How to use the online alarm clock
Breaking away from what you are doing at 11:46 pm can stop a late check of the Tube’s overnight engineering timetable from slipping your mind. An alarm at this exact time creates a clear interruption while there are still 14 minutes before 12:00 am, enough to confirm closures, replacement buses or a changed first train before midnight.
For an engineering-works check, the signal needs to be audible above whatever is already happening around you. The alarm volume follows the sound available through your browser and computer, so music, television or another source of background noise may cover it. A short test beforehand can show whether the tone carries from where the computer is sitting. This browser alarm cannot sound after its page is closed or once the computer is asleep, so the timetable check could be missed if either happens.
Anyone else in the house may already be asleep by 11:46 pm, even if you are still sorting tomorrow’s Underground journey. Keeping the computer nearby allows a moderate signal to interrupt you without carrying through several rooms. If headphones are already in use, checking where the alarm will play helps prevent either a silent reminder for you or an unexpectedly loud one for everyone else.
Common questions
Do I need an account or an app?
Neither. Choose a time and a sound, press Start, and it runs in this browser tab. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is registered, and closing the page leaves nothing behind on the device.
Can I change the sound?
Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
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