When I shut down my PC and turn it back on after it has been off for at least an hour, the Intel I226-V Ethernet connection does not come back properly. Unplugging and reconnecting the LAN cable restores the internet connection, which is extremely annoying. I already reinstalled the latest Ethernet driver. I also configured Wake-on-LAN, a DHCP reservation, and port forwarding for Wake-on-WAN. Wake-on-WAN works during roughly the first hour after shutdown, but later it stops working, while regular Wake-on-LAN still works. My router does not let me manually control its ARP table. Is there a way to make the Ethernet connection work normally after a long shutdown and keep Wake-on-WAN working?
2 Answers
The Wake-on-WAN behavior is probably a router ARP-table issue rather than something the PC can fully fix. After a while powered off, the router may forget the PC’s IP-to-MAC mapping. Port forwarding alone cannot reliably deliver traffic when the ARP entry has expired, and many consumer routers do not provide a way to create a permanent ARP entry. Wake-on-LAN can still work because it uses a broadcast or locally handled magic packet, while Wake-on-WAN fails after the mapping disappears. Look for a static ARP or IP/MAC binding option, or use a VPN or another device on the network to send the wake packet. If the router supports neither, reliable Wake-on-WAN after long shutdowns may not be possible without replacing or reconfiguring the router.
The I226-V has a history of link and power-management problems. Even with the newest driver, try checking the adapter’s Advanced settings and disabling Energy Efficient Ethernet, Green Ethernet, and other power-saving options. Also check the Power Management tab and test with “Allow the computer to turn off this device” disabled. Updating the motherboard BIOS and Intel LAN firmware, if ASUS provides one, is worth trying too. If the connection still only returns after reconnecting the cable, the onboard controller may simply be unreliable with your setup, and an inexpensive PCIe Ethernet adapter may be the practical fix.
The driver is already updated and I reinstalled it, but I’ll try the adapter power settings and a BIOS update before replacing the Ethernet controller.