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Wow. This week, the media went after Amazon’s distributed IoT network with a vengeance. Both the mainstream news and the tech press came out in force to recommend that people opt out of Amazon’s Sidewalk Network before June 8th, when Amazon is due to turn it on. I, on the other hand, recommend that you opt in.
There are really only four reasons to opt out of the network, and after I tell you a bit more about it, I hope you’ll agree with me. If not, here’s how to opt out.
Let’s get to it.
Amazon designed the Sidewalk Network to provide a middle ground between home Wi-Fi networks and cellular coverage, with low-cost connectivity for devices that are out of Wi-Fi range but where cellular radios aren’t a fit due to their cost, size, or battery needs. These Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs) have attempted to gain ground for a decade as companies have tried to provide coverage for IoT devices.
The biggest challenge in building these networks is cost, followed by power consumption. If someone wants to build a sensor that shares weather data a few times a day, it doesn’t make sense to buy a cellular subscription or put an expensive cellular module into the device. But if they have access to cheaper connectivity, it opens up a world of possibilities. An inexpensive radio coupled with inexpensive data would mean the cost of running the device could be much lower and built into the cost of the product, which means we could see a lot of new products.
Amazon’s first floated its Sidewalk Network in September 2019 in its presentation about Ring products. At the time, Amazon SVP David Limp said Sidewalk could benefit Ring products by allowing them to be outside of the home Wi-Fi range. A year later, as its annual device launch event neared, Amazon explained how the network would work. And it said its Echo devices, certain Ring devices (Amazon owns Ring), and its Eero routers would contain sub-gigahertz radios that would support Amazon’s new Sidewalk protocol.
The network would use the Sidewalk protocol Amazon developed over radios that use the same frequency as LoRa networks to send small packets of data up to half a mile. (Amazon has said the protocol will work over Bluetooth as well.) The mesh network would then transmit those packets back to the internet through its customers’ broadband networks. Jamie Siminoff, the CEO and founder of Ring, has likened it to borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor.
Amazon subsequently sent its executives out on press tours to explain the safeguards associated with the Sidewalk Network. Amazon would only siphon up to 500 MB a month (that’s half a gigabyte), they noted; in the meantime, the company released a paper explaining how the Sidewalk protocol worked from both a security and privacy perspective. It’s really important to note that Amazon cannot see the packets sent over the network, nor can it see how those packets are routed.
Ken Goto, the CTO of Level (podcast), which will use the Sidewalk Network for connectivity inside its smart lock, described the data as a wrapper, wrapped in a wrapper, wrapped in another wrapper. Level is using the Sidewalk network to avoid building Wi-Fi in its smart locks. According to Goto, the lock only has Bluetooth and a Zigbee radio, so Level can save on cost and battery consumption. But that means when the lock is outside of a phone’s Bluetooth range, it needs another way to connect back to the lock.
With the Sidewalk Network, Level’s requests can use Bluetooth to get on the Sidewalk mesh and then back to the Internet, where the app can communicate with the distant lock. This is a pretty sweet use case, and it eliminates the ever-present bridges many homes have today to connect Bluetooth devices back to Wi-Fi and the internet.
I firmly believe that this network will be an overall benefit for consumers and developers, who can add new features or build new, cheaper devices that take advantage of it. The privacy and security features are legit. Again: Amazon doesn’t see your data and it doesn’t see the developers’ data. Neither does anyone else.
In other words, I think you should opt in. I can only see four reasons that someone would want to (or should) opt out of participating.
1. You are on a metered data plan with a low data cap. For people in rural areas or those running their Amazon devices on a metered plan with a low cap, losing up to 500 MB a month might be too much to countenance (although this amount is not likely to be reached in a super rural area without a lot of participating devices).
2. You’re a control freak. When talking to a few tech nerds about this — and after getting them to admit that the security protocols looked pretty good — most came to the conclusion that they simply don’t want their home network to be used as a bridge for unknown packets. What if those packets were illegal? What if the ISP didn’t permit that type of use? I can’t argue with control freaks, but I can point out that Apple’s AirTags and FindMy network run on a similar principle of using your home or cellular data to share Bluetooth location data across an ad-hoc mesh network.
3. You want to hold out for more. Another common complaint about Sidewalk is that by automatically opting people in, Amazon is getting a network for nothing, and it’s using your bandwidth to do it. I get why that pisses people off and I don’t like it, either. But it’s doing it because it’s hard to build a wireless network and get devices on that network unless there’s already widespread coverage. And getting widespread coverage is also hard. So is asking people to opt in, because people are lazy. I think Amazon should provide a decent incentive (like a digital credit for a free movie) to get people to opt in. So if currently you’re not opposed to joining the network but want something in return, maybe if you opt out now Amazon will feel the loss keenly enough that it offers you something.
