Support & Setup — WakeOnMAC Help Center

Features

What your WakeOnMAC can do

🌐

Power from any browser

Open wakeonmac.local on your phone or computer and press the power button from anywhere on your network. No app, no account.

🧊

Force shutdown a frozen Mac

Holds the Mac mini's power button down for 8 seconds — the same hard shutdown you'd do by hand, triggered from the web page or the physical button.

🖥️

REST API & automation

Simple HTTP endpoints — /toggle, /forcepress, /status — ready for scripts, Apple Shortcuts, and home-lab automation.

🔒

Password protection

Optional sign-in keeps control to yourself on shared networks. Forgot the password? A 20-second hold on the physical button clears it — physical access required.

⬆️

Updates over Wi-Fi

New features arrive as one-tap firmware updates — always manual, always opt-in. Your settings survive every update.

🛡️

Private & self-healing

No cloud, no telemetry — everything stays on your network. Loses Wi-Fi? It reconnects by itself, and if the network is gone for good it reopens the setup network so you can point it somewhere new.

First-Time Setup

Five steps. No app required.

1

🔌

Mount & power

Slide your Mac mini into the WakeOnMAC and plug in any 5V USB-C power supply. Don't power it from the Mac mini itself.

2

📡

Join the setup network

On your phone or computer, join the Wi-Fi network WakeOnMAC-Setup. The setup page opens by itself — if not, browse to 200.200.200.1.

3

📶

Choose your Wi-Fi

Pick your own network from the list (2.4 GHz networks only), enter its password, and tap Save & Restart.

4

🌐

Open the control page

From any device on your network, open http://wakeonmac.local in a browser. Bookmark it — that's your remote power button.

5

✅

Done

Power your Mac mini on or off from the web page, the physical button on the front, or the REST API.

Got a WakeOnMAC Dual?

Set up one unit at a time: power on the first, complete all the steps, then power on the second and repeat. The second unit appears at wakeonmac-2.local.

Moved? New Router?

Connecting to a new Wi-Fi network

My old network is gone (new router, new home)

Nothing to press. When your WakeOnMAC can't reach the network it knows, it automatically reopens the WakeOnMAC-Setup network after a short while. Join it and repeat setup steps 2–4 above.

I want to switch networks while it's still connected

Open wakeonmac.local → Settings → System → Reset Wi-Fi. The device restarts into setup mode, ready for the new network.

Addresses

Finding your WakeOnMAC

finding-your-device.sh

# Each unit gets its own address, in the order it comes online

➞ http://wakeonmac.local

➞ http://wakeonmac-2.local

➞ http://wakeonmac-3.local # ...and so on

# Every unit is also reachable by IP address on port 80

# (find the IP in your router's list of connected devices)

➞ http://192.168.1.42:80

Physical Button

One button, three functions

The button on the front of your WakeOnMAC does more than power on and off — how long you hold it decides what happens.

button-guide.sh

Short press Power your Mac on or off — same as the web page

Hold 8–12 sec, release Force shutdown — holds the Mac's power button down for a frozen Mac

Hold 20 sec Reset password — clears a forgotten password so you can sign in again

Held it too long? Let go between 12 and 20 seconds and nothing happens — that's your undo window. Password reset requires physical access to the device, so your rack stays secure.

Problems?

Troubleshooting

The WakeOnMAC-Setup network doesn't appear

Check the USB-C power cable and give the device ~30 seconds after plugging in. Note that the setup network only appears while the device is not connected to a saved Wi-Fi network — if it's already set up and online, it won't broadcast it.

The setup page doesn't open by itself

Some devices don't pop the sign-in page automatically. While connected to WakeOnMAC-Setup, open a browser and go to 200.200.200.1 — that's the same setup page.

I can't reach wakeonmac.local after setup

Some networks block .local addresses. Find the device's IP address in your router's list of connected devices and open it directly, e.g. http://192.168.1.42:80. On Windows, installing Bonjour Print Services fixes .local lookups.

The device seems offline

Check power first — the status page in your router tells you if it's on the network. WakeOnMAC reconnects to Wi-Fi automatically, so brief router reboots fix themselves. If it's been moved out of 2.4 GHz range, move it closer or power-cycle it to retry. As a last resort, unplug and replug the USB-C power.

My Mac doesn't react when I press the power button

Make sure the Mac mini is pushed fully into the mount so the arm lines up with its power button, and that the Mac itself has power. If it still doesn't react, email us at contact@wakeonmac.com — we'll get you sorted.

A firmware update failed or was interrupted

Nothing is lost — the device keeps running its current version and you can simply try again. Make sure the Wi-Fi connection is stable and leave the power connected during the update. Still failing? Email contact@wakeonmac.com.

Everyday Use

Good to know

What does the button on the front do?

A short press powers your Mac on or off — exactly like the web page. If your Mac ever freezes, hold the button for 8 seconds and release: WakeOnMAC holds the Mac mini's power button down to force a shutdown.

Can I protect it with a password?

Yes. Open Settings → Security on your device's page and set a password. Forgot it? Hold the physical button for 20 seconds and the password is cleared — you'll need physical access to the device, so your rack stays safe.

How do I update the firmware?

Open Settings → Firmware Update and tap Check for update. If a new version is available, one tap installs it over Wi-Fi and the device restarts by itself. Your settings are kept.

wakeonmac.local doesn't open — what now?

Some networks block local hostnames. Use the device's IP address instead: find it in your router's list of connected devices and open it in a browser, e.g. http://192.168.1.42:80. On Windows, installing Bonjour Print Services also fixes .local addresses.

Which Wi-Fi networks does it support?

2.4 GHz networks with WPA/WPA2. 5 GHz-only networks won't appear in the list — most routers broadcast both, so this is rarely an issue. 2.4 GHz also gives the best range to your rack.

Does it have an API?

Yes — a simple REST API: /toggle, /forcepress and /status on your device's address. Perfect for scripts, Shortcuts, and home automation.

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