Alarm Apps Do Not Wake SP2 From Sleep?

[Nuspieds]

I tried the Alarm app the other day and expected it to wake my SP2 from sleep but, surprisingly, it did not!

I searched around the internet and found this: Microsoft Surface Pro refusing to wake up from sleep mode due to power setting | WinBeta.

As you can see, it is from early 2013 and for the SP1, so it really surprises me that the issue exists on the SP2. I even tried the Alarm Clock HD app, thinking that it may have been a software issue, but the same thing happened, unfortunately.

Could it possibly be a setting on my SP2? That is, is anyone else able to get their SP2 to wake from sleep with an Alarm app?

Thanks!

 

[jnjroach]

I could be wrong, but I do believe for the Alarm App to function in that mode the machine would need to support Connected Standby. It works with the Surface RT and Surface 2.

 

[Nuspieds]

Yeah, I read about Connected Standby for the RT/2, but after reading the above link for the SP1, I concluded that some sort of equivalent functionality exists for SP1 and, therefore, also for the SP2.

The article details steps on how to enable the wake from sleep and I even checked my settings, just in case it would also apply to the SP2, but when I checked, the settings were already as per the article. Sadly, there are no user comments on that article, so there's no way to gauge the accuracy/effectiveness of the posted article.

 

[daniielrp]

Sorry but that article seems to have absolutely nothing to do with Connected Standby or the problem you're describing.

As Jeff said the App probably requires Connected Standby in order to wake the PC, which is no available on the PRO or PRO 2.

 

[Nuspieds]

The article doesn't have anything to do with Connected Standby. Rather, it is an article with a somewhat ambiguous title, "Microsoft Surface Pro refusing to wake up from sleep mode due to power setting."

"Refusing to wake up from sleep" under what specific conditions? From alarm/specialty app events? From power-button press? What? The article never states; hence, the reason the article was worth reading and its procedure worth investigating to see if it also applies to the SP2.

Alarm Clock HD includes Windows settings instructions to make sure your device can wake from sleep (if supported) which I have also tried (but did not work, of course), but as long as device settings are in play, obviously it is also possible that I may have a particular device setting that may be preventing the wake from sleep.

One also has to note that the network adapter card has an option to "Allow this device to wake the computer" so that also adds to the curiosity about whether wake from sleep is possible via apps on the SP.

 

[daniielrp]

The article refers to a possible bug that prevented a SP from waking from sleep - the conditions being you put the device to sleep, but the screen will not come back on when you try to wake it.

"Allow this device to wake PC" is an age old windows feature to, well, enable devices to wake the computer. It is meant for things like Mice or keyboards so you can press a button to quickly wake the PC. In terms of it being on the wifi card that will enable another PC to wake the SP by sending packets of data and is mostly something used by network admins to remotely wake PCs without having to physically go to them and switch them on.

Whether this can be adapted for apps is another question.

 

[CreativeLemming]

I suspect that the 'allow this device to wake the computer' is a hardware dependent feature that can't apply to software applications. When the network card (or USB device) wakes the machine it uses a low level interrupt to bring the device out of sleep (like switching on a light bulb). For an app to be able to do this, it would either need to be able to access the real-time-clock hardware directly and instruct it to fire off an interrupt to wake the machine at a specific time (which without support from the operating system to negotiate requests from many different alarm apps would be prone to error), else the CPU would need to periodically wake up the OS and run the applications which would severely degrade battery life. The latter method is of course possible, although on the SP2 architecture would probably eat your battery compared to other lower power platforms.

Edit: see here for some technical details around the ARM WinRT connected standby and why it works for low power SOC chipsets Improving power efficiency for applications - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

 

[jnjroach]

Not sure if this will work, there is an older setting still in the Advanced Power Control Panel that allows Wake Timers (which is disabled under both battery and plugged in). You could enable and test to see if that will allow the Alarm to work.

 

[Nuspieds]

Not sure if this will work, there is an older setting still in the Advanced Power Control Panel that allows Wake Timers (which is disabled under both battery and plugged in). You could enable and test to see if that will allow the Alarm to work.

I just got off a chat session with MS Support and the Answer Tech stated that they tried it on two SP2s and the results were like mine: No wake from sleep.

I then tested the Wake Timers you suggested and they didn't change anything, so the conclusion is that the Pro line does not support wake from sleep via software. What's unfortunate about this is that with my SP (either the 1 or 2), it has always been hit-or-miss when it comes to turning off the display, per the power settings. It will randomly work and not work, so that's why I usually turn to just hitting the Power button to go to sleep mode when I am about to go offline for some time.

As such, my specific scenario was to hit the Power button before heading to bed to ensure that the unit would be off and then have the Alarm app wake me up. But now we know that's not possible with the Pro line, so I'll be sticking with my iPhone to wake me up. Too bad, but not the end of the word.