Quiz Buzzer
Ask a question and press Open – whoever taps their buzzer or presses their number key first gets to answer. Everyone else is locked out until you choose “Correct” or “Wrong”.
How it is calculated
How the quiz buzzer works
- Choose the number of players or teams (2 to 8). Each team gets a coloured buzzer and a number key.
- Read out the question and press Open. From now on, whoever presses first wins – by finger on a touchscreen, by mouse or with keys 1 to 8.
- The fastest team’s buzzer lights up together with the reaction time since opening. Everyone else is locked out.
- Correct awards a point and starts the next question. Wrong locks that team out for this question and the others can buzz again right away.
With “False start locks out”, a team that presses before the question is open sits out the current question – no more button mashing.
Who was really first?
The browser processes input events one after the other; the first event wins. For the reaction time the tool uses the event’s timestamp (Event.timeStamp). According to MDN, browsers round this value to protect against timing attacks – Chrome to 0.1 ms, Safari and Firefox to 1 ms by default. On touchscreens the touch itself counts (pointerdown), not the release.
Honest limits
- Everyone presses on the same device. Keyboards often register only a few simultaneous keys and some touchscreens detect a limited number of fingers – in very close duels the hardware decides.
- The milliseconds shown are a guide, not a calibrated measurement.
- Scores only last while the page is open; nothing is saved or sent.
Frequently asked questions
How does an online quiz buzzer work?
Each team has a buzzer on the same screen or a number key. Once the question is opened, the first press wins and everyone else is locked out until the host decides.
Do I need to buy a buzzer system?
For game nights, classrooms or office quizzes a laptop or tablet is enough: buzz with keys 1–8 or the touchscreen. For large halls with many teams, networked hardware buzzers are more reliable.
What happens on a false start?
With “False start locks out” switched on, a team that presses before opening sits out the current question. Without it, early presses are simply ignored.
How accurate is the reaction time?
It is calculated from browser timestamps, which MDN says are rounded to 0.1–1 ms depending on the browser. Touchscreen or keyboard delay adds to that. Good as a guide, not for competition timing.
Can players use their own phones as buzzers?
No, all buzzers run on one device. Linking several phones would need a server, and this tool deliberately transmits nothing.
Sources and legal basis
- MDN Web Docs – Event.timeStamp
- MDN Web Docs – Element: pointerdown event
- MDN Web Docs – KeyboardEvent.code
- MDN Web Docs – Web Audio API
As of:
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