I stream games and other desktop content over Wi‑Fi to an Nvidia Shield that is connected by Ethernet. The setup has been giving me problems, and I've been told it may be a hardware issue. Can a wireless PCIe adapter support Wake-on-Wireless-LAN, or is a wired Ethernet connection required?
3 Answers
Wake-on-Wireless-LAN does exist, but support depends on the specific Wi‑Fi adapter, its drivers, the motherboard, and sometimes the router. You’ll usually need to enable the feature and adjust power-management settings, and waking the PC requires a proper wake utility or magic packet—not simply pinging it or trying to connect. Wired Wake-on-LAN is generally more reliable, but it still requires configuration on both the PC and the device sending the wake request.
The streaming problems aren’t automatically proof of a hardware fault. Wi‑Fi interference, driver issues, signal quality, router settings, and the streaming software can all cause trouble. It’s worth testing the desktop with a wired connection temporarily to see whether the problem disappears.
Check the exact model of your wireless card for WoWLAN support. If it doesn’t list that feature, it probably can’t wake the computer from a fully suspended state. As a simpler workaround, you could leave the desktop awake while allowing the display and unused hardware to power down, or use a wireless keyboard or mouse to wake it from sleep.
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