Wake on LAN

Overview

Beginning with the second-generation Squeezebox (see Hardware Comparison), a "Wake on LAN" magic packet can be sent over the network to the last host (computer) to which is was connected. This magic packet can wake up the computer (or other hardware) and allow the Squeezebox to connect to the SqueezeCenter (formerly known as SlimServer) software running on that system.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Wake on LAN (or WoL)?

The whole WoL thing is explained in detail (and in multiple languages) in this wikipedia article. A good FAQ with a lot of useful tools can be found here.

How do I activate the WoL feature on Squeezebox?

There is no configuration needed, Squeezebox will send the WoL magic packet automatically. If the Squeezebox can't find a running SqueezeCenter on the network when trying to connect, pressing power on the IR remote, or the Power Button on the front of your player, will issue a WoL magic packet to be sent to the last SqueezeCenter it was connected to. When you press power and Squeezebox is sending out the WoL packet you will see 'Waking up SqueezeCenter' or 'Connecting to SqueezeCenter' on the display.

The SBC (Controller) will send the WoL magic packet when attempting to access the last SqueezeCenter it was connected to. I.E. navigate to Music Library > Artist or Internet Radio.

These events will trigger the WoL packet on the following players

Player	FW	IR Remote Button Event	Physical Button Event
SB2/3/Classic	112	IR Power Button, Right Arrow	N/A
Transporter	62	IR Power Button, Right Arrow	Power Button, Center Knob
SqueezeboxReceiver (Duet Receiver)	47	N/A	Button
SBC (Duet Controller)	7.2 r3191	N/A	Volume, RR/FF, Pause Button(s) - Browse a Music Source
SqueezeboxBoom	33	IR Power Button, Right Arrow	Power Button, Center Knob
SqueezePlay (BETA)		Browse a Music Source	N/A

• Note: when SqueezeCenter is not active, hitting the Left Arrow (Back) or Rewind button either on the IR Remote or Front Panel will cause your player to go back to the Setup Mode. At that point the WoL packet can not be sent. The system will need to be manually started before you can attach your player to it.

Can I specify which computer Squeezebox should wake up?

There is no way to tell Squeezebox to which computer it should send a WoL magic packet. Instead, Squeezebox remembers the MAC address of the last SqueezeCenter host it was connected to and sends the WoL magic packet to this address. The MAC address is learned automatically and cannot be changed manually.

Does WoL work over a wireless network?

Yes and no. The WoL magic packet can be sent over a wireless network with no problem. For it to actually wake a sleeping computer, however, that computer must be connected to some part of the network via ethernet. This is because the ethernet card stays partially powered up when WoL is enabled, listening for WoL packets. The same is not true for wireless cards; they are completely powered down when a computer is asleep, and thus cannot receive any incoming packets. As an example partially wired / partially wireless network that can work with WoL, imagine a wireless hub (such as an Apple Airport Base Station) that serves both as a wireless access point and as a router, distributing IP addresses to different machines on a local subnet. A Squeezebox that is wireless connected to this hub can send out a WoL magic packet, and it will be received by the hub, which will then pass it on to other machines on the local subnet. If the sleeping computer running SqueezeCenter is connected to one of the ethernet ports on the hub, it will wake up (assuming the magic packet contains the correct MAC address).

Does WoL work if my PC is behind a wireless bridge

It might. Some wireless bridges are transparent and report the correct MAC address (the one from the PC) to Squeezebox so when sending the WoL packet it contains the correct MAC address. However there are also wireless bridges out there which incorrectly report their own MAC address instead of the one of the PC running SqueezeCenter. In such cases Squeezebox learns the wrong MAC address and therefore is unable to wake the PC. If you have such a wireless bridge and would like to use WoL you might want to contact the manufacturer of the wireless bridge and check if there is a newer firmware that resolves this issue.

My SqueezeCenter is behind an access point / firewall / router, what can I do?

Whether or not this causes a problem with WoL depends on the settings of the router. The Squeezebox sends out the WoL packet to IP address 255.255.255.255, the general broadcast address. In principle, this should reach every computer on the local network, unless it is dropped by the router. But if your SqueezeCenter host is on a different subnet than your Squeezebox, you may need to do something different. If your router is dropping these packets, you may be able to configure it to forward them on to other computers. The WoL packet is sent to UDP port 9, so the necessary solution is to forward traffic to that port to the broadcast address for the LAN to which the SqueezeCenter host is connected, e.g. if your LAN has network addresses like 10.0.1.2, 10.0.1.3, etc., then its broadcast address is 10.0.1.255. If you know the IP address of your Squeezebox (i.e. if it has a fixed IP address rather than obtaining one via DHCP), you may be able to set up more restrictive port forwarding to only forward UDP port 9 packets from that particular IP address to the broadcast address of your LAN.

In general Squeezebox and SqueezeCenter need to be in the same subnet for WOL to work. It might also work in other situations, but that is not generally supported.

Troubleshooting you WOL issues

What tools can I use to help debug my WoL problems?

It can help a lot to see what packets are actually being sent around your network. Using a network traffic analyzer like Wireshark will allow you to see every packet sent, and, specifically for WoL packets, to which IP address and MAC address they are directed.

Here you will find a few helpful hint on how to trouble shoot your WOL issues with Squeezebox and the System

MAC Hints

Set 'Wake for Ethernet' to enabled

1. In Con troll Panel click on Energy Saver
2. Click on Options
3. Place a check mark in the box labeled Wake for Ethernet network administrator access

Test the WOL Magic Packet using an application like Wake On Lan or similar WOL application. Go to another system on your network and attempt to wake the target system.

Windows Hints

Verify the system supports WOL

• Contact your system manufacture to verify the system you are using support WOL

NOTE: Not all systems will properly support WOL. It is always best to contact your PC provider to verify support

Test the WOL Magic Packet using an application like WOL Magic Packet utility or similar WOL application. Go to another system on your network and attempt to wake the target system.

Verify your System BIOS is set properly Get into your system BIOS (check your motherboard or system documentation on how to do this) and look for a setting similar to "Power Management Setup" you may see one of the following in there:

• Verify that the ACPI Function is enabled
• Verify that the ACPI Suspend type is S1 / S3
• Verify that Remote Wake up is enabled

Verify Windows is set properly to forward WOL Packets to your Network Card

1. Click on Start, then select Run
2. Enter 'devmgmt.msc' and click OK
3. In Device Manager expand the Network Adapters section
4. Right click on your NIC, then select Properties
5. Click on the Power Management Tab, then place a check mark in "Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby."
6. Click on the Advanced Tab
7. Look for any of the following Properties:
   • Verify that Wake Up Capabilities are set to 'Both' or 'Magic Packet'
   • Verify that Wake On LAN after shutdown is enabled
   • Verify that "Shutdown Wake-On-Lan" is Enabled

For more information on how Microsoft deals with WOL, please see this White Paper

TO DO

1. add link to Logitech FAQ
2. add Unix hints (if needed)