EA4500 won't allow wake on WAN

[waterdaemon]

I'm hoping to get this router to allow WOL (actually wake on WAN) but it seems to be blocking the necessary broadcast magic packet even though the settings appear correct. It's not critical, but the reason is this: I'd like to shut down the home PC, but when necessary be able to start it up and use a VPN to access any info I need remotely.

From within the LAN, I can verity that WOL works. I have NIC and PCI WOL enabled in the BIOS. The NIC (a Marvel Yukon Gigabit) has WOL enabled as well as "allow this device to wake.." using magic packets under power management. The target machine's local IP is reserved through the EA4500 DHCP Reservation table. Just for troubleshooting, I opened port 9 in windows firewall. More importantly, I have ports 7-9 forwarded to my target LAN address. Single port forwarding... it just has been less reliable (?). I'm using a mask of 255.255.255.128 in order to enable broadcasting on .127 at some point as it seems it must be necessary. Broadcasting on .255 is not possible, despite some workarounds I found on the web. EA4500 firmware is the latest, 2.0.37. I have turned off the multicast filter and the anonymous internet filters under the security tab.

So, with these settings, I can WOL from inside the network no problem either targeting the LAN address, or by using a dyndns address. So far so good.

With these same settings, I can go to WAN using Depicus or the Cloud Connect Pro app over 4G on an iPad. With all these same settings, WOLsniffer confirms the magic packet still getting through over WAN (obviously using the dyndns address). Even better, I can shutdown the target PC and STILL wake it up within a few minutes from WAN. Let me restate that! Wake up over WAN works, but only for the first few minutes after a shutdown.

However, if I wait 20 minutes or so, WOL stops working. If I change the port forwarding to .127, not only does it not work, but WOLsniffer will fail to see the magic packet. My conclusion is that the ARP table is getting purged, which is undertandable, and so the target LAN address isn't in memory. However, frustratingly the EA4500 will not broadcast no matter what settings you use. This limitation is undocumented, and counterintuitive since the software allows you to disable multicast filtering and does not notify you of an error when forwarding to xxx.xxx.xxx.127 with a 255.255.255.128 mask.

If I missed something, I'd be happy to try it! But more likely this is an unclear and undocumented firmware limitation. I'd really like to see it fixed.

[dibbler]

Wake on LAN (WoL) is a technology that permits someone to turn ON a computer remotely.  The network adapter on the computer listens to network activity and will turn the computer ON once it receives a special data packet called a “Magic Packet” that triggers the boot up.  Wake on LAN is also referred to as Remote Wake-up.For Wake on LAN to work on a computer, it must have the following:

•   A wired connection to an active computer network

•   Motherboard

•   Network adapter and adapter driver that support the standard Magic Packet format

•   Computer basic input/output system (BIOS) configured for WoL

•   An operating system that supports WoL

•   All routers between the remote location and computer required to WoL must allow IP directed broadcasts and support IPv4

Here is the link for configuring Wake on LAN feature and settings: http://www6.nohold.net/Cisco2/ukp.aspx?vw=1&docid=20e3824721bb44f6afb3093679a7e883_21418.xml&pid=80&...

[waterdaemon]

I'm sorry but did you read my post? Why are you telling me about the connection, motherboard, adaptor, OS, bios, etc.? Didn't I explain my setup and that WOL works not only locally, but even from WAN as long as it's shortly after shutdown? I appreciate a reply, I really do, but this just seems like an automated response based on keywords and not the actual content of my question.

[free chocolate]

^^LOL, i know right?; WoL requires a Computer with a Motherboard no less?! Wow!

You may want to check this thread with a solution about WoL: http://homecommunity.cisco.com/t5/Wireless-Routers/E4200-Port-forward-to-broadcast-for-WOL/td-p/3720...

Hopes this helps because I usually don't rely on that feature. I am waiting for Cisco Connect Cloud~

[waterdaemon]

free chocolate, thanks for the link. I had seen that thread before and spent a lot of time following the directions. Message 24 contains the settings I use, but not with as much success on an EA4500. The broadcast workaround mentioned early on probably worked at on time, but not with the newer models and firmware.

[vai_fan]

It seems that the router is doing its job...then there should be something that happens with my NIC/power etc confined to the computer itself.