Cheap gigabit switch that supports Wake On LAN

kumquat

Supreme [H]ardness
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I have a couple of cheap (D-Link and Netgear) gigabit switches, but neither of them actually work with Wake On LAN. It seems the inexpensive ones are all "green ethernet" bullcrap that shut off ports not currently in use and therefore break WOL ability.

Does anyone know of any inexpensive gigabit switches that actually support WOL?
 
As it has a lifetime next business day exchange warranty and are rock solid they are "cheap"

If you want Enterprise features, you don't get those for $30...
 
Even $80 is over twice as much as the cheap switches. I'm not really interested in spending twice as much just to get a switch that doesn't have "green" ethernet that turns ports off completely.

Is there anything in the $30-$40 range? I'm not looking for something managed or with enterprise features. Just something that doesn't turn the freaking ports off. I have a box full of $5-$10 100MB switches that work fine.
 
How many ports?

Are you assuming the green switches don't handle WOL or do you have personal experience? The Trendnet green switch I listed handles WOL. I know this for a fact as I have the switch and use WOL through it.
 
I only actually need 3. My router has 5 ports and does just fine with WOL. I run a 50' ethernet cable to another room where I have two devices hooked up.

I own two "green" gigabit switches, and neither works with WOL at all. I think I'd only buy another green switch if the manufacturer directly states it's WOL compatible.
 
Some reviews of the TRENDnet TEG-S80G state that it supports WOL.
 
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Even $80 is over twice as much as the cheap switches. I'm not really interested in spending twice as much just to get a switch that doesn't have "green" ethernet that turns ports off completely.

Is there anything in the $30-$40 range? I'm not looking for something managed or with enterprise features. Just something that doesn't turn the freaking ports off. I have a box full of $5-$10 100MB switches that work fine.


Not managed and no enterprise features.

Just a very good, arguable one of the best unmanaged switches out there.
 
err, I've never met a switch that doesn't "support" WOL

You probably don't have it properly enabled on the device you want to wake up.

If your switch is so shitty that it doesnt pass the first packet when the port is "woken up", send two WOL packets :rolleyes:
 
err, I've never met a switch that doesn't "support" WOL

You probably don't have it properly enabled on the device you want to wake up.

If your switch is so shitty that it doesnt pass the first packet when the port is "woken up", send two WOL packets :rolleyes:

Virtually all of the modern low-end gigabit switches are "green" switches that completely shut off ports that are not connected to a powered-up client. As a result, the switches mostly seem not to forward the WOL packets through these ports. I'm not the only one that has these problems.
 
Takes <10 packets to wake up my device that's powered off. I'm using the dlink 5 port green gigabit switch.
 
I obviously can't comment on every single switch out there, but I've worked with a whole lot of them. 100 times out of 100 that someone told me that WOL wasn't working, they didn't have it set up right or didn't have support for it on their computer.

The computer will power the NIC when the machine is in standby/able to be woken up, so it should keep your "green" switch from turning off its port.

Make sure you have it enabled in your BIOS (if using an onboard NIC), and also make sure you have it enabled in your drivers. You need both (if onboard).

Just for fun (and to make sure I wasn't being an ass), I went and looked up your problem on google. Most of what I saw were people who later found they missed a setting or someone else came along saying their switch does, in fact, work (same model).
 
I've noticed newer motherboards the "EUP" feature is not compatible with WOL, disable EUP in the BIOS in this case.

I'm really not sure how a "green" switch could affect WOL, there is either link or no link. If WOL is on and EUP off the machine should maintain link while the machine is off.
 
I don't think switches turn off their ports like that. Your NIC/onboard needs to have some kind of standby power to it for WOL to work, so it's at the computer end is what is actually turning off. WOL is broadcast not by ports, but by address. If you want a magic packet sent to all ports regardless of anything, what you are describing is old, and a hub.
 
Yes. It's not the switch causing you the problem. Your system isn't keeping the NIC alive and therefore the port is going down. Even when your system is asleep that link light should be green on the NIC and the switch. If it's not it's the system...not the switch.
 
I don't think switches turn off their ports like that. Your NIC/onboard needs to have some kind of standby power to it for WOL to work, so it's at the computer end is what is actually turning off. WOL is broadcast not by ports, but by address. If you want a magic packet sent to all ports regardless of anything, what you are describing is old, and a hub.
Correct, and there are some switches which will "turn off" their ports, but only if they are not in use or if the device they are connected to is not sending a signal, i.e. off.
 
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I admit I've never used a "green" switch before, but if that is what you suspect the problem is, just buy an older used one off fleabay. The older "blue metal" FS series Netgear switches are quite popular.
 
Well it works 100% with all of my older 10/100 switches and none of the green switches I've tried. This makes me think it's not the computer ;)

fleaBay is a good idea. I don't know why that didn't even occur to me. Thanks.
 
Well it works 100% with all of my older 10/100 switches and none of the green switches I've tried. This makes me think it's not the computer ;)

fleaBay is a good idea. I don't know why that didn't even occur to me. Thanks.

I stand corrected, apparently there are a lot of other people out there experiencing the exact same issue as you are.

Have you tried this switch: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122342

I use one of these and have never had a problem with WOL with it.
 
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