How to use the online alarm clock
Before handing the pub’s late-delivery watch to the next person, set the alarm for 12:06 am and tell them what they are listening for. That gives the new pair of ears a clear cue without leaving someone to glance repeatedly at the clock. If the driver is running late, 1:00 am provides a sensible point for checking the handover arrangements again.
A delivery at a closed pub calls for an alarm tone that suits both the surroundings and the risk of missing the driver. A softer sound may be enough when the person taking over is beside the phone; a more insistent tone makes sense if they will be tidying the bar or waiting in a back room. Check the volume before relying on it. If the browser alarm stops running before 12:06 am, the delivery handover may be missed, so leave it active and keep the phone awake.
Whoever takes the midnight watch should also consider the people sleeping elsewhere in the house. Keep the phone close to the person responsible rather than turning the volume up across several rooms, and place it on a folded cloth if vibration against a bedside table would carry through the floor. At this hour, one well-positioned alert can wake the right person while causing less disturbance to 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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