Amazon's Neighborhood Network Concept, Sidewalk, Prepping for Q4 Launch

Amazon is taking the next step with its Sidewalk project first announced last fall and reimagined this month at Silicon Labs’ Works With IoT virtual developer conference (see 2009100025). Amazon Sidewalk is a communal network created by neighbors who share a small portion of Wi-Fi bandwidth to help their devices “work better at home and beyond the front door,” said Silicon Labs Monday.

Amazon describes Sidewalk as a long-term effort to extend the working range of low-bandwidth, low-power smart lights, sensors and other devices that customers install at the edge of their home network. Goals include simplifying new device setup, extending low-bandwidth working range of devices, helping them stay online and keeping them up to date, even when outside the range of home Wi-Fi.

The network uses a protocol based on the 900 MHz spectrum, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and other frequencies; it’s designed to expand the range of devices by more than a half mile. “Customers will be able to place smart devices anywhere on their property and know they’ll work great, even in dead spots where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth don’t reach,” Amazon said.

Amazon Sidewalk, free to users, will launch later this year, enabling them to receive motion alerts from security cameras even when Wi-Fi goes down, Amazon said. If Wi-Fi doesn’t reach the smart lights at the end of the driveway, Sidewalk can help users stay connected, it said. In the future, Sidewalk will enable tools and appliances to self-diagnose problems and order replacement parts, deliver improved range with reduced energy consumption for smart locks and offer the ability to locate pets or valuables throughout the connected neighborhood, said Silicon Labs.

Owners of compatible Ring Floodlight and Spotlight Cams will be among the first to receive an email and a notification in the Ring app where they can read more about participating in the Amazon Sidewalk network. Amazon Echo customers with a compatible device will receive a similar communication and control option this year, it said.

Customers will be able to access Sidewalk using two types of devices: Bridges and Sidewalk-enabled devices. The Ring products are classified as Sidewalk Bridges, devices that provide connections to the network. Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as Tiles, access the network via Bridges. Customers with a Sidewalk Bridge can contribute a small portion of their internet bandwidth, which is pooled with others to create a shared network that benefits all Sidewalk-enabled devices in a community, Amazon said.

Echo devices that support Amazon Sidewalk will be available this year, enabling Echo to be used as a Bluetooth Sidewalk Bridge to help compatible devices automatically connect or reconnect to their router, set up new Echo devices or locate items connected to Sidewalk, Amazon said.

Tile will offer the first third-party Sidewalk-enabled device; its devices can help customers find misplaced keys, wallets or a backpack, Amazon said.

Amazon accented privacy and security as “foundational” to Sidewalk, saying the network uses three layers of encryption to keep data shared over the network safe; the same encryption standards are required for all applications and devices that use the network, it said.

For customers who choose to pool their bandwidth with neighbors, “we ensure owners of other devices cannot view data sent from your devices,” Amazon said. Sidewalk is built with maximum upload limits and bandwidth caps to preserve internet bandwidth for Sidewalk Bridge customers, said the company. Customers can turn off network support on Sidewalk Bridges without affecting the device’s original functionality, it said.

Silicon Labs said Monday its EFR Wireless Gecko products will support Sidewalk's sub-GHz and BLE protocols. Equipped with multiple layers of security and privacy, Amazon Sidewalk will support, in addition to BLE, Frequency Shift Keying and Chirp Spread Spectrum in the 900 MHz band.

Amazon plans to start a proof of concept with the American Red Cross this year using Sidewalk to support tracking of blood collection supplies between distribution centers and donation sites to improve efficiency in the blood donation supply chain, it said. It's donating devices, technology and teams.