4. You hate Amazon and don’t want to give it any more power. There are plenty of people who distrust Amazon and appear to have reacted to the Sidewalk news as another opportunity to drag the company — even while still using the Amazon Alexa or Ring devices that would put them in danger of participating in the network. Whereas if you truly distrust Amazon, you probably aren’t in danger of becoming part of this network because you won’t have the devices. So if you have the devices and opt out because you don’t trust Amazon, ask yourself why you are still giving it so much space in your home and so many dollars from your wallet.
I’ve covered wireless networks for almost two decades, so I understand better than most that Amazon is usually a data-vacuuming, self-interested entity that has historically not cared about privacy or its workers. And the Sidewalk Network will benefit Amazon. But not by letting the retailer suck up your data, or device data from its competitors. Amazon is building this network because there is a genuine need for a cheap IoT network with long-range coverage.
And because that is something that we all need, I’m eager to participate. I hope most of y’all will, too.
Listen to this week’s podcast for more on this topic.
Amazon is selling access to this network. $2.30/million messages.
https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4
One might argue that this access should be free. After all the customer paid for the radio, customer paying for the electricity, it is installed on the customer’s property, customer is paying for Internet access.
So the customer bears all of the expenses, and then Amazon charges $2.3/M messages. Non-sidewalk messages are $1/M. Note that these messages are limited to 5KB so this is $4.6/GB traffic.
What is Amazon’s justification for this?
If you do the math on that pricing, any device maker would be thrilled to pay that little for connectivity. If you had a device that reports back once an hour and was designed to last for three years it would cost roughly 6 cents per device to ensure that level of connectivity.
As a consumer I will benefit from devices having access to incredibly cheap connectivity because I’d then have access to a new world of connected devices and services.
Amazon had to develop the idea and methodocolity for building the network. It will have to build and maintain the protocol and it will also have to ensure that its devices continue to stay in the field to ensure the network works. I have no problem with it building profits on top of that innovation.
For those whose bandwidth isn’t matter or those who don’t hit their metered amount the cost of bandwidth is a sunk one, so letting someone use what you haven’t isn’t really an additional cost. For those who want to ascribe a value to their bandwidth you couldn’t do so by taking Comcast’s data cap of 1.2 TB per month, dividing it by $100 as a monthly bill to get a cost of $12 per Gigabyte and deciding that Amazon is potentially using $6 worth of bandwidth.
Except Amazon isn’t taking that much. That’s just the upper limit. And since I’m hugely opposed to bandwidth caps because bandwidth shouldn’t be a metered resource (it stands in the way of innovation), I can’t agree with your core premise that sees my bandwidth as something that has a high enough economic value that Amazon should pay me for it as part of its efforts to build out a network that will benefit me by furthering innovation in devices that I want. Nor do I see Amazon’s contribution in the form of the protocol and management of said network as not worthy of it accruing any economic benefits.
But if you do want to be paid, that’s a completely fair reason to opt out. I included it as No. 3 in the list 🙂
And thank you for the comment. It was fun to think more about this and do the math.
I wonder how the AWS connectivity charge of $0.08/M minutes works into this calculation? Do Sidewalk devices count as being connected? With normal Internet that is easy, they are connected while the TCP/IP socket if open.
Or maybe these charges allow you to use the Lora Alliance infrastructure? Scroll down and their are coverage maps. https://lora-alliance.org/
Sidewalk metering seems to be a separate charge from the Lora charge.
This needs more clarification from Amazon as to what you get for the Lora and Sidewalk charges.
Thats great in high density areas but in rural areas,, wherethis tech is really needed, the imbalance is worse.
We shouldn’t be subsidizing Amazon, they should be subsidizing us.They have the capital to induce change and the lawyers to fight the incumbents. Instead they mooch off us.
My ATT fixed rural broadband is $50 for 350Gb, or roughly twice what Comcast charges. I go over my threshold too often, I may lose my account. I have zero options for a replacement that is workable. I was the only person on my street who was able to get broadband before the tower filled up
Of course that means Amazon’s system is almost certain to prioritize using my 25Mb connection over the neighbors stuck on 2Mb dsl for every Amazon delivery truck and Sidewalk doodad.
Meqnwhile I use zwave devices exclusively. In part because the internet is crap here and I don’t have to worry about any of my 70 smart devices going rogue and eating my bandwidth, downloading a firmware update over and over.
I have to monitor our internet access to make sure we don’t b.oe up the cap. Some weekends we don’t get to have Netflix movie night because we need those GB for work. And if we lose this, we’re hosed.
Amazon should but some $billions towards the infrastructure it depends on (and would make a profit on) and not steal from customers who are at far greater risk from the GB overages than the pennies.
