Remotely access sleeping MacBook over internet

Question

What's the best way to remotely access my sleeping MacBook over the Internet on a windows computer that is not on the same network? (Home MacBook, windows work computer)?

Answer 1

I am not a Mac expert, and while Wake-on-LAN is difficult to do remotely, it appears that there are efforts to overcome this. I will let you read these links, and see if you can either make it work, or at least get to a point where you can ask further questions.

This might be the most important link, by doing port forwarding on your router of port 9, and using this site, it claims to able to wake your computer (it may be this simple):

http://www.dslreports.com/wakeup

For more on Wake-on-LAN and its requirements, read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Sleep_Proxy_Service_(Bonjour_Sleep_Proxy)

For more Apple-specific links, read this:

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/29/snow-leopard-extends-wake-on-lan-feature-if-your-config-is-ri/

http://www.macworld.com/article/140422/2009/05/wakeonlan.html

I would like to be more help, but like I said, I am not a Mac guy, so I do not have one to test with as I do with most of my answers here.

Answer 2

If its sleeping, you can't do it...

You can wake it though:

Modern Mac hardware features integrated WoL functionality, controlled via the OS X System Preferences Energy Saver panel, in the Options tab. Marking the Wake for Ethernet network administrator access checkbox enables Wake-on-LAN.

See this also for more information.