Wake-on-LAN (WoL) is a great feature that is built into most Computers and Servers that allows you to send a special WOL Magic Packet over the network and wake up the machine from a Sleep or Hibernate state.
Wake-on-LAN Packets are typically sent from a tool or software over UDP Ports 7 and 9 which then wakes up the device (Computer, Server, Router, Switch, etc).
Having a Wake-On-Feature enabled allows your device go to into a Low Power mode to conserve power if the machine is not being used.
Here is our list of the best Wake-on-LAN tools:
- ManageEngine OpUtils A package of network address management tools that includes a Wake-on-LAN utility. Available for Windows Server and Linux.
- Despicus WOL GUI A simple free Wake-on-LAN utility for Windows.
- NirSoft WakeMeOnLan A free network scanner that includes a Wake-on-LAN function. Runs on Windows.
- Aquilatech WOL A free Ping and Wake-on-Lan utility with an attractive interface. Runs on Windows.
- MatCode MC-WOL A free tool that offers Wake-on-LAN for PCs the include an ATC motherboard. Runs on Windows PCs at the command line.
- WakeUp 1.01 A command line tool that requires the MAC address as an input to send a Wake-on-LAN packet. Available for Windows PCs.
- EMCO WakeOnLan A comprehensive utility that includes device discovery and Wake-on-LAN. Available in free and paid versions for Windows.
- Gammadyne Free WOL Command-line Tool A free Wake-on-LAN tool for PCs that operates on the command line and can also deal with remote devices that requires a password for WOL.
Wake-on-LAN should be both enabled in your Motherboards BIOS and on the Network/Ethernet Interface settings as well in order to work correctly.
If you need remote access to device, whether a terminal or desktop computer, but allow it to go into a low-power state mode, than WOL is a great option to turn on.
Below you’ll find an Updated list of most popular Wake-on-LANn Software and tools that will help you send a Magic Packet to wake up any device within your network.
Some of these tools/software are Free and others have paid options with more features and capabilities than their Free counterparts.
Methodology for selecting the best Wake-on-LAN Software
Wake-on-LAN (WOL) software is a critical part of any IT infrastructure. It allows you to remotely turn on computers, servers, and other networked devices from anywhere in the world. Selecting the best Wake-on-LAN software for your needs can be difficult due to the wide variety of options available. Here are a few factors one must consider when selecting the top Wake-on-LAN Software available in the market.
- Check the WOL packet
- Check the minimum requirement for sending packets
- Check on the UDP packets
- Check on broadcast packets and their process
Here’s the Best Wake-on-LAN Software & Tools:
1. ManageEngine OpUtils – FREE EDITION
OpUtils is part of a large bundle of tools from ManageEngine but has the ability to be a great tool for a medium to large network environment!
OpUtils provides an easy Interface the offers easy WOL implementation with many features that include some of the following:
- Schedule Wake-Ups
- Boot Systems on different VLAN’s or Subnets
- Automatically Scan & Discovery New IP Addresses and Systems
- Create & Start Groups of Systems at Once
- and many more options!
To get a better understanding of this product and if its what your looking for, go ahead and follow the link to their main website and have a read through it!
Pros:
- Helps manage and monitor your entire IT infrastructure
- You can easily set up and configure your network devices
- With the intuitive user interface, users can view performance metrics, diagnose issues, and more
- Helps with real-time monitoring of critical systems
- Provides automated alerts of performance issues
Cons:
- Challenging for home users
- Automation requires improvement
Price: ManageEngine’s has a free edition of OpUtils with 16 tools.
Download Free Trial: https://www.manageengine.com/products/oputils/wake-on-lan.html
2. Depicus Wake On Lan GUI
Depicus WOL Tool has an updated interface that gives you the ability to send Magic Packet to over the via FQDN, IP Address or Ip Address.
Updated version has a new interface that Matches Windows 7 & 8 GUI and gives you the ability to specify a Port Number as well!
Pros:
- Helps monitor Wake On LAN (WOL) networks
- The user-friendly interface makes it easy to configure and set up WOL features
- Helps users troubleshoot any network issues
- Uses FQDN or IP Address to send Magic Packets
- Great for commands on small networks
Cons:
- Automation or scheduling is not available
- Larger networks shouldn’t use this because it can’t deliver commands in bulk.
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://www.depicus.com/wake-on-lan/wake-on-lan-gui
3. NirSoft WakeMeOnLan
Nirsoft has a long list of tools that assist network admins and engineers with daily tasks including remote WOL features of new systems including Windows 10 and up.
Some features of Nirsoft WakeMeUpOnLan include:
- Scan Network for all IP Addresses/Mac Addresses
- Save List of IP Addresses and Mac Addresses to File locally
- Option to send Broadcast Address for Windows 10 & 8 systems that are Troublesome
- Send Magic Packet to Multiple PC’s at once
- Command Line capability as well as GUI
- Constantly Updated by NirSoft with new Features
Pros:
- Easy to use and lightweight tool with a simple interface
- Helps manages different systems simultaneously
- Supports broadcasting WOL packets
- Generates additional information, such as hostname, current status, etc
- Uses command-line functionality to run programs
Cons:
- Some users believe that the features do not scale well with enterprise networks
- Lacks graphical reporting
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wake_on_lan.html
4. Aquilatech WOL
Aquilatech WOL software has quite a few noteable features that we really like in terms of overall use and capabilities.
