How to make Wake On Lan work on Surface Book 2 / Surface Ethernet Adapter / Windows 11

Question

Hello,

I am trying to get Wake On Lan feature up and running on my Surface Book 2 with original Microsoft Surface Ethernet Adapter connected via one of the Surface Book USB ports to my LAN.

Based on this article (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/wake-on-lan-for-surface-devices), Surface devices, including Surface Books, support WOL through Connected (Modern) Standby. I understand that it should be automatically enabled in Windows 11 with Connected Standby (S0) and wake up the computer from Sleep state should be possible.

I would like to be able to power on the Computer so I am able to see the screen and go from there.

It remains unsuccessful. I keep sending Magic Packets via UDP port 9 or 7. Through WOL sniffer app, I can see the Magic Packets go through network and arrive at the machine.

I have double checked and tried following steps:

• current Windows Build and up to date
• Network adapter driver up tp date
• Connected Standby enabled
• adjusted PCI Express settings (Link State Power Management --> Off) in Power Options Advanced Plan settings
• Fast Startup both enabled and disabled, no difference
• enabled WOL-related settings in Device Manager --> Network Adapter Properties
• tried adding / enabling some values in the registry, based on some online research suggestions (https://www.thewindowsclub.com/wake-on-lan-not-working-on-windows-10)

The network adapter's LED keeps flashing while in standby mode, so it does have power and technically can receive signals from network.

Could anyone help?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello there,

Is there anything in event viewer while your try to configure wake on LAN?

I would suggest you to use proc mon to identify if there is nothing on the event viewer.

Restart your Surface Book 2 and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings. The process can vary depending on the manufacturer, so consult your device's manual or do an online search to find out how to access the BIOS. Once you're in the BIOS settings, look for an option related to Wake On LAN. It might be named "Wake-on-LAN," "Remote Wakeup," or something similar. Enable this option.

Ensure that the port used for WoL (usually UDP port 9) is open on your router and any firewalls. This is important to allow the magic packet to reach your Surface Book 2 over the network.

Hope this resolves your Query !!

--If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept it as an answer--

Answer 2

Hi, thanks for your reply.

There is no setting for WoL in Surface UEFI, as the device itself doesn't come with built-in LAN adapter, maybe that's why. I also own a Surface Pro 9 and it's all the same with that one.

The magic packet arrives at my machine, I can see it in event viewer via the broadcast address *.255, so there is no problem with ports or firewall.

I have tried some things with another Ethernet Adapter (Realtek USB GbE Family Controller): If I use Win10 driver (NDIS) for this device, I get a setting in device Properties --> Advanced, that is called "Modern Standby WoL Magic Pack.." (which is not present with the Win11 driver). After enabling this and then putting Windows to sleep, I was able to successfully awake the PC by Magic Packet. Unfortunately it doesn't work every time. So, technically it is possible, it has to be a configuration problem with Windows.

Also, the behaviour of other USB devices when putting system to sleep, is random. Sometimes their lights turn off and I can only wake the system up by pressing keyboard or mouse button. Sometimes the lights stay on and system wakes up by mouse movement already. I then noticed, the chance for the system to wake up by Magic Packet is higher when other USB devices have their lights turned off (and also the software state of the Network Adapter in WoL Magic Packet sending app on Android shows a red light and turns green as soon as the device becomes active).

Any idea about how to approach this?

What would be a good way to use the Process Monitor tool in this situation?

Thanks!