Sidewalk is the name of a new solution created by Amazon that aims to facilitate the connection of low-power devices. That is, different types of sensors and locators, among others, will be the ones that can benefit from an interesting proposal, although also somewhat controversial because it will be activated by default on all compatible devices. So we tell you everything you need to know about Sidewalk.
What is Amazon Sidewalk
Let’s start at the beginning, with the basics, what is Amazon Sidewalk? This is a new technology or rather a new type of WiFi network that Amazon has created with the intention of facilitating the connection between low-power devices over long distances. That is, allow the limitations that they have right now to communicate with each other if they are not within a minimum range of action to disappear.
How Sidewalk works
The operation of Amazon Sidewalk is very simple and is not far from what Apple‘s Find My network does using the iPhone, iPad, etc., of its millions of users around the world.
Amazon Sidewalk is made up of two types of devices . On the one hand there are those that act as a bridge or nodes and that currently would be the Amazon Echo and Ring. On the other hand, the ones that are going to be connected to those points, for example, the Tiles. These little pagers would be one of these devices that would simply benefit from Sidewalk, but would not help the growth of network coverage.
What coverage does it offer
Amazon Sidewalk makes use of the 900 Mhz band and that allows it to offer a theoretical coverage of between 500 meters and 1.5 kilometers when combined with other devices. So, as with Apple’s Find My network, the more products capable of bridging or connecting, the greater the coverage.
Here, luckily, Amazon has a very important user base with Amazon Echo in practically all the countries where the company operates. The same is not the case with Apple, where although the iPhone and iPad are quite popular, the mobile market share is still something that Android leads.
Devices that serve as the connection point for Amazon Sidewalk
- Amazon Echo Dot (3rd generation and newer)
- Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (3rd Gen and Later)
- Amazon Echo Plus (all generations)
- Amazon Echo Show (all generations)
- Amazon Echo Show 5 (all generations)
- Amazon Echo Show 8 (all generations)
- Amazon Echo Show 10 (2020)
- Amazon Echo Spot (2017)
- Amazon Echo Studio (2018)
- Amazon Echo Spot (2018)
- Amazon Echo Entry (2019)
- Amazon Echo Flex (2019)
- Ring Floodlight Cam (2019)
- Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019)
Amazon Sidewalk will use your internet connection
Yes, Amazon Sidewalk will use your internet connection to allow those products that connect to the node or bridge to take advantage of the network. But beware, this is the same thing that Search my Apple does when your iPhone detects a product from another user: collect the information it provides and send it to the company’s servers and then transmit that data to its owner.
Well, Amazon Sidewalk will do exactly the same and also completely anonymously so that neither the person who owns the access point or node nor the one who owns the device that connects to it has information about the other.
In addition, the use of the connection will be minimal. Do not think that they will be able to connect to surf, watch online videos, etc. It will only be done to transmit those pieces of information and it will never exceed 80 Kbps of speed or 500 MB of data transferred each month.
Security and privacy
Going a little deeper into the issue of security and privacy, which is probably what interests you the most: Amazon Sidewalk is built under several protocols that will allow a safe use of the network and in a technical document published on the website itself of the company explain in greater detail each and every one of the measures taken for this purpose.
Thus, along with encryption measures and minimizing the data collected so that only the minimum necessary for operation is transmitted, the Sidewalk network will not know the content of the packets or the commands that are sent through it. That is, again, like Apple’s Find My networks.
The latter is achieved thanks to three encryption capabilities that guarantee that only the desired party will have access to said data:
- Sidewalk Application Layer enables secure and private communication between the endpoint and the application server.
- Sidewalk Application Layer protects the Sidewalk bundle from the endpoint wirelessly. The plain text data in this layer is accessible only to the Endpoint and Sidewalk Network Server (SNS).
- Layer Flex , which is added to the Sidewalk Gateway (GW), provides the SNS with a reliable reference to the time the message was received and adds an additional layer of confidentiality to the packet. The plain text data in this layer is accessible only to the GW and SNS.
For your easy understanding, the user who enables his device as a network connection point will not see information related to other devices that use the Sidewalk network extension that he will create. Similarly, whoever accesses Sidewalk through another user’s connection device will not see details or information about it.
Everything will work anonymously, as with Search Me. So what controversy could or is Amazon Sidewalk generating? Well, the first and most obvious is to think that they are going to be using your internet connection as if they were connecting directly to your WiFi network. But that’s not how we’ve explained it to you.
Even so, it is true that like any other wireless connection protocol, it is true that at some point some type of vulnerability could occur that ends up affecting the security of users. Although it is also likely that it is easier for them to try to connect directly to the home network and not through them.
When will Sidewalk be available
Amazon Sidewalk will begin to be used on June 8 in the United States and will gradually reach the rest of the countries where the company operates. And yes, it will be an option that once it is available it will be activated by default for everyone.
This we admit that it is still not a good idea, that the company should introduce a notice or alert that explains to the user what it is, the benefits it brings and why maintaining this feature may be interesting for him and the rest of the users.
However, we understand that there are those who are more jealous of their privacy and do not want to have any function active that they will not use or believe that it is unattractive to them. In that case, you just have to do the following
How to disable Amazon Sidewalk
To deactivate Amazon Sidewalk from your Amazon Echo, Ring or any other device that supports you now or in the future, all you have to do is the following:
- Open the Alexa app on your mobile phone
- Go to the More section
- Now go to Settings and after Account Settings
- If you already have Amazon Sidewalk active you will see it there
- Touch deactivate it and that’s it
As you can see, it is very simple and although we understand that this option is necessary for some, there are other companies that activate similar things, they do not say anything or give an option, it is known that they have them yet it seems that they can do whatever they want.
