Keep Windows Endpoints Reachable During Sleep Mode

What the sleep-mode network access Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ configures Windows power settings to keep endpoints reachable on the local network during sleep. The Worklet adjusts the active power scheme so the network adapter remains powered, and applies the change to both AC Power and DC (battery) modes. Wake-on-LAN, network printers, MDM agents, and overnight patching jobs can then communicate with the endpoint instead of timing out because the network interface dropped at sleep.

The Worklet uses Windows powercfg to set the active scheme's network-connectivity value under the SUB_SLEEP subgroup. It targets the setting identified by GUID F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9, which Windows exposes as “Allow network connectivity during Connected Standby.” Setting it to 1 keeps the adapter live; the Worklet then runs powercfg setactive against the current scheme so the change takes effect immediately.

The evaluation phase queries the powercfg setting before applying any change. Endpoints already configured correctly exit 0 and are reported compliant. The Worklet quietly returns endpoints to the desired state on the next evaluation cycle when a Windows feature update, a power-plan reset, or an OEM utility intervention reverts the value.

Why allow network activity during Windows sleep

Modern endpoint management depends on the assumption that the network can reach a target endpoint when a maintenance window opens. That assumption breaks the moment a laptop closes for the night. If the network adapter sleeps with the rest of the system, Wake-on-LAN magic packets are dropped, scheduled patch policies never start, and a user arriving at 9 a.m. waits while updates download and install during their first coffee.

Sleep-mode networking is exactly the kind of setting that resets after a feature update or an OEM power utility installs its own profile, and a runbook line item is only useful if the value is actually present on the endpoint. Schedule this Worklet against the laptop endpoint group so the powercfg setvalue change lands on the active scheme on first policy run, then keep it on a recurring weekly cadence so the connectivity behavior holds through feature updates, OEM tooling, and any user-installed power-saver app that flips F15576E8 back to default.

How sleep-mode network configuration works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet runs powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 and inspects the AC and DC values. If either value is 0 (disabled), the endpoint is flagged for remediation. Endpoints already set to 1 on both AC and DC are reported compliant and exit without changes.

2. Remediation phase: The remediation script runs powercfg /setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1 and powercfg /setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1, then runs powercfg /setactive SCHEME_CURRENT to apply the new value. The script re-queries the setting and exits 0 on success or a non-zero code if powercfg returns an error.

Sleep-mode network configuration requirements

• Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016 and later with the Power Service running

• Local administrator privileges on the target endpoint (the default Automox agent context satisfies this)

• A network adapter that supports Wake-on-LAN at the hardware layer; the Worklet enables OS-level reachability, but the adapter and BIOS must permit the wake signal

• A power scheme that is currently active; the Worklet edits SCHEME_CURRENT, so a manually selected scheme is the one that gets the change

• Network infrastructure that forwards Wake-on-LAN packets to the endpoint subnet (managed switches and IP helper rules) if the use case is remote wake from outside the local subnet

Expected network behavior in sleep mode

After remediation, powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 reports AC Power Setting Index 0x00000001 and DC Power Setting Index 0x00000001. The endpoint will respond to ICMP, Wake-on-LAN magic packets, and management agent heartbeats while in Modern Standby or Sleep S3. Subsequent Automox policy runs flag the endpoint as compliant without applying remediation again.

Validate the change by putting a remediated endpoint to sleep, then sending a ping or a Wake-on-LAN packet from another host on the same subnet and confirming the endpoint responds within a few seconds. For audit evidence, capture powercfg /query SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_SLEEP output along with the policy run identifier. Note that battery-conscious users may complain about reduced sleep battery life on laptops because the network adapter remains powered; communicate the trade-off in advance, or use this Worklet on desktops and docked laptops only.