pywakeonlan

3.1.0 verified Fri May 01 auth: no python

A small Python module for Wake-on-LAN (WoL). Sends magic packets to wake up remote machines. Current version is 3.1.0, with irregular releases.

pip install wakeonlan

Common errors

error OSError: [Errno 13] Permission denied ↓

cause Creating raw socket requires root/admin privileges on some systems.

fix

Run the script with sudo (Linux/Mac) or as Administrator (Windows). Alternatively, use the library's default UDP broadcast method (no raw socket typically needed).

error AttributeError: module 'wakeonlan' has no attribute 'send_magic_packet' ↓

cause Old version of wakeonlan (< 1.0.0?) or incorrect import path.

fix

Upgrade to latest version: pip install --upgrade wakeonlan. Import using: from wakeonlan import send_magic_packet

error ValueError: invalid MAC address ↓

cause MAC address uses invalid characters or wrong format.

fix

Use format like 'AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF' (colon-separated hexadecimal pairs).

Warnings

breaking Python 3.6 support dropped in version 3.0.0. ↓

fix Upgrade to Python 3.7+.

breaking Python 2 support dropped in version 2.0.0. ↓

fix Use Python 3.6+ (now 3.7+ for latest).

gotcha Broadcast IP must allow UDP traffic on port 9 (or custom port). Firewalls may block it. ↓

fix Ensure UDP port 9 (or chosen port) is open and broadcast is allowed on your network.

gotcha MAC address format: accepted delimiters are ':' and '-', also 'xxxx.xxxx.xxxx' format (supported since v3.0.0). ↓

fix Use standard colon-separated format for maximum compatibility: 'AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF'.

Imports

send_magic_packet

wrong

from wakeonlan.wakeonlan import send_magic_packet

correct

from wakeonlan import send_magic_packet

No need to specify inner module; top-level import is sufficient.

Quickstart

Basic usage: import the library and call send_magic_packet with a MAC address.

from wakeonlan import send_magic_packet

# Send WoL packet to a device with the given MAC address
send_magic_packet('aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff')

# You can also specify the IP address and port
send_magic_packet('aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff', ip_address='192.168.1.255', port=9)

# Works with IPv6 (requires wakeonlan >= 3.1.0)
# send_magic_packet('aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff', ip_address='ff02::1')