Guide to use Wake-on-LAN with a Raspberry Pi

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Requirements
• Dell Pro Mini PC
• Get the Ethernet MAC Address in Windows
• Configure Ethernet adapter properties
• Configure the BIOS
• Raspberry Pi
• Set a static IP
• Protect against SSH brute-force attacks:
• Enable SSH
• Boot to the Terminal for headless operation
• Wake the PC with a Magic Packet
• Option 1 (reliable): Send a Magic Packet from a Raspberry Pi
• Option 2 (unreliable): Send a Magic Packet from the Moonlight app on an iOS device

Overview

Use an iPhone to issue a Wake-on-LAN command from a Raspberry Pi to a Dell Mini PC.

The Dell Pro Mini uses 10-20 watts on idle, while the Raspberry Pi 3B+ uses <2 watts on idle. Combined with Sunshine/Moonlight from LizardByte, this enables an on-demand, power-efficient solution to using a remote desktop PC without leaving the mini PC on 24/7.

Simply tap on an app shortcut on the iPhone’s home screen to wake the PC and then launch the Moonlight app to start the remote desktop session.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi
• iPhone
• Dell Mini PC
• Termius or other iOS SSH app

Dell Pro Mini PC

Get the Ethernet MAC Address in Windows

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Type ipconfig /all

Configure Ethernet adapter properties

1. Open the Start menu
2. Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open Network Connections
3. Right-click your ethernet adapter and select Properties
4. Select the Configure button
5. Select the Advanced tab
6. Verify these Properties and Values:
   • Energy Efficient Ethernet = Off
   • Wait for Link = Auto Detect
   • Wake on Magic Packet = Enabled
   • Wake On Magic Packet From S5 = Enabled
   • Wake on Pattern Match = Disabled

Configure the BIOS

• Power
  • Deep Sleep Control = Disabled
• System Management
  • Wake on LAN/WLAN = LAN Only, WLAN Only, LAN or WLAN

Raspberry Pi

Set a static IP

Otherwise, your router may assign a different IP address and the SSH login information saved to your iPhone will need to be updated

Protect against SSH brute-force attacks:

Install brute-force blocker:

apt install fail2ban

Edit the configuration file to increase penalties:

sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.local

Add this:

[sshd]
enabled = true
port = ssh
filter = sshd
logpath = /var/log/auth.log
maxretry = 3
findtime = 10m
bantime = 1w
bantime.increment = true
bantime.factor = 4

This configuration:

• Bans after 3 failures
• If the reconnections come within 10 minutes
• Bans for 24 hours
• Every repeated attack multiplies the ban duration x4 (24h → 4 days → 16 days → 64 days)

Enable SSH

# Enable autostart
sudo systemctl enable ssh

# Launch SSH
sudo systemctl start ssh

Boot to the Terminal for headless operation

1. sudo raspi-config
2. System
3. Boot
4. Select Console
5. Reboot

To undo, simply run sudo raspi-config in the Terminal again and choose ____.

To launch the desktop environment from the Terminal, type startx.

Wake the PC with a Magic Packet

Option 1 (reliable): Send a Magic Packet from a Raspberry Pi

1. sudo apt update
   sudo apt install wakeonlan
   
   # Test function to wake PC from the shutdown state
   wakeonlan <MAC_ADDRESS>

   Output:

   Sending magic packet to 255.255.255.255:9 with <MAC_ADDRESS>

2. Method A (recommended)

   Use the iPhone to relay an SSH wake command to the Raspberry Pi. You can tap on the icon from the home screen or say “Hey Siri, <Wake Dell Pro Mini | title of icon>”.

   Add an icon to the home screen to wake the PC

   1. Open Shortcuts app
   2. (Optional) Add Show alert
   3. Add Run Script over SSH
   4. Type wakeonlan <MAC_ADDRESS>
   5. Add the host IP, User, and Password
   6. Press the down arrow at the top
      • (Optional) Rename to “Wake PC”
      • Select Add to Home Screen

   Method B

   • Install Termius or another SSH iOS app from the App Store to SSH into the Raspberry Pi from the iPhone
   • Execute the wakeonlan <MAC_ADDRESS> command manually or create a script:

     # Create the file
     nano wake.sh
     
     # Add command
     wakeonlan <MAC_ADDRESS>
     
     # Make the file executable
     chmod +x wake.sh
     
     # Launch the script
     ./wake.sh

Option 2 (unreliable): Send a Magic Packet from the Moonlight app on an iOS device

1. Open Moonlight
2. Select the host (monitor with an exclamation mark)
3. Select Wake PC