(Side note: you inverted the math.. 1.2TB / $100 = 12GB per dollar. Or $0.085 per GB)
oh goodness. You’re right and I was moving too quickly. Thank you.
The per GB math is wrong above. It’s actually way less per gigabyte. so roughly 4 cents of bandwidth for my example above (see the comment below).
Very well stated! Amazon has a poor history with security, privacy, and ‘mining’ data for profit.
See if they will let you have beta access.
http://developer.amazon.com/acs-devices/console/Sidewalk
I am personally going to go with 3. First of all, I am already paying for an Annual Ring subscription at $100/yr. If they want to offer me a credit on that annual fee equal to the $6 per month plus some value add for me (say $3/mo) to give them the opportunity to make millions then let them pay me a flat $100/yr, my Ring fee goes way and we are all “relatively” happy. I am happy to opt-in in that deal. I don’t really care that they aren’t using the whole 500mb allotment. I am allowing it though if they need it.
And the truth is I am generally more in favor of 4. After reading this article and discovering that Amazon owns Eero, I now have yet another product set I probably won’t buy into. As it is, it looks like Ring is the only way I am going to be able to salvage value of my 27 year old, working perfectly window/door contact, glass-break and motion sensors so I will probably be paying them even more.
While I like their products, I fundamentally disagree with the monopolistic hegemony Amazon is building across so many lines of business. I understand it but don’t agree with it.
They certainly can afford to pay me the $100/yr to save them probably billions of capital expense and open up even more opportunity for them to dominate my life.
Lol.. what? There’s no GOOD reason to beta test this for Amazon. Everyone is already paying them for the device, people have internet that is either throttled or metered or both. I don’t know anyone that has one of these devices that has kept it if they can’t get an internet connection to the device.
Why don’t they pay us to beta test? To let them use my network?
If it’s so good why doesn’t Amazon advertise and boast about from an “opt in” standpoint? They are hedging bets that most won’t notice, care, or both.
Sure they say they did their part to make it secure… But I don’t trust them and why would you?
I’m with you on the “opt in” approach. In fact, I was very disaapointing that Amazon made it opt-out. From a consumer perspective, this annoys the crap out of me. However, from a “network builders” perspective, I can see why Amazon did it this way, for some of the reasons Stacey pointed out above. The only way to make a viable low-power IoT network like Sidewalk to have vast coverage. So I think Amazon took the approach of “in a best case scenario, we’ll have massive coverage but in a worst-case scenario where a relatively small percentage of customers actually opt out, we’ll still have vast coverage. Luckily, we all have the choice to opt-out.
Next step to Skynet development….
As a “tech nerd” who has been programming for 20+ years I’ve recommended that my family opt out. My reason is simple. Anything that man has designed can be reverse engineered. Amazon’s papers are just that, papers. Someone can, and probably will, ultimately find a way to hack the system and let them in to your network. It’s difficult enough to keep your network secure without opening a back door to random strangers. Once in, a hacker could get at your finances, passwords, family photos or your very identity. Sorry but that’s too big a risk for me personally to take. People are fallible, software by extension is as well.
Reducing (or eliminating) a new network threat vector is always good advice. For folks concerned about their network security, I’d suggest waiting at least 6 months after Sidewalk is fully “lit” to see if any exploits surface.
That’s my feeling as well. Or if some ISPs have a contractual issue with “sharing” WiFi in this fashion, a boilerplate clause in many ISP contracts.
Security is always going to be a problem. It doesn’t matter how good Amazon’s security protocols are someone will figure out a way to break them. IOT security has always been a nightmare, the only thing historically that’s kept it from being an entirely bad idea is keeping it at least somewhat secure behind existing network security that this entirely does away with. Apple spent lots of time building network security features into their air tags, but those have been throughly hacked already. Opening your network to connection from literally anyone is just an objectively bad idea. You might as well not have a password on your router.
You have some misinformation in your article.
Consider product cost. Bluetooth is more expensive than wifi or other standards, since it is a proprietary protocol. It also has limited range compared to other waveforms. And none of you describe depends on a mesh network. If you have low cost Lora sensors, all you need is a Lora receiver in your house to bridge to your own wifi. Why in the world would you need to use your neighbor’s bridge or wifi? It makes no sense. And actually, that is not the purpose being Amazon’s sidewalk. It’s about data collection. Also, the Ring product line is one the least consumer friendly devices. It is almost useless unless you pay a monthly subscription. Compare that to all the webcams out there that not only do not require a monthly fee, but also use and publish a standard protocol, like rtsp, so users can connect their webcams to their own servers and such. Try that with a ring. Amazon is greedy, why provide them with something for free, if they won’t even let you fully the product you paid for?
