For anyone that uses an Amazon device like Echo, you will be automatically enrolled in Amazon Sidewalk which is set to launch June 8th.
The devices that will support Sidewalk from USA Today article:
Ring Floodlight Cam (2019)
Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019)
Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019)
Echo (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot for Kids (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Dot with Clock (3rd gen and newer)
Echo Plus (all generations)
Echo Show (all models and generations)
Echo Spot
Echo Studio
Echo Input
Echo Flex
What is Amazon Sidewalk? From Amazonās website (link embedded in USA Today article)
Amazon Sidewalk creates a low-bandwidth network with the help of Sidewalk Bridge devices including select Echo and Ring devices. These Bridge devices share a small portion of your internet bandwidth which is pooled together to provide these services to you and your neighbors. And when more neighbors participate, the network becomes even stronger.
Found this info to switch it off if you have the app Ring:
Open the Ring app
Go to Control Center by tapping the three-lined icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen
Select Sidewalk and use the toggle icon to opt out
It will ask you to confirm you opt-out. Users can opt back in the same way.
Iāve read mixed articles that youāre only given a 10-day window to opt out (well, make that 6 since the Ars Technica article was written 5/29). Not sure if thatās true or not. Iāll leave you to do more research on whether or not you want to opt out, just have to search Amazon Sidewalk and a ton of articles pop up on Google and Bing.
Thanks, I went ahead and disabled it. I have a data cap on my internet, and none of these āsidewalkā devices (besides a few echo dots). I donāt need to be providing internet for my neighbors!
How will Amazon Sidewalk impact my personal wireless bandwidth and data usage?
The maximum bandwidth of a Sidewalk Bridge to the Sidewalk server is 80Kbps, which is about 1/40th of the bandwidth used to stream a typical high definition video. Today, when you share your Bridgeās connection with Sidewalk, total monthly data used by Sidewalk, per account, is capped at 500MB, which is equivalent to streaming about 10 minutes of high definition video.
So itās not like giving free access for passersby to watch Netflix over your wifi.
If you have data caps, itās definitely something to be aware of, though.
[strike]
Explain this to me like Iām an eight year old
[/strike]
Explain this to me like Iām an eighty year old.
What exactly does this program do? What are the alleged benefits? Why do my neighbors need a portion of my bandwidth? Are my neighbors (and random passers-by) actually using my bandwidth or is it just that Sidewalk chews up a little while itās doing itās thing?
Is Amazon Sidewalk a replacement for a home wifi network?
No. Sidewalk Bridges require wifi access for normal operation. When Sidewalk is on, your Bridge can share a low-bandwidth connection with Sidewalk-enabled devices, like sensors and smart lights that are installed in locations around and outside your home where wifi may not be available. Amazon Sidewalk does not support high-bandwidth connections like a wifi or cellular network would, so you would still use those connections for streaming movies, posting on social media or sending email.
It effectively extends your wifi range for those low bandwidth devices, so a device in your garage or outside your house where wifi is spotty may work better.
It extends the range of device finder things, like for Tile or wifi only tablets.
They claim something about simplifying device setup, but Iām not clear on that.
I have a lot of smart gadgets in my house. One of the headaches of adding such a gadget is getting it connected to the rest of the gadgetry / the outside world, especially since I keep such gadgets on a separate VLAN than my trusted devices (i.e., I have to reconfigure my phone to be on the untrusted VLAN, before doing whatever wizardry is required to complete the proprietary incantation to bring the new gadget online).
I read that comment as being āif your third party gadget speaks āSidewalkā, it will be able to auto-negotiate the necessary connections with minimum fuss on your partāā¦and that Echo devices potentially become smart device hubs.
That part of Sidewalk sounds cool. Iām just concerned about the potential security risks of such improvements, as well as the potential of other peoplesā smart gadgets piggy backing on your network, and vice-versaā¦especially if your ISP imposes charges for going over certain usage limits, or if your internet connection is already saturated.