.
- Tap on the Wake up this computer button to attempt to wake up the PC computer from either a Powered-off, Sleep, or Hibernation state; OR a Mac computer from a Sleep state.
Please note that currently, it is not possible to awaken a Mac computer from a powered-off state via the Wake-on-LAN feature.
In addition, Wake-on-LAN might not work well when “Force SSL over local connection” is enabled. We recommend that you turn off this option to ensure more stable performance of Wake-on-LAN.
For complete details and illustrations, please see Chapter 6 of the full Splashtop Center Administrator's Guide. In addition, Section 6.6.4 provides text and diagrams to explain how our "Wake up this computer" feature works in different topologies.