What is “Network Connectivity in Standby” and why it can drain battery or keep apps running

Network Connectivity in Standby is a Windows behavior that causes your PC to continue answering emails, notifications, or VoIP calls while seemingly “sleeping.” On computers with Modern Standby (S0 Low Power Idle), the system can remain linked to the network during sleep to provide instant resumes, but that convenience can come at the cost of more battery consumption if it is not properly adjusted.

In this practical guide you will find everything you need to understand what Modern Standby is, what connectivity modes exist in standby, what role it plays Adaptive Connected Standby (ACS) and how to turn standby connectivity on or off in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Modern Standby (S0) vs. S3: What Really Changes

In Windows there are two main power models for PCs: the classic S3 (traditional sleep) and the more recent Modern Standby (S0 Low Power Idle)With S3, the computer is either active or asleep, with no in-between; with Modern Standby, low-power input and output is phased, shutting down components when not needed and allowing for a much faster resumption.

Modern Standby evolved from Connected Standby (Windows 8/8.1) and now supports a much wider variety of devices, including systems with hybrid storage media or NICs that didn't meet the original requirements. In this model, the computer can remain in S0 state while in standby, facilitating background activity and faster return-to-work times.

Idle connectivity modes: connected, disconnected, or managed

Modern Standby devices can behave in three ways toward the network during sleep:

• Connected:  keeps Wi-Fi/Ethernet/MBB active, so that apps can receive data (mail, VoIP, news), at the cost of a higher energy expenditure.
• Disconnected: The battery lasts longer, but you lose the advantage of continuing to receive traffic while the device sleeps.
• Managed by Windows: The system itself decides whether to maintain connectivity or not, balancing battery and experience according to the needs of the moment.

Adaptive Connected Standby (ACS): the “autopilot” since Windows 10 2004

Since Windows 10 version 2004, the default behavior on Modern Standby computers is Adaptive Connected Standby (ACS), especially when the device is running on battery power. ACS decides at the start of each sleep session whether connectivity is necessary and maintains that decision throughout the sleep session.

When does ACS determine that it should maintain the network? Primarily if you have enabled Remote Desktop or if there is a UWP app configured to run background tasks that require networking “always”. If none of these exist, Windows attempts to silence traffic during sleep, but ensures a immediate connection upon resume.

This approach reduces unnecessary activity during standby, saving battery life without sacrificing critical features. You can check the connectivity status during Modern Standby sessions using the power report (powercfg /spr), looking at the “Networking in standby” field within the session details.

How to see if your device is in Modern Standby and how to enter sleep mode

To check if your PC supports Modern Standby, open Run with WIN + R, writes cmd and press Enter. In the console, use powercfg /a and check if it appears Standby (S0 Low Power Idle) Network ConnectedIf so, your equipment supports this modern energy model.

Entering Modern Standby is as simple as going to the Start button, choosing the power icon and pressing Lay offIf the system remains inactive for a period of time, it may automatically hibernate, further reducing power consumption. On recent laptops, especially from brands like ASUS, Microsoft imposes Modern Standby by default, and S3 mode is no longer available.

Configure “Network connectivity in Standby” from the power options

An easy way to adjust this behavior is through the Control Panel. Open Control Panel (icon view) and go to Energy options. Next, tap “Change plan settings” for the active plan (e.g., “Balanced”).

Inside, choose “Change advanced power settings.” In the pop-up box, look for the node called Network connectivity in Standby within the active plan group and expand it. If you don't see it, you can add to dashboard via policy or registry; on some computers it does not appear from the factory.

For AC (plugged in) and DC (battery) you will see a drop-down menu with three options: Enable, Disable o Managed by WindowsBy default, AC is usually set to "Enable" and battery is set to "Managed by Windows." Adjust the settings to your liking and click OK to apply the changes.

Do it through Windows Terminal (PowerShell or CMD) with powercfg

If you prefer to enable Network Connectivity in Standby using commands, open Windows Terminal and choose PowerShell or Command Prompt. With powercfg You can write the direct value to the active plan, whether on battery (DC) or plugged in (AC), using the configuration GUID or its alias.

• On battery (DC)
  • Enable: powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1
  • To disable: powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 0
  • Managed by Windows (default): powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 2
  • Equivalents with aliases: POWERCFG -SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONNECTIVITYINSTANDBY
• Plugged in (AC)
  • Enable (default on CA): powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 1
  • To disable: powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 0
  • Managed by Windows: powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current sub_none F15576E8-98B7-4186-B944-EAFA664402D9 2
  • Equivalents with aliases: POWERCFG -SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_NONE CONNECTIVITYINSTANDBY

After applying the commands, you can close the terminal. Sometimes it's a good idea Restart the system for the changes to take hold, especially if there were policies or services keeping the network interface up.

