Sound maker for home office use?

[Jameshow]

Most of us at work have the camera deactivated from new. It's locked off so we can't change it to use it. Seriously, they're all over the security!

I got a new dell laptop and the camera would t work...?!

Spent best part of hour going through settings until I realised it has a physical slide cover!🤣🤣🤣

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

A device that can play youtube, coffee shop jazz or any "live" chillout/relaxing/study/animals/nature type playlist

All day everyday in work 🙂 then anti anxiety/sleep/busy day calm sounds overnight

 

[Time Waster]

I got a new dell laptop and the camera would t work...?!

Spent best part of hour going through settings until I realised it has a physical slide cover!🤣🤣🤣

My old work one had a sticky cover, duct tape I put over it.

 

[lazybloke]

I work from home and my partner does too except for one day a week she goes into the office. I go into the office when needed. I need background noise to concentrate. Music ideally but news works too. It really helps me concentrate and work efficiently. It's the opposite for my partner I the other room.

I'm thinking a noise maker like a DAB+ radio on low volumes on the shelf above my desk might help. Not so loud that my partner gets distracted. I don't know if that's a good idea? Nothing too expensive.

Is there anything else?

One thing, I can't plug anything into my work laptop or download apps or stream anything. We're supposed to turn off smart speakers for security reasons. So I do need an independent box to make the noise.

Can anyone recommend something? A make and model of that something? Budget is small. It looks to me that you can't get decent DAB+ radios for less than £70. Roberts and Pure seem best brands but I don't know enough to be sure. Open to ideas.

Take a look at facebook marketplace; likely you'll see loads of dab radios locally for £10-20 or so

 

[sheddy]

BBC Sounds from internet

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

BBC Sounds from internet

available on any smart phone - you could even get an old one off ebay etc and just use it for that

 

[wiggydiggy]

BBC Sounds from internet

Tip - if your using this on an Alexa and after saying "Alexa Play BBC Radio xxxx" it starts playing an advert (Vernon Kay is on doing Piano Month ATM) just repeat what you just said and the advert stops and the radio starts.

 

[cyberknight]

dont know how you would manage at our place , its too noisey to hear any music even if they played anything .Mandatory hearing protection .

 

[Time Waster]

My old place too but nobody wore the mandatory hearing protection. My new place is too quiet. The head of security is a bit noisy when she sees a potential threat but she's a border terrier so it's what you expect. It's why she got the job! In case you hadn't realised I'm mostly WFH but officially hybrid working.

Just had a good spell of work, bbc iplayer with bbc politics on my tablet helped. Now that's over too quiet. When I'm at work it's a big, open office. You usually get banter held across the office. One time it was two short men arguing about who was tallest. Cue tape measure and a funny incident when a QC guy couldn't use a tape measure! Then a tall guy got in on it and got told to foxtrot Oscar! It was actually funnier than it sounds, but it helped by giving ppl a break in their work. When you're at home it's too much without a bit of noise distraction.

 

[Time Waster]

Oh you do know how to tell when I place has a noise problem? If the radio is on 11! Too loud in order to be heard!

 

[icowden]

Can't have any listening device like smart speakers when working. Security is strictly. About half of my 25 plus hours of induction training videos and online courses involved security in some form or another!

So you aren't allowed to have mobile phones in the room either?

 

[richardfm]

or stream/play something through your phone - presuming that you have one
they normally also have an FM radio - or can stream through wifi if you have it

Are you sure? The only phones I've seen with a built-in FM radio are Motorola phones.

 

[icowden]

Are you sure? The only phones I've seen with a built-in FM radio are Motorola phones.

Normally it's done via internet radio

 

[lazybloke]

They used to have FM tuners. Cant remember how many years since i last had one.
They used the headphones as the aerial. Mine wouldn't work without headphones and there was no option to output to speaker. Well, maybe bluetooth or lineout to a separate speaker, but NOT THE INTERNAL SPEAKER FFS!!!!

 

[annedonnelly]

They used to have FM tuners. Cant remember how many years since i last had one.
They used the headphones as the aerial. Mine wouldn't work without headphones and there was no option to output to speaker. Well, maybe bluetooth or lineout to a separate speaker, but NOT THE INTERNAL SPEAKER FFS!!!!

My Samsung does that. It is very old though.