WakeMeOnLan

WakeMeOnLan or WOL mechanism relies on an internet impulse sent to a receiving machine that's connected to the same network as the sending device. It can control your computer's status from farther away, so long as both devices are on the same network.

Naturally, this means that the user can also check the status of said machines. It's an interesting piece of technology, useful in situations where physically starting up your PC is difficult.

The idea is quite simple. You add certain machines by including their IP address in the program's list. In turn, the program delivers a status update. Is the machine on or off? Depending on its status and if your PC is WOL-capable, you can remotely activate a computer by using whatever environment is capable of running this or similar applications.

While it's a cool feature, it does rely quite a lot on compatible hardware and is not as dependable as you'd expect. The program seems to function accordingly, yet the connection will depend on each particular scenario.

Even if the application is quite useful, its looks are quite outdated. It doesn't affect functionality in any way, but seeing as it stands out negatively amongst other, more modern competing apps, the user will have to consider if this is a small enough issue to overcome during use.

In terms of ease of access, the program is well organized. Whether you want to wake up a certain PC or more, add or remove entries, adjust program properties or simply refresh the list, all functions will be within reach.

WakeMeOnLan is nothing more than a client app designed to help the user connect to and start up any number of PCs associated with the same network as the sending device. There's not much magic here, only plain functionality that might come in handy when dealing with various specific scenarios.