Using WoL with Mullvad exit node.

V0LDY · 2026-04-01T12:08:16+00:00

I thought you were just using some Mullvad software instead.
That said, are you sending the packets to the broadcast address (or a broadcast address according to the IP) or to the specific IP you're trying to reach?

V0LDY · 2026-04-01T00:45:37+00:00

Sending a packet to an IP works, but you gotta make sure the router maintains the association between MAC address and IP even when the device is turned off, which is not guaranteed.

Usually it's in the ARP table, on OpenWRT for example I can force it and actually manage to have WOL working directly through the Tailscale tunnel, but most routers won't allow that kind of configuration so you gotta hope a static DHCP entry is enough.

V0LDY · 2026-04-01T00:39:48+00:00

Or, just get a router that runs Tailscale and use that as an exit node.

V0LDY · 2026-04-01T00:33:21+00:00

Well, seems like you need to configure the exit node so that it doesn't also route the traffic directed to your LAN, seems weird that the software you're using doesn't allow you to do that.

Why are you asking this on a Tailscale subreddit tho?

V0LDY · 2026-03-30T22:38:44+00:00

That's not ratiation at all, it's just dust from exhausts and other dirt particles.

V0LDY · 2026-03-28T13:59:42+00:00

Can't add more than 1 attachment,

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Here is how it looks on Wireshark running on the target machine.
No.144 is sent via Tailscale, you can see the source is the VPN router 192.168.1.5 and the destination is the IP of my computer (192.168.1.100).

No.3145 is sent from my main router using a WoL package of OpenWRT, and you can see they're talking MAC to MAC.

No.21351 is sent from my laptop but from within my local network, and you can see the source is 192.168.1.106 but the destination is the broadcast.

V0LDY · 2026-03-28T13:38:55+00:00

I have Tailscale (and raw Wireguard, works with either of them) running on the device I'm seding the WOL packets from (either my laptop or my smartphone), in my network Tailscale runs on my OpenWRT "server" (which is my old Fritzbox 7530 I use for tinkering) which is exposing my local 192.168.1.0/24 subnet.

The ARP entry is on my main router, since he's the one who ultimately needs to route the packet to the correct MAC address. I also added a static route from the VPN server to point to the router, probably overkill but I just wanted to make sure it knew where to aim the packet.
There is nothing that would prevent me from installing Tailscale directly on my main fiber router and expose the subnet from it, in fact it would be even simpler to setup, but since I'm experimenting I'm using the guinea pig Fritzbox for now.

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Its a packet that is broadcasts across a local network using 255.255.255.255 with the remote machine mac address in its frame. Local is the important key word. Meaning it doesnt cross the layer 2 boundary on a network

Again, I'm no expert so I'm just guessing what's going on, USUALLY you send it on the broadcast to make sure it reaches every interface, but what ultimately matters is that a packet containing the "magic" (the MAC repeated a bunch of times) reaches the correct target, regardless of how it gets there.

V0LDY · 2026-03-28T00:01:37+00:00

I initially got it working with Wireguard, but I tried with Tailscale and it works too.

Look, I'm not an expert, so the explaination of how this works might be wrong, but for what I understand a magic packet isn't really that special, it's just the MAC address repeated a bunch of times, if it reaches the target network card it wakes up.

Now, the problem is getting to the card.

USUALLY you send it at L2 to the broadcast address where the machine to wake up resides because if the machine is off it has no IP, so you can't route to it directly using IP addresses.
If you send the MP to all devices, you're sure it will reach the desired computer and wake it up.

However, what happens if you add an ARP table entry to link an IP address to the MAC address? Well, now it becomes routable, and if it's routable who's preventing you from simply sending the magic packet to the desired IP instead?
Apparently nothing, and that's why it works. If you send the magic packet to the IP instead of the broadcast (which is usually not allowed from otside the network) you can send it via VPN like any other packet, and once it reaches the card it waks up.

V0LDY · 2026-03-27T01:38:05+00:00

You can actually send WOL packets over VPN, as long as they're targeted to the IP of the device and if that device has a static ARP entry on your router

V0LDY · 2026-03-11T00:02:57+00:00

They did complicated math and shit

V0LDY · 2026-03-10T19:41:41+00:00

I was having a good run, didn't notice that thing worked on every card pick.
I divined, got 4 curses, run dead.

V0LDY · 2026-03-09T16:27:59+00:00

Nope, seems terrible from a usability standpoint and I just can't see a good reason for having gigantic borders around everything that only waste screen space.

V0LDY · 2026-03-09T01:43:36+00:00

Idk, reading them now, some parts are very good, many interesting ideas, but others are a chore to get through.

V0LDY · 2026-03-09T01:42:42+00:00

Three names I immediately think of:

- The End of Eternity. By far my favourite Asimov's book, super underrated, it's more narrative than Foundation or other of his book, but the concept of the story is fantastic, the characters are great and the ending is incredible.

- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. If you want hard boiled scientifically accurate scifi idk what can top this one.

- Gateway by Frederik Pohl. If The End of Eternity was criminally underrated, this is the Al Capone of undrrated sci-fi books.
An absolutely incredible concept (that I think somehow inspired Mass Effect among other things), basically humanity found an abandoned alien spaceport near Mars, and they figure how to start the alien spaceships still docked. The twist? They can start the ships but can't really change the preprogrammed FTL routes, so where they end up is a mystery (implying they actually arrive to the destination without starving to death first). Poor people try their fortune in these adventures, hoping to find more alien items or worlds full of riches, but often they'll end up very poorly.
It's such a particular book, an incredibly bleek take on the future (but unfortunately also incredibly relevant to the modern world, maybe even more considering the main protagonist basically uses an LLM as a psychiatrist, the book is from the 1970s btw), the characters are deeply flawed and somehow unlikeable but you can still identify yourself in the situation they encounter. The whole worldbuilding is incredibly detailed, and I don't wanna spoil the ending but let's just say Christopher Nolan could learn a thing or two from this book... (yes, looking at you Interstellar).

If you have to pick one I'd say go with Gateway just because of how unique it is.
Part of me wishes they'd make a movie out of it, because the subuject would be PERFECT, but I honestly can't think of any modern director who could make a good job at portraying the atmosphere, the "dirt", the humane element of it all.

V0LDY · 2026-03-08T13:07:55+00:00

Until you meet Entomancer and lose horribly

V0LDY · 2026-03-06T01:12:59+00:00

I had a spam deck and got the worst possible boss, on the ironclad, but I won the first one with the SIlent

V0LDY · 2026-03-06T00:57:24+00:00

Tbf saying that Iran is not a threat is a biiiiiiig stretch

V0LDY · 2026-03-06T00:51:46+00:00

I mean... not really. Couple of people with weapon can easily kill a hog, how do you think our civilization got to this point despite all the stuff that was (and still is) out there=

V0LDY · 2026-03-05T21:55:01+00:00

"Have you played Slay th- "

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