How to Achieve Wireless Network Wake-Up Using an Old Router

Wake-on-LAN (WOL) is a technology and standard that allows a computer in a sleep or powered-off state to be awakened or booted up from another device on the local area network (LAN), typically via Ethernet. Related technologies also include remote shutdown and reboot commands.

Most motherboards support WOL, requiring enabling in the BIOS and adjusting the operating system's power settings. While these steps are straightforward for wired network cards, waking up via a wireless network card is more challenging.

I used an AX200 wireless card with an MSI B450M MORTAR MAX motherboard. Although the card supports network wake-up, it failed. Contacting MSI support confirmed that the motherboard only supports wired network wake-up, not wireless. Thus, I had to find an alternative method.

Scenario

My setup involves a wireless router in the living room and a PC in the bedroom, which lacks a wired connection. Since my motherboard does not support wireless wake-up, I adopted a different approach. I retrieved an old router and placed it in the bedroom, wirelessly bridging it to the living room router. The old router was then connected to the PC via Ethernet, effectively achieving a "pseudo-wireless network wake-up."

The network topology looks like this (created using ProcessOn):

Implementation

As mentioned, WOL requires configuring both the operating system (Windows 10 in this case) and the motherboard BIOS.

Operating System Settings

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Navigate to Network Adapters and select your wired network card.
3. Go to the Power Management tab and check the following two options:

4. Switch to the Advanced tab and set "Shutdown Network Wake" and "Magic Packet Wake" to Enabled.

Motherboard BIOS Settings

For MSI motherboards (other brands may vary, check online or contact support):

1. Go to Settings > Advanced > Power Management Settings and set ErP Ready to Disabled.

2. Go to Settings > Advanced > Wake Event Settings and set PCIE Device Wake to Enabled.

Press F10 to save and restart.

Old Router Settings

Configure the old router (e.g., Fast FWR100) for wireless bridging and place it near the PC in the bedroom.

1. Go to Wireless Settings > Basic Settings:
   • Enable Wireless Function
   • Enable WDS
   • Set the (bridged) SSID
   • Set the password

2. Go to Network Parameters > LAN Port Settings and set the IP address to the same subnet as the main router, ensuring it does not conflict with other devices.

This allows the bedroom router to connect to the internet via the living room router. Connect the PC to the bedroom router's LAN port using an Ethernet cable.

Note: Router configurations vary; consult your router's manufacturer for specific instructions.

WOL Network Wake-Up

1. Find the MAC address (Physical Address) of your wired network card in the network connection details and record it.

2. Most modern routers support WOL directly. Access the router's control interface via an app, navigate to Network Wake-Up, enter the recorded MAC address, and click Wake.

If your router lacks this feature, search the app store for a third-party WOL application.

Set Network Adapter Priority

After setup, the PC has dual network access (wired + wireless). Since the bedroom router only supports 100Mbps, I want the wired card for wake-up and the wireless card for internet. In Windows 10, the wired card has higher priority by default. If you need to prioritize the wireless card for internet, adjust the metric priority.

For detailed steps, see: How to Configure Network Priority Order and Adjust Windows 10 Network Adapter Priority

Fix WiFi Auto-Connect Issues

If WiFi fails to auto-connect, refer to: How to Fix Win10 System Unable to Auto-Connect to WiFi Wireless Network

Important Notes

• Network wake-up requires configuring both the OS and BIOS.
• WOL can be triggered via the router's built-in feature or a third-party client.
• Adjust network adapter priority based on your needs.
• For the first use, connect the PC via Ethernet, shut it down, and then wake it. Do not connect the Ethernet cable while the PC is powered off, as it will not wake up.