There has been this question that has been bugging me for years – do alarm clocks eventually turn off?
I know to some this is crazy talk, but I’m sure many of you are thinking the same thing. Will my alarm clock go on forever if someone doesn’t turn it off? What if I’m away or get up early and leave my home will my alarm clock go on till I get back? Will I piss off my neighbors???
The Good News
After searching on this topic for way too long, I found out that most, if not all, alarm clocks turn themselves off.
It’s the old digital alarm clocks that might not shut off, but we’re talking ones from the ’80s.
The Bad News
Some alarm clocks might shut off after a few, but it also might turn back on till someone shuts it off. Some will repeat this – on then off – but will eventually stop after X amount of times.
The most common alarm clocks I found will go on for an hour before giving up.
Solutions
If it a roommate you can see if a window is open or unlock the door since many of them use a standard key.
Here is a video showing you how to pick bedroom locks.
If you have a relay box, you can cut the power to the room and turn it back on. This will kill any power in the room such as the alarm clock. Don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing.
If you’re away and live in an apartment, you can call maintenance and have them unplug the alarm clock. If it rings on long enough, your neighbors might have already called them.
If you have family with a spare key, you can ask them to unplug the alarm.
What To Do Next Time
So this doesn’t happen again, I recommend you use your phone as an alarm clock. I’m sure you don’t go anywhere without your phone.
I’ve done this and found that the iPhone has a particular app that gently wakes you up instead of the old school buzzing. This has been an excellent change for me.
If you’re worried about sound output, you can always buy the stereo speaker docks* that hook up to your phone. It will charge it, and the sound will be pushed through the stereo speakers and not the small phone speakers.