“If you have low cost Lora sensors, all you need is a Lora receiver in your house to bridge to your own wifi. Why in the world would you need to use your neighbor’s bridge or wifi?”
Sure, but there’s more to it than just setting up a LoRa reciever in your home. 😉
What network will you be using to track your devices? How much coverage does that network have? You really want access to a ubiquitous and supported network to get at your data from anywhere. That’s really what Amazon is building here. As did Apple.
Make the refund options include a free book, or free month on Amazon Music, or a shipping discount on a purchase, or even a discount on a purchase rather than only a free movie rental and I might turn the Sidewalk option back on, I don’t use my TV. Upscale the return if it really is a few Cents per-GB rather than a few Dollars per-GB per-month cost to me. Do it to thank me for good service doing my bit in maintaining some of what could become an excellent piece of national infrastructure.
So much this!!! Many folks will be contributing bandwidth to the network even if they don’t have remote devices that will use it. So how about some other benefit?
Amazon must have paid you a lot for this. This is just… Asinine. Ring customers pay for the service, so why should anyone else be allowed to piggyback off of it?
Let me just open my wifi up for the people on the street, too.
Amazon has its greedy corporate hands in too much, and I’m not really interested in letting their Lex Luthor wannabe founder have more access to my life. It all seems a little too dystopic, a little Orwellian if you catch my drift.
If Amazon really wants to help people connect to devices, they can stop using taxpayer money to buy MGM, actually pay their taxes, and launch a program like Starling, since Bezos and Musk have a “My rocket is bigger than yours” competition going on.
If you’ve never called Ring Support for anything, you may want to before opt-ing in. We had a Ring cam sometime after update be really weird. You can go live you can hear, you can say stuff into the mic on the app, you can hear it back, but it never plays there (you can even get an echo). I have the plan, I was away called support, but was told unless I knew exact time & day it happened, they couldn’t help me.
(On a non daily feature.)
I asked can’t you run a diagnostic, went through many steps to give permission. But it always came back to what time & day.
So I know there is an illusion at least of security, that’s good for this.
But a total lack of real Support which just doesn’t bode well for someone saying trust me to use your network for my mesh.
A good way Amazon could build trust though would be to allow me to opt-in some thresholds, let me control the range of bandwidth I’d give up or block certain hours.
From a guy who wears a Halo, had a Fire Phone, everything in Ring is overpriced compared to competitors, I pay annual fees, Ring is on a very short cycle that makes you always feel like the product you own is outdated, I got to say this is a BIG ask from a company I like.
And honestly I don’t appreciate being told about it after I have installed their products, I feel duped
Even though the cost is very low, this is simply theft. Imagine somebody hooked up their garden hose to your spigot and used your water without your permission. That’s exactly what Amazon is doing. Asking to stopped in is one thing but forcing us into this scheme and requiring us to opt out if we do not want to participate is wrong.
Finally some common sense. All these panic articles about sidewalk and here I am, look I just want smart pet collars and the ability to find lost items. Things that this network will make possible in many areas without having to cram cellular circuits into things.
People fear mongering this thing are forgetting that ISPs like Comcast have been doing this for years with wifi. I am really freaking disappointed in the tech media here. As someone who works with AWS solutions this is going to open up so many things! My ring devices are all going to be on sidewalk and I have no problem with it. Until now every article has been full of FUD so thanks for this one. Hell I could build low cost as sensors to detect soil moisture, weather. So many options!
I think many are missing the perspective you have: Instead of just focusing on “lending” Amazon up to 500MB of your internet bandwith a month, people are missing the potential benefits that a massive low-power IoT network can bring.
See this is the problem, it’s people like you writing articles like this that try to convince the general everyday user it’s a good thing. How naive of you.
Hmm… I didn’t read it that way at all. There are benefits to Sidewalk, which are good things. But I don’t see convincing that you should simply stay opted in to Sidewalk because of them. There are reasons to consider using it and valid concerns to not to. It’s up to each individual, as it should be.
How much is Amazon paying you? Your assertions are utter marketing nonsense with zero technical value. Sidewalk is a security nightmare for the networks hosting it as you have another door opened (wide opened) into your network, yet another attack vector that will not get any updates or the benefits of public review. People should opt out due to the real lack of security of this crappy idea. And if they want bandwidth, pay for it just like the rest of us
As someone who works in the data security field there is no way in hell I would ever allow any third party access to my networks in any way shape or form. You have no way of knowing or controlling when some Amazon developer accidentally leaves a password in some stray code that a hacker can use to infiltrate you’re home network. Amazon devices have way way too much access as it is to personally identifiable information and let’s throw in public internet on them to make matters worse.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you from a security perspective, but does this mean you have zero cloud-connected smart home devices? You’re essentially allowing third-party access to your networks with them in a slightly different manner, no?
