How to use the online alarm clock
Waking at 12:45 am gives you a quiet quarter-hour to get properly alert before starting a coastguard watch. With 1:00 am approaching, there is enough time to dress, check the essentials you are taking and leave without turning the start of the shift into a scramble. The alarm marks the moment your night changes from sleep to responsibility.
For this particular wake-up, the alarm is only useful if the phone or computer remains awake long enough to sound. A browser alarm cannot alert you after its page has been closed or the screen has settled into sleep, which could leave your coastguard watch uncovered at the expected handover. Keeping the alarm visible, connecting the charger and disabling automatic sleep for the short period beforehand reduces that risk. A separate phone alarm can provide a sensible backup.
Before a night watch, small changes in background sound can matter more than expected. Traffic and household noise may have faded by 12:45 am, while wind, rain or a distant vehicle can suddenly seem prominent. Place the alarm near enough to be heard above those uneven sounds, but not beneath bedding or clothing. After waking, pause briefly and listen to the surroundings; the contrast between a quiet room and the conditions outside can help you prepare for the shift ahead.
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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