Major features of Aquilatech offering include the following:
- Normal WOL capabilities of Computers that are Powered off or Sleep/Hibernating
- Shutdown a Remote Computer (Credentials needed)
- Ping Remote Computer via IP or FQDN
- Select Custom UDP Port
- Directly connect to Remote Computer via RDP from within the utility
- Schedule Wake-Ups and Shutdown at Certain Times/Dates
- Command Line Features
Pros:
- Uses scripting to shutdown non-Windows systems
- Monitors wake packets and troubleshoot WOL
- Scalable and has a simple interface
- The built-in scanner helps browse host machines
- Saves machines to make it simple to give WOL commands later
Cons:
- Not suitable for large-scale networks
- The interface doesn’t scale effectively when there are more machines involved.
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://wol.aquilatech.com/
5. MatCode MC-WOL Tool
MatCode.com Wake-on-LAN command-line tool Does Not have a GUI – it is strictly command-line only and has very limited functionality.
Pros:
- The syntax is easy to understand.
- Can operate on multiple LAN Segments
- Offers several command line switches that help in pushing Wake On LAN requests faster.
- Supports integration with other MatCode tool
- Supports script writing
Cons:
- Graphical User Interface is not available
- Fewer functions are available
Price: FREE
Official Download: http://www.matcode.com/wol.htm
6. WakeUp 1.01
WakeUp utility is fairly old and outdated and is hosted on Sites.google.com – the Utility initiates a Magic Packet to wake up remote PC’s via Command-line as well. You will need the Mac Address of the remote computer and make sure the Wake On Lan is configured properly on both the network Interface and BIOS.
Utility is Outdated but Download is still active via the URL Below.
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://sites.google.com/site/sysutil/wakeup
Hm Software NL Wake On LAN (Windows 10 only)
This utility is hosted on the Windows Store and ONLY works on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile versions.
The application is simple and very straight forward. You will need to specify the PC Name and Mac Address of the corresponding machine and add it to the inventory of the program.
From there you can click on it and Send WOL (magic packet) from the menu, as seen below:
Pros:
- Free to use and extremely lightweight
- Simple CLI tool
- A good option for smaller environments
- Uses Command-line to send magic packets and wake up remote systems
- Supports only Windows 10 and the Mobile version
Cons:
- Lacks Graphical User Interface
- Has become a bit outdated
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/wake-on-lan-magic-packet/9nblggh51pb3?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab
7. EMCO WakeOnLan
EMCO WOL tool is fairly robust WOL Tool that has a Freemium version and a Professional version that gives you some added functionality. To recap what this software can do, we’ll cover the features of the Professional version to get a full understanding of its capabilities.
Pro Version features:
- Send WOL Packet to Multiple PC’s in your network at once
- Manual and Scheduled Wake Up Tasks
- Multiple WOL Transmission methods including: Broadcast, Unicast, Directed Broadcast, WOL over the Internet
- Set Max Simultaneous WOL Power Up’s for your Network for Power Peak Prevention
- Set Custom WOL Settings including WOL Delivery, Ports and other options including Time/Date scheduling as mentioned above.
- Status reporting of all PC’s after WOL submission as well as Failure reports
- Notification Reports via Email for every Tasks that has been Executed.
- Ability to Run program as a Windows Service
- Store all information in either Local database or Remote MS SQL Server database for future requests.
See full Feature list below:
Pros:
- Several desktops, servers, and mobile devices are supported
- Ability to transmit WOL packets over several subnets
- Retrieves MAC addresses and other network data automatically
- Helps manage several devices
- Discovers machines and domains via scanning protocols
Cons:
- Not the right option for someone looking for a simple tool as it has too many features available
- Possibly too complex for smaller networks
Price: FREE (Limited to 5 pcs)
Professional Edition (Single User): $249
Professional Edition (Unlimited Users): $595
Official Download: https://emcosoftware.com/wake-on-lan
8. Gammadyne Free WOL Command-line Tool
Gammadyne.com has a great little Command-line WOL utility that gives us the ability to send Magic Packet over the network via cmd line.
Some features include:
- Send commands directly to MAC Address and optionally to IP Address
- Specify a Custom Port number via Command Line
- Specify a Password for Interfaces that have SecureOn enabled and a password set. Passwords can be either Raw Characters or in Hex, as seen in the image above.
Pros:
- Allows integration with cmd prompt
- Offers custom-built command line utility
- Lightweight and has an easy-to-use query syntax
- You can tweak your WOL command via specific port selections
- Works well with all Windows versions after the launch of XP
Cons:
- Lacks advanced functionalities
- Fewer features are available
Price: FREE
Official Download: https://www.gammadyne.com/cmdline.htm#wol
