Do pagers work in the ocean?

September 1, 2011 6:57 PM

I am tethered to a pager 24/7, and I like to swim. What's the best solution?

I receive "server down" alerts on my iPhone (Ok, so it's not actually a pager) which I need to respond to ASAP. They aren't frequent, but they can happen at any time, and I would like to be able to take a quick swim in the ocean and still know if my servers are OK. They are sent from the Pingdom service, so I can send them through SMS or use Pingdom's API to hack something. Some thoughts:

1. A very bright set of LEDs which can be mounted on a backpack and pointed at the ocean, hooked up to a phone (will this make sailors run aground?)

2. A waterproof wristband or watch with a radio receiver and tiny display (very Dr. Venture) or something like this nitfy watch (but water*proof*!)

3. Just get a waterproof case for my phone (but I can't exactly hear the alert when I'm in the ocean)


Any other bright ideas?

posted by RobotVoodooPower to Technology (6 answers total)

Best answer: An aquapac case with their waterproof headphones should do the trick. Don't do the LED thing or anything else that affects everyone else around you.
posted by brainmouse at 7:07 PM on September 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Do you have a backup co-worker with whom you can schedule the time you'll be swimming? If you can forward those alerts for the hour or so you'd be in the ocean, that will cover you and keep you from having to come up with Batman-level deep water technology for your alerts.
posted by xingcat at 7:08 PM on September 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

What would happen if you happened to be with some friends near a water tower which cut out cell reception? Can you never go on vacation? Is it an unexcuseable for you to take a long shower?

I was on call for many years straight and it was basically understood that there may be times i was not available. That's the price that is paid for the team not hiring two people in my position.

Ourside of an understandkng boss i suggest coding triggers in place and writing documentation for people to follow before attempting to call you. And if they do call you they need to give you an appropriate amount of time before they gwt worried
posted by zombieApoc at 7:12 PM on September 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, brainmouse, I should probably pick up a couple Aquapacs in any case. Being able to check the screen periodically should curb my paranoia.

And guys, thanks for the concern, but I brought this on myself :) There are two of us, but I still want to know every time the server burps.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:12 PM on September 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I always hate swimming with things attached or in pockets, so I thought that something like this might work (nsfw), although I'm not sure of the range for the bluetooth.

You could insert the vibrator into an available orifice and program it to give a buzz whenever you get a text from your server. At the very least it would make getting called into work a little less of a drag.
posted by davey_darling at 9:20 PM on September 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

FYI I recently spent some time scouring the net for reviews of swimming mp3-listening solutions, and I have tried a similar setup to Aquapac (but not Aquapac specifically). It is very difficult to keep any kind of headphones in your ears if you're doing any kind of athletic swimming, so if I were you I wouldn''t plan on listening to anything. But you could certainly tether the iPhone to your body with a waterproof case.

I ultimately ordered a Swimp3, but that won't help your situation.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:41 AM on September 2, 2011