Pocket_WOL

The Wake On LAN protocol can be used to start up computers remotely by sending a special network packet, and it is very handy for network administrators, as it enables them to save power and only turn on machines when they are needed, from any location.

Pocket_WOL is a simple utility that enables you to create and send “magic packets” to remote or networked computers. It can notify you when a packet is received on a specified port.

The Wake On LAN feature is supported by most network adapters, so you should be able to turn on computers, servers or any such devices.

All you need to do is provide the required hostname, subnet mask, MAC address and port number, as well as select the right protocol.

It is possible to create multiple profiles, making it much easier to send packets to the same computers in the future.

Aside from waking remote or networked PCs, Pocket_WOL is capable of listening on a user-defined port and displaying a message box whenever a WOL packet is received.

This feature can be very useful for monitoring purposes, although it would have helped if the data was also saved to a log file.

While Pocket_WOL is great for users who need a straightforward method of powering up remote computers, it does lack some advanced features that might have been helpful.

For instance, it cannot send multiple packets to an address automatically, which would have come in handy on networks with heavy congestion.

Also, the program cannot scan your network for available hosts, a feature novices would surely have appreciated.

Overall, Pocket_WOL is a useful application that can be used to power up remote or networked computers by sending WOL packets. It features a minimalistic interface and is, for the most part, fairly easy to use.