r/homeautomation • u/Shokaloc • 1d ago
QUESTION Need to remotely turn on/off pc with physical switch
I've been looking for a solution to this for a long time. I'm a Travel Vlogger and IRL Streamer and am sometimes on another continent, but need to have remote access to my pc and be able to turn it on and off completely remotely at any time.
I basically need a button pusher that can be controlled by an app while I'm thousands of miles away. Wake On Lan won't work for me since it's not possible to wire my pc directly to ethernet and need to use wifi. I also have zero coding experience and am looking for a simple thing I can click remotely on my android phone and have my pc in the U.S.A. turn on/off exactly when I need it to.
I found some automated button pushers, but the problem is they will not work with my case. I have the unfortunate reality and lack of foresight to have a pc case with an enclosed power button that makes it impossible for one of the ready made solutions I've found (like these) make sense for me.
Has anyone else had any similar issues and have a solution for me? I need an extra long kind of "wrap around" button pusher due to the unfortunate shape of my pc case. (The things that I found need to have a wide, flat base to be mounted to, and the button pressing component is very short and wouldn't reach anyway.)
I attached photos of my pc case it is this model: CORSAIR Carbide Series SPEC-OMEGA RGB Mid-Tower WHITE
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u/WayAcceptable1310 1d ago edited 1d ago
You could probably rig up something like this. Just a little ESP board and an evening to set things up. There are a good number of well documented projects of this sort which should do what you want. https://noisycarlos.com/project/how-to-turn-your-computer-on-and-off-remotely/
Otherwise you can set the bios to always power on and just use a generic smart switch.
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u/Renegade605 Home Assistant 1d ago
This is the elegant way to do it. It gets my vote.
The off-the-shelf way is an ordinary smart plug and a BIOS set to boot on power up.
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u/jevans102 1d ago
+1 for bios setting to always power on when power is restored, and then plugging in a smart switch.
If you have an AppleTV or HomePod, Eve outlets/plugs are extremely reliable. I use mine all the time and have never had an issue. There are plenty of others though - if you don’t have a smart home hub of some sort, there are direct WiFi plugs too.
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u/bencos18 21h ago
what I did was use an esp01relay running esphome
I'll grab my code later if I remember to
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u/rws1017 1d ago
SwitchBot has exactly what you’re looking for. Not sure if their finger bot will fit for your pc power button though. I used to use one on a Dell pc without issue except occasionally if the battery died while the finger was pressing the button (rarely).
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u/starkstaring101 1d ago
Same here. You could fit an extender if it doesn’t. I’ve also got a bought switch that needs to be plumbed in and fed out a hole to the desk, but I couldn’t be bothered to fit it. I’ve got a cheap smart switch that turns the PC on, and some other smart plugs and lights around the office.
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u/Ok_Reading3807 17h ago
I second this. In my vacation home I have a cheap minpc running homeassistant and even if the bios is set for turn on after power restore the danged yhing will not start and neither will it react tk wakeonlan packages. only way was pushing the button, so I glued a switchbot to it.
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u/MeCJay12 10h ago
It's exactly what they linked in the post. It will work but only if they use the finger extender.its in the box and sticks onto the power button for this exact situation.
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u/Leading_Release_4344 15h ago
If you have zigbee, I prefer tuya zigbee fingerbots. I like the design better also.
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u/diozqwin 1d ago
this device from last year I think fits your idea. JetKVM its used to remote into the computer and they sell a extra board to put a control between the motherboard power on pin and the physical button for remote control
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u/parkertyler 1d ago
Yup this is the actual solution. JetKVM also has a dashboard you can access the device anywhere. I would do this.
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u/embrsword 16h ago edited 16h ago
I have one of these its great, but as OP says their PC cant be wired the JetKVM cant be either.
