How Amazon Sidewalk works and why you should close it

After months Testing and delays, Amazon announced last Friday that it will finally launch Amazon sidewalk June 8th: This new service will keep your Echo, Ring, and other Amazon devices connected to the Internet, even if your Internet service provider exits the Internet. As always, unless you choose to log out, your device will automatically be registered in the program.This is a potential benefit with Potential privacy issues to consider.

Amazon Record the bill on the sidewalk as “A new way to stay connected.” In short, it uses Amazon’s smart home devices to create a series of micro mesh networks, which means your device can stay connected to the router, even when Wi-Fi is disconnected. It remains online when it is turned on.

To this end, Amazon uses Bluetooth and unused wireless spectrum, using ring cameras and Echo speakers as the main bridge (actually called a sidewalk bridge) to maintain all connections. In order to work with the Internet, it must be compatible with the Sidewalk standard, so it is hoped that Amazon will be able to manufacture and sell devices that meet the standard as soon as possible (for example, The tiles are already on board. Discuss later. )

Even if your Ring camera is at the end of the garden, Sidewalk can still reach it through a closer device where the main router cannot reach it. The network cannot transmit large amounts of data at once, but these smart home gadgets do not necessarily require a lot of bandwidth to stay online.

The potential range of the network is good-up to half a mile depending on the setting-and Sidewalk is free for Amazon customers to use after purchasing the hardware. As an added benefit, since your existing hardware will be able to help through Wi-Fi connection and configuration, it will speed up the process of adding new Amazon devices to your smart home.

It’s tempting so far, but the more controversial part of Amazon Sidewalk is It shares some of your internet bandwidth with neighbors (And get some rewards), thus creating a larger network of devices that can operate independently. If your Internet is interrupted, your Ring camera can connect to the Internet next door to continue to send you alerts, provided that both people have set up sidewalks.

Similarly, if the neighbor’s Internet is disconnected, their smart device can temporarily connect to the router and the sidewalk network you created. If you use Amazon’s approach, the entire block will become a sidewalk network, thereby increasing the reliability and stability of all the smart devices contained in it, which means you will be able to unlock smart doors more easily from the other end of the street.