How to use the online alarm clock
You have only just woken at 4:33 pm, so the gas boiler engineer is now the reason to get out of bed, pull on something presentable and clear a route to the boiler. The 27 minutes before 5:00 pm leave time to find the service paperwork and move anything blocking the cupboard without creating a frantic rush.
Before the engineer arrives, use a tone you can distinguish from ordinary phone alerts and let it play once while you are beside the screen. Wireless headphones may still be connected after you fell asleep, quietly sending the alarm away from the room; disconnect them or confirm that the phone’s speaker is active. If the browser page is closed or the phone or laptop goes to sleep, no alarm will sound, which could leave the boiler inspection unanswered at the door.
Waking late in the afternoon can put a bright screen against a dim room. A lower brightness setting and the room light switched on together make the display less glaring while you check the time and gather the engineer’s paperwork. Once the alarm is set, leaving the phone on a nearby surface also avoids staring at the screen while you become properly alert.
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 4:33 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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