Ethernet Light Blinking & Computer Is Off: Why?
Here’s why your Ethernet port light is blinking when your computer is off: This is related to a feature known as wake from LAN (or Wake on LAN or WoL). Wake on LAN lets other devices wake up your computer through the Ethernet cable. Your port light blinks when the computer is off because WoL is available. Turn it off by deactivating it or cutting power to your computer. If you want to learn all about why the ethernet light is blinking when your computer is off, then you’re in the right place. Let’s jump right in! What Is Wake From LAN? If you have ever kept a computer in your bedroom, you have probably noticed that lights are on throughout the night. Even when you turn the computer off, some of the lights on the back keep glowing. They might even blink. One of the most common culprits of this glowing and blinking is the Ethernet port light. It’s there to give you information relating to your connection, but there’s a weird thing that can happen. Sometimes, it’s blinking when it really shouldn’t be. It might be an always-on Ethernet light as well. Why is the Ethernet port light blinking when the computer is all the way off? Wake of LAN is an interesting concept. What does it really mean that a computer can wake up from a signal through the Ethernet cable? What’s really happening here? Wake from LAN involves a standard communication protocol that works with most modern electronic devices. Basically, it goes like this. When you shut down the computer, a small part stays on so that it can listen for a signal through the Ethernet cable (wireless versions of this also exist). If it gets a very specific signal tailored for the computer, the computer will wake from sleep so that it can be remotely accessed. Ultimately, wake from LAN is there so that the
