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Ask HN: Alarm clock that's not a phone

9 points by brtkdotse ↗ HN
I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I spend with my phone. I'm looking for a good alarm clock to rid me of having the phone in my bedroom.

Two of the features I enjoy with my iPhones alarm is a) it turns of on weekends automatically and b) it has very pleasant wake-up sounds. Is there a standalone alarm clock that does this as well?

I have to few hours in a day at the moment, so "sounds like a fun raspi project" won't cut it, I'm afraid.

14 comments

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A_Venom_Roll
There are 'smart alarm clocks' available, but they are usually not cheap and you might not want the smart function at all.

I use an old Android phone as an alarm clock, I nearly uninstalled all other apps and it's on airplane mode most of the time to save battery. Works like a charm.

leipert
I like the Philips wake up lights. They start to increase brightness 20 min before your set time, emulating sunrise. Using them with a radio station because then every morning sounds different.
brtkdotse
I've been eyeing them as well, to bad they don't seem to offer per-day alarm settings.
k_
I didn't test Philips ones, but bought a simple one for a fraction of their price for Little One to help her know when it's ok to get up.

It was really a game changer, it only wakes her when her sleep is light (we go in there ~10 minutes after if we have a timing to follow, or let her finish her sleep if not) and she stopped getting up at random times.

Now thinking about getting something similar for us too :)

chewz
Most digital thermometers/weather stations have clock/alarm clock. Most have clock with radio sync so it is also accurate.
dcminter
CD/radio alarm clocks were very prevalent not so long ago. A handful of CDs that meet your taste and one of those (presumably obtainable for peanuts on ebay) might do.

If that's too much clutter - did you google around for pre-existing pi projects so you don't need to waste any time on it? And if it doesn't exist - sounds like an approachable project for someone in the HN crowd to pick up!

dmlittle
This is not necessarily what you're looking for but the latest watchOS bedtime alarm on the Apple Watches has been game changing for me. I have the alarm set on weekdays and the watch gently vibrates to wake you up without any sound. Because it's very subtle and not a sudden alarm I wake up feeling much better. If you have a partner, it also means you won't wake them up with sound.
Jeremy1026
We use an Echo Show. Easily customizable schedules for alarms, multiple alarms (one for my wife and one for myself), and a large display to see the time from anywhere in the room, even with those "can't see anything" morning eyes.
pedalpete
Not an alarm clock specifically, but we're building a sleep headband that monitors your sleep, and adjust your sleep state so you wake up refreshed.

We'll be letting you set wake-up time via the app. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to directly read the built in clock's alarm times (apparently).

If this is of interest to you, you can find out more at https://soundmind.co and sign-up to get on the waitlist.

pwgentleman
I struggled with this a while, then ended up using an old Android phone with a broken screen for this. I have it in airplane mode (WiFi is not configured), and it works well enough. All (most of) the options of a regular phone, and none of the distractions.
madamelic
Depending on your living situation, leave it outside the bedroom.

It helps you wake up because you have to walk to grab it and you can't look at it in bed.

I still sometimes will grab my phone and go back to bed, when I need the sleep but otherwise it is a great trick most days.