Very few and they are connected to a segregated guest network. Plus if I ever hear that they are going to start “sharing” my bandwidth they will be tossed out the door quickly.
You gave the link for opting out for ring devices. You have to also separately go into the Alexa app to opt out for your echo devices. Here’s that link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GZ4VSNFMBDHLRJUK
And some people have reported that when ring added the sidewalk option to their app it reset the option for their Echo devices. I’m not sure it actually happened that way: I think it may just be that people assumed that opting out through the Alexa app would mean they were also opted out for ring, but that’s not how it works. So you do have to opt out in both apps. Which probably also means that as more manufacturers are included, you will have to individually opt out for their devices as well.
For me, a fifth reason is that this is just all too new. I don’t generally join betas or early release options because I rely on my home automation for more than just convenience. (I am a wheelchair user.) I need it to work the way it’s been working until I’m absolutely sure that I want new features. I may eventually add sidewalk support, I may not, but I’m not going to be an early adopter.
There is no amount of reasoning that will make me agreeable to open up another point on my network. Nothing that will make me want to say “feel free to get your own Alexa and mooch of my network for free”. Nothing can convince that letting other people’s traffic come across my IP is ever a good thing. How long before we get twilight raids on gramps house for his teen neighbor exploring a loophole to stalk and threaten his high school nemesis?
IOT is already too big a risk… Why do we feel the need to make it worse?
Trust Amazon? No thank you.
There are several cryptocurrency projects that compensate people for contributing to a mesh internet network. I like the idea of this, but expecting people to contribute without any sort of compensation is hubris of an Amazonian level. Especially when you don’t even let people know that you’re doing this. Nobody reads those terms of service, and this behavior is highly immoral.
Here’s another reason to opt out:
That cost you speak of to build networks? That’s their problem. Amazon subscribers don’t get anything for free, they’re paying customers. Having a multi billion dollar corporation hijacking ANY bandwidth that I pay for in the supposed name of the common good in order for them to be able to continue to offer their goods and services and improve their abilities on my dime….. It’s like choosing communism but you’re still paying for everything.
No, if amazon (like the cable companies who lease modems and then set up networks using those modems YOU PAY FOR) wants to build out a network they can do like the rest of us do, and pay for it. Lord knows out of everything band everyone in the planet, they’re certainly in the financial spot to do so.
The fact that they’ve snuck this in quietly, and have made every paying customer they already have opt IN by DEFAULT tells you everything you need to know about how nefarious the intentions might actually be.
Amazon wants a piece of my bandwidth? Ok, I’ll deal. Pay me for it.
This business works in both directions.
Amazon is such a wealthy company that I feel instead of placing this burden on it’s customers who are paying for the devices, the electricity and the most costly piece, the actual bandwidth itself, they should just create and pay for building this network they want so badly. To me it just sounds like another way for Amazon to increase their profits with little investment, expecting the brunt of the burden to be carried by customers who are already being charged more for EVERYTHING than we should be…. I opted out and could care less about what huge corporations want to develop. Do it on your multi-billion dollar wallet.. not middle class wallet. Bam!
I’m sure they wont collect your personal info. for their controlling use. Just like facebook, google, and governments swear they dont collect your info for their use!
Why do I need to subsidize a billion $ corporation that charges me for nearly everything? It’s pretty obnoxious of them to make it opt out rather than opt in. No thanks, I’ll pass
Eventually Amazon will replace the government and we won’t have to opt in or out of anything because tights will be abolished and servitude compulsory.
An interesting, thoughtful article thank you.
I’d be interested in your thoughts on if there’s a reason not to just use Lora for a home tinkerer?
I’d guess security?
Obviously a device manufacturer can more easily piggy back on Sidewalk without needing a separate LoRa base device.
I’m in camp number 4 btw, I have no Amazon devices and refuse to use Amazon to buy things (I’ve never felt like I’ve suffered using other online shops – there are loads, Amazon is just a lazy ‘first thought’ option IMO)
You could certainly roll your own; Stacey has a Helium hotspot she’s written about that does just this. And I have my own hotspot on the way. You’d just need to add devices and sesors that work with that particular network.
If Amazon wants to use customers wifi, then they should reimburse the customer.
Not a free ride.
You so miss the point. They are taking services tge customer is already paying for and selling to others without paying the customer who’s hardware they are using. To make it worse, it’s set up as “opt out” not “opt in”, correctly assuming that many Amazon customers won’t notice and Amazon then has created a free (to them) mesh network.
Screw that! Come to me, ask me to opt in, then pay me for use. Otherwise it’s a hard “no” from me! Amazon is already a massive market controlling behemoth. If any company cannot afford to pay for rolling this put, they can!