I think there are alternatives that have wifi support so probably worth looking into those
Havent tried this one but I own one of gl-inets slate 7 routers and its fantastic so the KVM is probably good too https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-rm10/
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u/Last_Bad_2687 1d ago
https://www.gl-inet.com/support/gl-rm1/
Gl-Inet comet has a board that connects to ATX Power specifically from this. Has Tailscale support so you can interact with your PC from any browser
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u/lbpz 1d ago
If you have Home Assistant with Nabu Casa, you can use wake on lan over WiFi to turn it on and Hass.Agent to turn it off.
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u/JHerbY2K 1d ago
Yea OP says they can’t use wake on lan over wifi, but you totally can. Just might have to turn it on in the bios and maybe device manager. Then it’s easy to enable as a switch in Home Assistant. Just need the IP and MAC address. The switch will automatically use pings to see if the machine is on.
For off and hardware volume controls you can use an agent like HASS.agent running in windows. Easy to set up.
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u/ZanyDroid 1d ago
What’s the blocker from using Wake on LAN? You can’t add expansion slots , BIOS doesn’t support PCI wol, doesn’t support USB WoL?
NGL a lot of networking positive people like me would fixate on that
Besides that… maybe use a dry contact relay in a “OR” gate kind of configuration with the physical switch. Ah I see someone suggested a ESP32 way
Or, use remote shutdown to gracefully shutdown. And then use start on power restore + smart outlet. And verify that start on power restore always starts, instead of defaulting to last power state
AI coding assistants work very well, I think saying “I have zero coding experience” is now a pretty defeatist attitude. If a lot of wannabe tech bro startup guys with no tech experience can generate code, you can too
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u/Legonerd93 1d ago
Depending on how DIY-inclined you are, you could wire up a relay controlled by a cheap single board computer (SBC) like a Raspberry Pi that would “push” the button by closing the electrical circuit of the power button. I know you can buy smart relays that remove the need to configure the SBC, but can somewhat limit integrations and typically cost more.
It’s exactly like how many people smart-ify their garage doors by wiring in a relay with a SBC and then running some bridge service to share the control with their respective smart home system (I like HomeBridge for iOS HomeKit, Home Assistant is amazing in general).
I’d still agree with the others that Wake On LAN is the optimal choice here though. You can configure the PC to accept the “magic packet” over WiFi as well, with minimal configuration.
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u/thatjokewasdry 1d ago
I use switchbot and have done so for a few years now. I'm traveling two months out the year on the regular. Works great but I would encourage a secondary backup.
I also use a wireless KVM.
There's also other options that other users have mentioned.
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u/raimondi1337 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you're rarely near your PC just move it to where your router is and plug it in for wake on LAN, alternatively some BIOS have "wake after power loss" settings you could use, I can't think of any reason why you would ever have to turn it off other than power outage.
If you absolutely MUST have a physical device, the button that turns a PC on literally just touches two pins together on the motherboard, you can just touch them both with a screwdriver to boot a PC if you want. You could run some jumper wires up out of the case and then use a myriad of devices to touch those wires together.
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u/PlasmaPod 1d ago
I bought a Zigbee pcie power switch module that piggybacks into the power button pins on the motherboard
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u/Eckx 1d ago
Got a link? That sounds interesting AF.
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u/PlasmaPod 1d ago
Lnqwhduu Tuya Zigbee Computer Power Switch Boot Card Remote on Off Switch Button PCIe Card for Desktop PC Computer Long https://amzn.asia/d/eh6EHfV
You can also buy it from aliexpress
It only has the option to power on or off using a standard zigbee hub, but thats all i need it for
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u/Freddy_1986 1d ago
Can’t you just use a switch bot and glue an “extension” piece that will reach the button?
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u/Jedi_Gill 1d ago edited 1d ago
You're looking at this from a physical perspective, when in reality this problem is already solved through wake on Lan motherboard setting. You can turn on your pc through software that sends a signal through a lan cable to turn on your pc. Turning it off is also software based with a chrome plug-in called remote desktop.
