How to use the online alarm clock
Getting ready now to meet a train at King’s Cross gives you time to check the arrival board, allow for the Underground journey and avoid a rushed dash across the concourse. Set the alarm for 2:04 pm as the point when preparation turns into leaving or making your final travel check. There are 56 minutes until 3:00 pm, enough to handle a small delay without losing sight of the plan.
For a King’s Cross pickup, an alarm you cannot hear is little help, so check whether your phone is on silent and raise the alert volume before relying on it. Keep this page open and the phone awake while the timer runs. If you leave the page or let the phone sleep, no sound may play, which could leave the train arriving before you reach the station.
As you prepare for a mid-afternoon arrival, have a light snack and some water before setting off rather than waiting until you are near the platforms. A large meal is easier to leave until after you have met the passenger, especially if the journey involves changing lines or walking through the station. Keep the drink secure in your bag so your hands remain free for your phone, ticket or luggage.
Common questions
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.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 2:04 pm?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
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