Use the Wake on Wan feature of my Freebox Solved

Question

Hello,

I tested WoL on my PC and it works well.
However, I would like to turn it on from the internet.
To do this, I enabled the "Wake-on-WAN proxy" feature on my Freebox.

However, I can't find any documentation that helps me figure it out... All I have are links to various sites asking for my IP and MAC address. But I don't want to go through an intermediary! I know my IP, I know my MAC address, I know how to create a WoL packet, I want to send my packets directly to my computers.

Do you know how the Wake-on-WAN proxy of the Freebox works, please?
How should I send the packets for it to relay them?
Do you have any decent documentation on the Wake-on-WAN proxy of the box?

I want to specify that this is mainly for learning, so I’m not interested in the full hack with UDP port forwarding.

Thanks in advance.

Configuration: Linux Mandriva Freebox v5 ADSL (home in the countryside) and Freebox optical (apartment in Paris)

dipisoft · Accepted Answer

Hello,

@jee pee: thanks for the link to my site ;)

@balontag: I don't understand your problem, since you say you know how to create a "magic packet" for WoL. The method for WoW is the same, except that here you send the packet to the concerned IP (and not, in principle, to the broadcast address of the ethernet segment where the machine is located).

The packet is the same, just make sure to send it to the "right" port (port 9 for a FreeBox, without forgetting to enable the proxy-wol function via the Free interface).

One last thing to know if you want to develop software for WoW, be aware that you will face a constraint: I don't know if it's a problem specific to Free or if it's general, but you cannot send a magic packet to a public address if your machine (the one sending the packet) is behind an activated router. On the other hand, it works if the router is deactivated and your machine has a public IP. I haven't tested with the machine in DMZ...

To work around this issue in my software WakeOnLan (which also does WakeOnWan since a recent version), I used a workaround. The packet is not sent by the software, which actually uses a PHP script available on my site (http://www.dipisoft.com). In the next version of this tool, it will be possible to specify the url of a third-party script instead of the default one. This is at the request of certain "paranoids" who have limited trust in freeware... no comment!

PS: for your tests, I recommend using the small software "WakeOnLan Monitor" by the excellent Depicus. It will allow you to verify that the packet arrives at its destination...

Best regards,

damien/dipisoft.

jee pee · Answer

Hi,

There's nothing specific to know about the Freebox; if you've activated WOL, it lets the packet through.

From the outside, you have two options:
- either have a program (like: https://www.dipisoft.com/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=90), which is probably what you used for your tests. One issue is that, for example, from a corporate network, these outgoing packets may be blocked, so this solution isn't usable everywhere.
- do it from a website. If you don't want to do it from a site that offers this service for privacy reasons, you can create your own page (PHP) with simple code. That's what I did. But that site was hosted on Free, and for a few weeks now, one of the network functions of PHP necessary for operation has been disabled by Free. So it's not working anymore. I've tried a few free sites offering PHP, but this function is probably not often enabled. I can give you or find the PHP source code I used.

Best regards

--
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.

jee pee · Answer

I still thought she had more functions than that...  I think it's simpler: it either works or it doesn't. After that, it's up to you to play.  Here is the site where the PHP source I use is located: http://www.hackernotcracker.com/2006-04/wol-wake-on-lan-tutorial-with-bonus-php-script.html  2 fields to fill in at the end, MAC address and internet IP of the box, after that, of course, you need to encapsulate or secure access to the page on the website.  Here is also a site with different programs and sources in several languages on the subject: https://www.depicus.com/wake-on-lan/what-is-wake-on-lan   -- A stranger is a friend we haven't met yet.

jee pee · Answer

Hello Damien,In the scene about thank you, the actors should be switched around ;-) I only quoted the software you developed that is very useful to me.I had tried to use it at my job to launch a server that is at my place. Since it wasn't working, I assumed that the firewalls were blocking this type of message. But would a simple router like the Freebox stop it too? So, connecting from one ADSL connection (Freebox) to another ADSL connection wouldn't work either.On the personal pages of Free, I had put the PHP script referenced above. For some time now, Free has disabled a network function of PHP that renders the script inoperative. The script from wakeonwan.free.fr, which also wasn't working, seems to be available again. And it's on Free, so there must be commands that go through. I'll have to dive back into it. Does your PHP script work on xxx.free.fr? I took the opportunity to update the profile of your software WakeOnLan on CCM, adding the keywords WOL or Wake On Lan that were missing and that prevented me from finding it earlier.Best regards--A stranger is a friend we've yet to meet.

dipisoft · Answer

Hello,

Yes, as I wrote: the Freebox in router mode does not allow the Magic Packet to pass through to the Internet. But I don't know if this is a restriction imposed by Free or if it's also the case with other ISPs.

That's why I added the WoW feature since version 3.2. So, unlike "wake on lan" (WoL) which sends the appropriate packet directly to the "target" machine, I proceed differently for "wake over the internet" since I call the PHP script hosted on my site; it is this script that emits the packet. And it works because the server has a public IP...

My script uses the socket_create function which, as far as I know, is the one that Free has disabled for personal pages. So no, it does not work on those, but it is operational on other more "standard" hosting services. Note that the "engine" enabling WoW being available on my site, I took the opportunity to add a form for "my" visitors. It can be useful for those who occasionally need to wake up a machine and do not want to install my software...

Since you mentioned wakeonwan.free.fr, I had contacted its admin - Starfix - to propose using the script hosted on my site (a version usable in PUT mode from his) while he finds a more sustainable solution. In short, just a little help to thank him for the information he kindly gave me some time ago on the WoW topic... I still haven't received a response to this proposal. I think it's a shame because in the meantime, his site does not provide the service expected by its visitors. Well, it's up to him to decide!

@+

damien/dipisoft.

Saeka · Answer

Just a little clarification, I set up Wake on WAN with a Freebox v5. It worked very well on LAN, but it didn't work anymore when the computer had been off for more than a few minutes.

The problem was that I had redirected UDP port 9 (which was necessary according to some forums) to the IP of my target machine, which conflicted with the Proxy Wake on LAN feature. Once I removed this redirection, it worked perfectly. :)

Use the Wake on Wan feature of my Freebox

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