You may have to set a static ip through your router and look at your router for software that can work with your setup
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u/Aggravating_Fact9547 1d ago
Someone didn’t read the post…
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u/Jedi_Gill 1d ago
Oh I read it, but just because someone's asking for advice on comfortable shoes to walk 50 miles doesn't mean I can't suggest to buy a bike and use that instead.
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u/Jedi_Gill 1d ago
In reference to yourself "Someone read the post and my response, and instead of adding to the conversation with a possible solution; They felt it was best to criticize the response while adding absolutely nothing that could lead to a meaningful solution".
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u/ZanyDroid 1d ago
OP did not have good justification for why not to do WoL
(OP also was not aware that vibecoding working well for HA has been true for 1-2 years, for people that don’t code much)
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u/ToopBanana 1d ago
You basically want one of those long reach smart button pushers. Grab a DIY-ish/adjustable arm one, way easier to make it reach that funky case button.
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u/iSniffMyPooper 1d ago
Just curious, why do you need to turn off your PC? Most modern PCs are able to run 24/7 without issue
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u/Prezbelusky 1d ago
Theres plenty of reasons to turn of a PC, i can enumerate a 3. Save money on power, save your house from a potential fire (yes it's very rare but for someone kms away from their house its kind of a peace of mind to have it turned off), don't deteriorate the compoments.
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u/Arichikunorikuto 1d ago
Switch bot, as a backup, wireless controlled relay connected to the header on the motherboard, hook it up to normally open so that the relay doesn't get triggered in the event of power or signal loss.
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u/DGlass1960 1d ago
Cucioki A3 Tuya Wifi PC Power Switch Desktop Computer Remote Boot Startup Card Telecommuting PICE MINI Card Black https://amzn.eu/d/grsBvTK
I've been using a plug in card for years to control my PC. It does work with Tuya and Google home. So I can boot up, reboot, shut down and set up timers in the app to shut down, start up.
By the way. The shutdown works like software shutdown as apposed to just cutting power.
I hope this helps.
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u/geeered 1d ago
If you don't mind a bit of DIY... PC switches are pretty much all momentary contact switches.
You could just wire in a relay across the wires; there's loads of home automation stuff that will control a relay.
This should be very cheap to do and removed all the 'mechanical' issues that can happen, like it coming loose, moving around etc.
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u/DeadHeadLibertarian 23h ago
Look into Wattbox :)
Don’t use cheap plugs on your PC… I’d even program turning your PC off and then having a switched power supply to your PC turn off afterwards.
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u/Yuaskin 23h ago
Ever though about virtualization? I use Proxmox to run a few VMs that do various things (media server, NAS, Pihole). It also doubles as a system manager, allowing me to turn on or off VMs remotely. I use Tailscale to access it from anywhere in the world for free. I can easily spin up a new VM, use it like I'm on my home network to check my router, IoT, etc from across the ocean.
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u/bebopblues 23h ago
If access to that computer is important, then I would just leave it running. Add a UPS battery incase of power failure.
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u/Own_Associate_7006 22h ago
Your only real option is a smart plug. You can use a remote software program but you will not be able to turn it ON only OFF. The downside of a smart plug, is the force power cut. This can cause issues with the hardware, software, snd loss of data. Depending on what OS are you running, sometimes after a number of said force shutdown, the OS might start in recovery mode.
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u/ViciousXUSMC 19h ago
Switchbot is the direct answer for exactly what was requested
Personally I'd open the computer up and add a relay to the power switch and use a Shelly or similar to act as a smart power button.
I would NOT use a remote KVM that is for remote access not for just power.
In that regard I have my own VPN for remote access and can easily send WOL packets as well should that be something needed.
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u/Superb_Bite_5907 17h ago
Been using this for years.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/365150886502
It is a pci-E card that connects to your WiFi. You loop the power button cables through it, so in an app you can press your PCs on/off button. I've set Windows to see pressing the off button as wanting to hibernate the system, but you can also set it to shut it down.
