Can't get Wake On lan (WOL) to work

[my6thsense]

Hi everyone,

I'm breaking my head here for the past 5 hours and I can't get WOL to work on my HP Desktop. It was working fine (and still is) on my previous pc. I'm using a raspberry Pi to send the WOL packets. 

What I tried:

- Activate WOL in windows network cards (both Wifi and cable)

- Disable power saving stuff in network cards

- deactivate Fast boot and hibernation in windows
- Disable Powerstate link in windows
- Activate WOL (S4/S5) in BIOS
- Checked for driver/bios updates but all are in the latest versions

- Tested both Wifi and Cable, both do not work

I really cant seem to understand  why it's not working on my HP... I never had issues with other pc's before...Any ideas?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @my6thsense 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Wake-on-LAN (WOL) can be tricky to set up, and it's clear you've already taken a lot of the right steps. Let’s troubleshoot further to figure out why it isn’t working on your OMEN 35L Gaming Desktop:

Additional Steps to Try

1. Double-Check BIOS Configuration

Ensure you’ve enabled Wake on PCI-E/PCI devices in addition to enabling WOL (S4/S5).

Some BIOS settings might label these differently (e.g., Power On by PCI-E/PCI or similar), so make sure anything related to powering up via the network is enabled.

Save changes in BIOS and reboot the system.

 

2. Verify MAC Address in the ARP Table

The issue could be with your network router or Raspberry Pi not recognizing your desktop when it’s powered off.

Ensure your OMEN’s MAC address is in the ARP table of the router or device sending the WOL packet:

On your Raspberry Pi, confirm you're sending the WOL packet to the correct MAC address of your OMEN when it’s in an off state.

If needed, create a static IP address for your OMEN and bind it to the correct MAC address in your router settings.

 

3. Check Network Adapter Settings in Windows

Confirm that Allow this device to wake the computer and Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer are enabled:

Go to Device Manager > Network Adapters.

Right-click your network card, select Properties, and go to the Power Management tab.

Ensure both options are checked.

Under the Advanced tab of the same network adapter, verify that Wake on Magic Packet, Wake on Pattern Match, and Energy Efficient Ethernet (if applicable) are configured correctly.

 

4. Test WOL Packet Transmission

Verify that the Raspberry Pi is successfully sending WOL packets:

Use tools like etherwake or wakeonlan on the Pi to send the magic packet.

You can monitor for the packet on your router or with a tool like Wireshark on another device to confirm it's being sent.

 

5. Disable Secure Boot

Sometimes, Secure Boot in the BIOS can interfere with WOL functionality. Try disabling Secure Boot temporarily and testing if WOL works.

 

6. Use Ethernet Over Wi-Fi

While you mentioned trying both, WOL often works better over an Ethernet (wired) connection. Ensure that the Ethernet connection is functional and directly connected to your router or switch. WOL over Wi-Fi has limitations on many systems and may not be fully supported.

 

7. Investigate Driver Compatibility

Even though your drivers are up-to-date, try rolling back to an older network card driver (if available). Recent updates could occasionally cause WOL issues.

 

8. Ensure Power Supply to NIC

Check if the network adapter (NIC) is receiving power when the PC is off:

Look for blinking lights on the Ethernet port. If there’s no activity, the motherboard might not be supplying power to the NIC in the off state.

This could point to an issue with the BIOS configuration or motherboard firmware.

 

9. Test WOL on Another Network Device

To rule out any issues with your Raspberry Pi or network setup, try sending WOL packets to another device (e.g., your old PC) and confirm it wakes properly.

If this solution hits the spot, please come back and click "Accepted Solution" to help others find the answer. And if you'd like to say thanks, select "Yes" on the bottom left of the public post, as that would make our day! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[my6thsense]

Hi,

For whoever this might concern a little follow-up: After countless of hours of trying to get the WOL to work I gave up because nothing seemed to work. Today I received an update notification for a BIOS update without any changelog. After doing the update I tried the WOL again and now it works (only over cable, not over Wifi but I can live with that)  so the issue was related to a bug in the BIOS firmware since I did not change anything else. I also notice that now the LED lights on my network card remain on when this PC is powered off when this was not the case before the BIOS update. 

If anyone else experiences this issue on an HP OMEN, first thing to try is to update BIOS firmware to the latest version.