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WOL Power Button

S

SimpsonRB

n00b
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
8
So I was wondering if the combined infinite wisdom in this forum could solve this issue for me. I work for a healthcare provider, and one of our special projects has been installing PCs in the patient rooms. The main problem we have been having is that, due to the cost involved for running ethernet drops to each PC, the big bosses instead opted for wireless connections for these PCs. Needless to say this makes it something of a tech support nightmare when one of these PCs shuts down or locks up. Because the PCs are locked up in cabinets, the nursing staff cannot turn a PC back on themselves and typically a tech will have to drive in after hours just to unlock a cabinet and hit the power button.

Today we received a piece of equipment that holds they key to this problem, but I cannot seem to find what I'm looking for...this is where [H] readers come in. We got a locking cart for a laptop that has an external power button for the laptop locked up inside. After investigating the board we realized that the power button connects to the ethernet port on the laptop and just sends a WOL magic packet to the machine. Have any other [H] readers seen something like this as a peripheral? It sounds like the ideal solution to the headache with our room PCs.
 
Hmmm...can't say I've ever seen that as a peripheral (you'd basically want a power switch with an RJ45 on the other end to act as a remote switch from what it sounds like).

The only thing I am thinking is your issue would be if the machine has actually hung, I have a feeling receiving that magic packet isn't going to do anything since the machine will not be responding.

I wonder if the simplest solution might just a be a drill bit and a rubber grommet that lets them stick something inside the case and poke the power key?
 
I agree that it will not help with the machine locking up, but more often than not the machines just go into standby. It won't replace the power button, but it will make for decent solution. Drilling a hole has been discussed, but without going into the details, it has been shot down due to concerns with the cabinet itself.
 
If the machine going into standby is an issue, shouldn't that be fixable just by changing the power settings?

If you need to wake from standby couldn't you just use an external keyboard or mouse?
 
just set them to always turn on when ac power is applied and let the nurses unplug and plug it back in
 
Yes, the issue with the PCs going into standby could be fixed simply by disabling it, and that is the way they are SUPPOSED to be set up, however due to the inconsistencies with device standardization [don't get me started on the way things work around here ;) ]. Also , they are set to come back on with AC, but the plugs were installed INSIDE the cabinet, which cuts out the possibility of the nursing staff accessing the cord. I swear I try to correct the power settings all the time on these PCs so its not as big an issue, but it always seems to happen to a few, where they will lose their power settings or were just built using a bad image. Believe me, if this were a perfect world this shouldn't be an issue, but with this many PCs being built or repaired all the time, bad things happen.
 
Could you just run an external switch between the power adapter from the laptop to the outside? I know with most of those medical cabinets/COW's their is other equipment hooked up so powering down the whole thing isn't feasible. But a local switch to just power toggle the laptop would be easy to route and mount and very cheap.

If the BIOS wasn't set to auto power back up, at least that could be filtered out by attrition right? Plus it wouldn't be tied to being reset with a bad image.
 
What is wrong with the computers that they are crashing this often?

WOL will only work if the computer is in sleep or has WOL support for full off, it will not power cycle the computer to get it out of a hung up state.
 
I've have to agree with the external power button, if that is indeed an option. That way anyone, for better or for worse, can turn it on, off or force a shutdown in case of a lock up without having to open the cabinet.

I guess you'd accomplish this by wiring a momentary switch, mounted to the side of the cabinet (my recess so it is sort of hidden and has to be pressed with a pen. Then just use a Y splitter at the header, like a fan Y splitter and tie the two switches, the case and cabinet switches, together.

Sounds like fun!
 
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