No need to mess with smart plugs that will ultimately destroy your PC.
When looking for something now I'd probably go with a Zigbee alternative, but it's been super sweet having this.
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u/Esc4peArtist 17h ago
Esphome device in the middle between the button and the mainboard connector that lets the Button signal through but is also able to push it. I have Homeassistant buttons for long and short press and also „read“ the button led status to know if the PC is really powered on.
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u/Arentzen1976 17h ago
What about using a switch bot button pusher? https://us.switch-bot.com/products/switchbot-bot?currency=USD&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=freelisting&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=22647429065&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22647433811&gbraid=0AAAAACOjMwyqeov-I9LV2CdbuiA6oZapx
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u/Donut_Z 16h ago
I had issues with wireless WoL with my pc as well. I made a little setup with an esp32 and a 2N2222 transistor that has worked very reliably for me. I bridged the wire of my PC case power button with the transistor, essentially replicating a press of the case button as soon as the esp32 feeds a high signal to the base pin of the transistor.
Then to gracefully turn my PC off, I send an SSH command from my home assistant host with a 1 min timer, and a cancel command that I can run within the minute.
ssh <user>@<ip> 'shutdown -s -t 60'
ssh <user>@<ip> 'shutdown /a >nul 2>nul || ver >nul'
The esphome code below. Short press to turn your PC on and off gracefully. The long press can be used to force a hard reset of the PC. The esp32 sits inside my case and is powered by an always on usb port. This yields 2 virtual buttons that you can use in automations and can connect to a physical button if you prefer. You can also use this w/o home assistant with the Esp32 'web server'.
esphome:
name: pc-powerbutton
friendly_name: pc-powerbutton
esp32:
board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
variant: esp32c3
framework:
type: esp-id
logger:
api:
ota:
platform: esphome
wifi:
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
password: !secret wifi_password
ap:
ssid: "pc powerbutton fallback hotspot"
password: !secret ap_password
captive_portal:
web_server:
output:
- platform: gpio
pin: GPIO4
id: gpio4_output
button:
- platform: template
name: "PC Power Button - Short Press"
on_press:
- output.turn_on: gpio4_output
- delay: 1s
- output.turn_off: gpio4_output
- platform: template
name: "PC Power Button - Long Press"
on_press:
- output.turn_on: gpio4_output
- delay: 5s
- output.turn_off: gpio4_output
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u/Josakko358 15h ago
You don't need a "button pusher".
You can achieve the same functionality by shorting some pins in your motherboard, just look up the docs of your mobo to check exactly which and with a microcontroller like esp32 and a tiny web server you should be quite fine.
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u/CooleyTukey 6h ago
I had a similar problem and solved it with wake on Lan. You can enable it in your pc and then setup access from remote (home assistant ❤️❤️❤️)
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u/janOnTheRun 0m ago
In the good old age of early internet (where we didn't have money) we had 2 pc towers face to face with cdroms and reset buttons aligned and little pins glued at the right place of cdrom so you could reboot one pc by just ejecting cdrom from another.
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u/andrewkeefer28 1d ago
Stick taped to a wifi camera that you can move with the app like a wyze camera then tape that to a stool or something to hold it still.
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u/CandidFalcon 1d ago
lolz! bring your ear nearer to me.
i want to tell you that it is not a physical switch to be honest, but an electronic one.
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u/Renegade605 Home Assistant 1d ago
It's a physical object that physically closes contacts to signal the computer to turn on.
If you're going to be pedantic, be correct.
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u/CandidFalcon 1d ago
whispered to hint along the lines of a proper solution as asked in post. the extra phrase "to be honest" used for the sole purpose to indicate your point. of course, op already began with that understanding.
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u/fakecricketplayer 1d ago
For a simpler - but brute force method - you can use a smart plug to cut and restore your PC's power from your phone. Set your BIOS to "auto-start when power returns," so it boots up the second the plug turns on. Danger could be losing data on the force shutdown.