Why would I? Not that I haven’t already potentially opened up my home with numerous (Non-Amazon) IoT devices. Direct use of my internet though? No matter how many “wrappers” it has. Just in theory it sounds insane, & I’m by no means a security or conspiracy nut. This though I believe has so much potential for a bad outcome. Maybe not right away but eventually.
Forget it. No. Under no circumstances. If my neighbors want internet access, they can pay for it. My network, which is pretty extensive, isn’t open for public consumption.
Why do you want all your life and stuff connected. After all if Microsoft and Garmin couldn’t avoid to be attacked why you think you can’t be attacked? Every device connected it’s a new treat on you security making your life more complicated….But if are another lobby soldier from a corporation go ahead
What if you just hate other people and really don’t want to do anything that might benifit others in any way?
You talked with “tech nerds”, nice phrasing there, did you maybe not talk with any IoT security experts? They may have given you a very different answer to your questions.
I spoke with people who have evaluated the network for its security and for its utility. So yes, some of these people are security experts while others are IoT experts by virtue of wanting to build a secure IoT product using Sidewalk.
Really? I work in the industry and so far everyone that I know thinks it one of the worst ideas ever. Never mind the fact that Amazon is turning it on by default.
The security concern is not that Amazon can sniff the packets. If you have an echo recording every word you speak, then you have written off any privacy concerns with Amazon seeing your data. And this isn’t even your data, it’s some random IoT device walking down the street.
My concern is this opens a new vector for nefarious actors hacking into my home network, and another uncontrolled and unmonitored access point. Why should I do this without compensation. I’m definitely in camp 3, 4 and what I will call reason 5 for opt out.
If the problem is an smart lock on your property needing connectivity, why is the answer “let Amazon use your Internet connection for free and rent it out to other people and their devices located up to a half a mile away”?
I’m wondering though. Do you have to pay to access your own data connection through this network? Because that would explain it, wouldn’t it? If this is a scam to get people to to give Amazon access to their network and then to rent it back to them, it makes sense.
I mean, look, you’re not installing Internet doodads on a random tree a half a mile down the road in front of a neighbor’s house. You’re putting them on your property, where you already have connectivity. But if instead of getting a low power bridge they can trick you into relying on this system, they can sell you access to your own network forever after.
And BTW, the excuse of “well they had to do the work of taking a radio system that other people developed and sticking it into their products, renting you your own connection is just them recouping their costs”, no, that won’t wash either. Because you’re still buying them. That’s what purchasing a product is about. I don’t, for instance, buy a CPU for my computer and then rent it in perpetuity because Intel had to develop it. I don’t have to rent my router because somebody somewhere had to develop the wifi protocols it uses. That’s not what this is about. It’s about Amazon trying to lock people into paying Amazon for the privilege of accessing their own network, even if they’re using a device that Amazon had no part in developing.
It’s an attempt to get their sticky fingers embedded deeply into the iot world. And if you’re passionate about the concept, this should bother you.
“I’ve covered wireless networks for almost two decades, so I understand better than most that Amazon is usually a data-vacuuming, self-interested entity that has historically not cared about privacy or its workers.”
You should read your own words. Opt out!
I’d rather pull the plug than give access.
Wow. How much did Amazon pay you for this article?
Do not listen to this person. Disable it ASAP.
No thank you to weak encryption. Among all the other issues with this.
Bozo’s is worth $185 BILLION who in their right mind would give him anything for free?
I’m paying Comcast to use their internet… If Amazon wants to piggyback on my WiFi, pay me a monthly incentive! I just got an Echo, and opting out of their sidewalk service was the first thing I did.
How clueless is this article? Way to attack people who don’t appreciate IoT and how insecure it has proven to be.
1. It’s Amazon, they have show how little regard they have…
2. It’s the IoT, so of course we’re skeptical.
3. Privacy is a big issue here in the U.S.
4. It’s Amazon.
Have you heard of the helium network? It expanding throughout the world and is growing the LoRA network incredibly fast. It is built by the people with devices that offer coverage and in return, you recieve helium tokens. Yes it is crypto currency, and yes the devices are expensive, but at least they give the people providing coverage incentives. Victor mouse trap has teamed up with helium and other companies are following. What Amazon is doing by automatically opting you in without telling you and using your utilities to power their network is not ok.
I am aware of the Helium network. I run a router and have for over a year. I like the model, but I also know that it’s struggling to get coverage because of chip shortages. Helium has about 50K hotspots right now, which is awesome, but when Amazon turns on Sidewalk it will have millions.
It would have been just as easy for Amazon to allow users to set up a passwotd protected network that I could use for my own Sidewalk-enabled devices that are out of WiFi range. The rub is that everybody else’s devices use my network too if they’re in range of my Amazon device. If I don’t need a longer range Sidewalk network for any of my devices, why should I give up any of my bandwidth to others? Why do I care if my neighbor’s smart door lock or camera doesn’t work?
