Stored at pairing time
Pairing with the 4-digit PIN records the host's MAC address alongside its device ID and encryption key. That MAC is the destination for every future magic packet — you never type it or copy it from a router page.
✦Wake-on-LAN
Your computer's asleep. Wake it from your phone.
Remio has native Wake-on-LAN built in. Your Mac or PC can sleep all night and still be one tap away — open Remio on your phone, the client sends a magic packet, the host wakes, and the stream starts. No separate app, no router setup, no port forwarding.
✦Why it just works
Wake-on-LAN built in, not bolted on
Other remote desktop apps expect you to install a separate WoL utility, look up your host's MAC address by hand, and remember to fire it before you connect. Remio captures the MAC once at pairing, then sends the packet automatically the moment you reconnect — over the same encrypted channel as the session itself.
✦One tap, two actions
Tap a sleeping host — it wakes, then streams.
When you tap a sleeping host's tile, the client checks whether it's reachable; if not, it sends the magic packet, waits for the host to come back on the network, then opens the streaming session. From your side it looks like a single connect — about 8 to 15 seconds on a modern Mac, 15 to 30 on a Windows PC depending on BIOS post-time.
No extra button. No separate wake step.
How the wake-up actually happens
Three moving parts, all handled inside Remio — no always-on listener on your home network required.
Magic packet from the client
The WoL magic packet is a UDP broadcast that reaches the host's network interface while it's in low-power mode. Remio sends it directly from the client — any paired client on the LAN can wake the host, not just the one that paired originally.
Then the stream starts
The client waits for the host to come back online, then opens the session automatically. On a Mac that's 8 to 15 seconds from tap to first frame; on Windows, 15 to 30 depending on the BIOS. Reconnects to an already-awake host are sub-second.
Bound to your paired devices
Every wake-up rides the same encryption keys that secure the streaming session. Remio never relays magic packets through the cloud, so no always-on listener sits on your home network.
✦Setup in three minutes
Set up Wake-on-LAN in three minutes
Two settings on the host, one pairing on the client, done. After this, every Remio client that pairs with the host inherits the WoL ability automatically.
01
macOS host
Turn on “Wake for network access”
Open System Settings → Energy (or Battery → Options on a laptop). Turn on “Wake for network access.” On laptops this requires AC power — the network card needs to stay alive while the machine sleeps. Apple Silicon Macs support Wi-Fi wake out of the box; Intel Macs work over Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
02
Windows host
Allow a magic packet to wake the PC
Open Device Manager, find your network adapter, right-click → Properties. On the Power Management tab, tick both “Allow this device to wake the computer” and “Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer.” Also check your motherboard BIOS/UEFI for a Wake on LAN or PME Event Wake Up setting and enable it.
03
Pair while the host is awake
Pair the client with the 4-digit PIN
Launch the Remio host. Launch the Remio client on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, or Windows device. Pair with the 4-digit PIN. During this exchange the client records the host's MAC address — that one record is everything the client needs to wake the machine later.
04
Let the host sleep
Close the lid — Remio stays ready
Close the lid, lock the screen, or let the host fall asleep on its own schedule. The Remio host keeps its pairing keys ready through sleep cycles — the moment a magic packet arrives, the OS wakes the machine, Remio Host comes back online, and the listening daemon accepts an incoming session.
05
Tap and connect
One tap wakes and streams
Open Remio on any paired client, tap the host's tile. Remio sends the magic packet, waits for the host to respond, and starts the stream. Total time from tap to first frame is 8 to 15 seconds on a Mac, 15 to 30 seconds on Windows. Subsequent reconnects while the host is already awake are sub-second.
✦vs standalone apps
vs. standalone Wake-on-LAN apps
There are dozens of standalone WoL utilities. They all send the same magic packet Remio sends. The difference is everything around it.
Other apps
Standalone WoL utility
You install a second app. You look up the host's MAC address from your router or System Settings. You copy it in, name the entry, and remember to open the WoL app first, send the packet, wait, then switch to your remote desktop app and connect. Two apps in your workflow, two places to lose the configuration — and the WoL app often has no idea whether its packet actually woke anything.
Remio
Built in to the client
One app. The MAC address is captured the moment you pair. The wake-up is part of the connect flow. The client knows whether the magic packet worked because it's also the thing waiting for the host to come back online — no false-positive “packet sent” while the machine stays asleep. And the same encryption keys that secure the session bind the wake-up to your paired devices.
✦Questions
Common questions about Wake-on-LAN
Five questions people ask before they rely on Wake-on-LAN as part of a daily workflow. Honest answers below.
Do I need a separate Wake-on-LAN app to use Remio?
No. Wake-on-LAN is built into the Remio client. When you tap a sleeping host's tile, Remio sends the magic packet itself. There is no separate WoL utility to install, configure, or remember to open before connecting.
Does Wake-on-LAN work from outside my home network?
Same-network wake works on every supported router because the magic packet only has to cross the LAN. Cross-internet wake (sometimes called “Wake-on-WAN”) requires either router-side WoL forwarding, a smart plug, or another always-on device on the LAN that can forward the packet — Remio does not relay magic packets through the cloud because that would require an always-on listener on your home network.
Will Wake-on-LAN work on Wi-Fi or only wired Ethernet?
Wired Ethernet works reliably on every modern motherboard. Wi-Fi support (sometimes called Wake-on-Wireless-LAN or WoWLAN) depends on the network card and the router — Intel and Apple Wi-Fi cards mostly support it, many cheaper USB Wi-Fi dongles don't. Mac laptops support Wi-Fi wake out of the box when “Wake for network access” is enabled.
Does the host machine need to stay plugged in to be woken?
Yes for laptops — Wake-on-LAN requires the network card to stay powered, which means the lid can be closed but the machine must be on AC power. On macOS this is the default behaviour with “Wake for network access” enabled. For desktops, no special config beyond the BIOS/UEFI setting is needed.
How does Remio's Wake-on-LAN compare to a smart plug?
A smart plug cuts power entirely — when you turn it back on, the computer cold-boots, which is slower and harder on the hardware. Wake-on-LAN sends a packet that wakes the machine from a low-power sleep state, which preserves the running session, takes a few seconds instead of a minute, and uses near-zero standby power. Smart plugs are a fallback for machines that won't WoL.
Let it sleep. Wake it when you need it.
Your Mac or PC can sleep all night, all weekend, all vacation — and still be one tap away from the next session. Install the host once, pair the clients once, and the magic packets take care of themselves.