Local Group Policy: Force behavior from gpedit.msc

Those using Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions of Windows 10/11 can apply the local policy. Press Start, type gpedit.msc and go to the Policy Editor. Navigate to: Computer > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management > Sleep Settings.

You will see two policies: “Allow network connectivity during connected-standby (plugged in)” and “Allow network connectivity during connected-standby (on battery)”. Edit each one and mark Enabled (to force connectivity), disabled (to prevent it) or not configured (to return control to power options or powercfg).

Important: If you select Enabled or Disabled here, Windows will cancel and attenuate the equivalent Control Panel option and any command-based settings, as policy prevails. This is the "strong" way to enforce a state on all users of the computer.

Edit the Registry and use .reg files (and other relevant keys)

Another alternative is to apply prepared .reg files to set the standby connectivity value. By double-clicking and importing them, and after confirming the Windows security prompts, you can write the keys necessary in the Registry and, in some cases, a restart is recommended.

The community also mentions keys such as PlatformAoAcOverride to force energy behaviors. If it doesn't appear in your Log, you'd need to create it manually; however, this is an advanced intervention and may have side effects. First, consider using powercfg, power options or policy before touching this type of overrides.

If you decide to work with .reg: save the file to your desktop, import it, accept the UAC prompts, and confirm. Then, restart the pc to ensure that the power service and controllers apply the new standby condition.

Diagnosing standby power consumption: SleepStudy, network drivers, and real-life cases

When you detect abnormal battery drain in standby, generate a report SleepStudy powercfg /SleepStudy /output %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\sleepstudy-report.html. In teams with Modern Standby This report identifies “culprits” and usually points to the network card if it remains active.

A real case: a laptop with an Intel Lunar Lake processor was observed to have a consumption close to 0,8% per hour in suspension After certain updates, SleepStudy placed the NIC first. If you don't need Wi-Fi during sleep, force the policy to Disabled (on battery and/or plugged in) via options, powercfg, policy, or Intune to disable it.

In addition, it enters the Device administrator, open the Wi-Fi adapter properties, Power Management tab, and prevent it from waking the device. This helps prevent unnecessary wake-ups due to network patterns, which can increase power consumption during S0.

If you were working with "Connected Standby" and your computer wasn't going into hibernation as expected, consider disabling it and checking that no device has permission to wake the PC. It's worth remembering that Windows hibernation is not working properly. compresses and saves only the memory in use, speeding up boot from hiberfil and improving times compared to less optimized implementations.

Mobile Hotspot Behavior in Modern Standby vs. S3

The mobile hotspot behaves differently depending on the power model. On systems with Modern Standby, the hotspot typically remains on during standby. off to reach DRIPS both on AC and battery power, and returns to its normal state upon resuming. When only the screen is off (not going to sleep), it can remain awake.

In S3, with the device plugged in, the hotspot can remain active in what is called "Away Mode," while on battery power it normally shuts down. After resuming, it returns to its original state depending on the power source. This difference explains why in S0 savings are prioritized during suspension, avoiding maintaining functions that compromise the depth of rest.

When Windows stops using the network during sleep (and what doesn't change)

There are scenarios where, even if the system is in Modern Standby, the network can be temporarily activated. For example, Windows Update or “Wake on Voice” can wake up the network to complete specific tasks and put the system back to sleep. This does not contradict ACS: they are controlled exceptions to keep your device up to date and operational.

Similarly, if you enable Remote Desktop or there are UWP apps allowed to run constantly in the background, ACS will decide to maintain connectivity throughout the entire sleep session. If you're looking for maximum savings, disable those dependencies or set the policy to Disabled to cut to the chase.

Practical tips for adjusting standby connectivity

• Start by defining the objective: do you prioritize instant notifications or full batteryFor the former, set it to "Enable" on CA and "Managed by Windows" on battery. For the latter, set it to "Disable" on both, as long as you don't use remote desktop or rely on UWP apps in the background.
• If you manage a fleet of devices, standardize the policy with Intune or Group Policy and monitor its compliance with the Intune reports or MDM logs. Use SleepStudy and powercfg /spr to validate that the “Networking in standby” status matches what you defined, and adjust if you see any outliers.
• When the “Network connectivity in Standby” option does not appear in the Advanced Power panel, remember that it can be added using ADMX templates (Power.admx) or by applying the corresponding policy/registry. If you force the policy, the panel option will be disabled, which is normal and expected.

Mastering Network Connectivity in Standby is key to squaring the circle between immediate response and autonomy. With ACS, Windows tends to make intelligent decisions, but you have granular controls at your fingertips: from the Control Panel and powercfg to policies, the Registry, and Intune. With a couple of tests, SleepStudy reports, and some security measures (CIS recommends disabling them in CA), it's easy to get your computer ready to "truly" sleep when it's supposed to, and be online exactly when you need it.