This is also the model I would like to see: The option to limit the devices using sidewalk on my network to the devices that I choose. So, sure, I could improve the connectivity performance of the ring floodlight on the back shed, but I’m not opening it up to random strangers. Same way my Wi-Fi works.
I love this idea: a separate or “guest” network implementation, with opt-in, of course. I don’t care of my neighbor’s smart home devices are connected or not either. But I don’t see the potential Sidewalk benefits from in-home devices. I’m thinking it more of “away from home” devices.
The initial releases from Amazon about Sidewalk mentioned multiple examples of the account holder’s own devices, such as lights on a shed or irrigation sensors.
“ For select Ring devices, you can continue to receive motion alerts from your Ring Security Cams and customer support can still troubleshoot problems even if your devices lose their wifi connection. Sidewalk can also extend the working range for your Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as Ring smart lights, pet locators or smart locks, so they can stay connected and continue to work over longer distances.”
The pet locator was an “around the neighborhood“ use case, but the others were all on your own property.
They also promised future benefits for on property devices:
“ In the future, Sidewalk will support a range of experiences from using Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as smart security and lighting and diagnostics for appliances and tools.”
A couple of years ago I ended up changing Wi-Fi routers because the Xfinity provided one kept “accidentally“ re-enabling the public hotspot, which I did not want enabled. This happened three times in two months.
I always knew that it happened because I live near a park, and when the hotspot was active, there would inevitably be groups of teenagers standing on my street corner, using the Wi-Fi.
Even though this was not charged against my account, I had to deal with the litter and noise from the physical presence of those users. And there was a lot of both litter and noise.
The only way I could eliminate the problem was by switching to a brand of router which Xfinity didn’t have remote control of.
It’s the sort of unintended consequences that concern me about sidewalk, and why I’m taking a wait and see attitude before opting in.
No. Just No.
Regardless of all the points on why this is a good/not good thing, the obvious answer is usually the correct one if you consider the ‘sidewalk’ business proposal. Amazon already have teams of employees focused on this, and when any business spends money on resources, you can be sure it’s because they see profit.
Amazon puts nothing into this, at least not the part that would be the most costly (infrastructure).
They create a new revenue stream without any equipment overhead costs – they use customers devices and the services, which ironically they CHARGE the very same customers for using (Ring etc).
There’s a spreadsheet internally that details just how [sidewalk] they can further offset Amazon’s costs for these things, reducing any subsidies, creating more profit.
Big business gives nothing for nothing, it’s always about what’s in it for them, and if you did deep enough, you will always find financial motive at the core of all clever marketing.
Amazon wants this far more than customers who may use it…. Only in time will the real reason become revealed, but it’s absolutely there.
And it’s not your ‘big pal Amazon’ doing a solid for customers.
Maybe I’m just old and cynical 😉
I don’t, and never have, owned any Amazon devices, stopped using their exploitative online shopping service (for well over a year now), don’t use any of their subscription services, and avoid any website that uses Amazon’s servers as much as possible.
They’d love to monopolize everything. And I’m sure they will at their current rate. But they won’t be receiving any help from me.
Not worried so much about privacy since there are no PII data that is shared… But, if I opt-in, I should get paid…. Reduced prime membership or credit back in Amazon services like ring annual fee….
I would never give Amazon the right to pick you back off my internet service without probably asking me for that permission I didn’t even know this was happening until I seen it in the news and I immediately opted out of it if you going to take something from me rape me at least ask me and thank me afterwards
5th reason: You don’t want another device competing against your WiFi and slowing down your network.
Kind of non-issue: Data packets from Sidewalk devices are super small bits of information. Even if you’re on an old 1.5 Mbps DSL line, I doubt there would be any additional bandwith competition over WiFi.
Should I make an assumption that you have checked out Helium Network and MXC before writing this article? They (and others) are creating connections for IoT and compensating people in the process rather than taking more from people without their true understanding. Amazon is not trying to be benevolent. They are trying to get a free lunch and the expense of the working class.
I can understand Amazon’s incentive to use a free network. The exact same incentive they had to used police to push Ring doorbells. Personally speaking, and I am a techie who actually has an isolated subnet just for my IoT devices: No. My employer already freaks out and requires employees to literally turn off / pull the batteries out of any Google or Amazon (or other) devices with microphones that auto activate. Our work phones have Siri disabled, and find my iDevice? Nope, not active, disabled by management profile.
I agree with them, not because I think Amazon really cares about me personally. Nope, I’m boring as paint drying. Granted my employer is more interesting and I do have access to customer restricted data because my job gives me access to many things to make other people’s jobs possible. Also anyone with enough processing power can easily collate things. I. Don’t. Like. Microphones. Or. Cameras. In. My. House.
