Technology
Amazon will announce a new mesh network monitoring system later this year.
Amazon is planning to launch an ambitious networking and location infrastructure under the name Amazon Sidewalk later this year. Sidewalk can link smart home devices and other Amazon products using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communicating outside the normal Wi-Fi network.
In order to function on a neighborhood scale, Sidewalk will transform devices such as smart floodlights and home helpers into network bridges, passing security alerts and commands from the central Wi-Fi hub. In addition to transmitting software, the signals allow Sidewalk to triangulate the approximate location of the device based on its contacts with other Sidewalk-enabled devices.
The system will be integrated into the Echo, and Tile has also entered the project as the first third party platform to support the system. Amazon plans to add Ring cameras to the network later, to alert system owners directly when Sidewalk is eligible for use. A comprehensive list of Sidewalk-compatible devices is available on the project landing page.
Similar to a mesh network, adding additional products would expand Sidewalk 's coverage and versatility, making it important for Amazon to incorporate Sidewalk into as many home devices as possible. As Amazon puts it on the landing page, if more neighbors join, the network will become stronger.
Amazon first announced plans for Sidewalk last year but released more detail in a blog post and white paper. Sidewalk can be used to simplify modern system configuration, expand the low-bandwidth operating range of devices and help devices remain connected and up-to - date even though they are beyond the range of home wifi.
However, Sidewalk 's location-tracking features are likely to be key to Sidewalk 's popularity, differentiating them from more common Wi-Fi mesh services provided by Google and Eero. Amazon has previously seen Sidewalk using Ring Fetch devices that attach to the pet collar to protect them — essentially building a geofence and alerting you anytime a pet wanders into the specified area.
Amazon has since carried out a range of privacy features to discourage unauthorized users from gathering data. If you get an Echo on the Sidewalk network, you won't know what other devices are pinching it, and a person using their Sidewalk-linked Tile won't know what system they've linked to. Signals themselves are also encrypted in order to discourage intermediaries from gathering data in transit.
Amazon is currently pursuing collaborators from third-party devices for the initiative. In order to illustrate the utility of Sidewalk, the organization has also entered into a collaboration with the American Red Cross to see if the technology can be used to monitor blood collecting materials between delivery centers and donation sites.