Nope. No cameras or microphones inside. Not happening. Outside? Yes. I have a third party doorbell cam that stores data *locally* on my NAS. My data. Mine. Amazon (or Google, Apple, fill_in_random_company) doesn’t need it. The cops want it? They can ask me or my lawyer. Nothing personal. My data. I don’t even store it on-site, I store it at a property I own in another state, and Vice verse for that one.
Amazon is one of the richest companies in the world, they can afford to build their own network. They are merely demonstrating why they are rich: Why pay for something you can con others into giving you for free?
Good idea! While we’re at it, let’s let everyone just walk in the house and take that cup of sugar.. even when we’re not there. Choke that big ole gulp of IoT mentality down tha gullet.
A sucker is born every minute Stacey. There is no way this can be secure. Hackers will find a workaround.
Second you have already seen Amazon should be paying us to build a mesh network.
Don’t worry, big companies and big government have almost no accountability because most people are Kool aid drinkers like you. You are in the majority
Only 5 reasons to opt out of sidewalk. 1.
No such thing as a free lunch. 2. See1. 3. See1 and 2. 4. See 1, 2 and 3. 5. Internet once was pretty secure. Now high school students in their basements. Russians. Iranians. North Koreans. All our enemies and allies, big and small business, curious individuals and thieves rummage around in all our online activities because they discovered “vulnerabilities”. Why do you believe there are no “vulnerabilities” as yet undiscovered out there in sidewalk? “There is a sucker born every minute.” All business is in the business to make money. Guess whose money they will be going after?
All you gotta say is Apple automatically opts you into their Mesh network for FindMy and AirTags to work. I don’t believe you can opt out. This is literally the same thing. If you’re okay with Apple doing it, you should be ok with Amazon doing it.
Apple’s Find My is shown to you at the time that you set up a new device, and you do have the option to opt out at that time.
That’s very different than what Amazon did, which is to automatically turn it on for literally millions of existing devices without notifying the owners.
And the Find My Device isn’t giving a potentially large amount if bandwidth away. Sidewalk is a mesh network for internet access. With kids schooling from home, my family is already running into data caps. And I have gigabit bandwidth with a large data cap.
I’m fine with tge concept, just make it opt in and pay me for using my HW.
I would opt out and get on a waiting list for a Helium IoT Network HNT miner instead, Sidewalk economics are negative for the homeowner, almost insulting to take bandwidth openly and not offer compensation, it will be challenged in the open market by Proof of Coverage blockchain based IoT networks
The best way to “opt out” is to not buy Amazon’s spy products. Simple as that.
The “neighbor borrowing a cup of sugar” analogy is nice, but let’s make it accurate with these changes
Our neighbor = Amazon
Borrowing = taking without asking
Sugar = limited bandwidth
My Social Contact does not include encouraging giants to steal from me to resell to my neighbors.
One thing people tend to gloss right over with this is the fact ISPs tell you in writing that you cannot share your internet and here is amazon opting you in to violating your terms of service agreement for their own benefit. Good luck with that.
Good point that I hadn’t thought of! Although I doubt the ISP will even know. Once data from the Sidewalk radios comes in, it passes through your internet connection like any other data. Just like the data from other connected devices in the home.
No. No. No. Unequivocally NO. There is no reason to give up any bandwidth & power for nothing in return. I’d say no to ISPs that want to use the wifi router in your house for their own wifi public network as well.
Wow! Finally a balanced article.
I bet most of the people suddenly up in arms about sidewalk didn’t opt out of the “Find My” network from Apple, since funny enough, no-one made any noise about it and rightfully so? It is basically the same network concept.
Apple’s Find My is turned on one device at a time when you set up the device and you see it happen with an option to decline. Amazon went in and automatically turned Sidewalk on for millions of existing devices without notifying the owners. Very different.
So it’s the fact that you’re not being asked as opposed to the use of the network itself? Because most people here seem to be complaining about the latter..
That is just one of the problems.
They aren’t asking.
They aren’t compensating.
Sidewalk can potentially have a lot of bandwidth I pay for given away.
It brings a lot of content and users past my firewall.
I’m sure there are more problems listed in this thread. Some are bothered by this or that. Some are bothered by all.
You can get fined $50,000 for sharing your internet connection with neighbors here. In the USA….
In terms of #3 there is a competitor that is built around paying back people who host the network called “Helium”. Amazon has a huge advantage In that they can turn on the network overnight, but Helium hosts are more motivated to put their host devices in places with greater coverage (top of a building versus inside a house).
The Helium Network is an open source, decentralized, blockchain based IoT and CBRS (citizens broadband radio service) 5G cellular network that pays regular people (in Helium tokens) to host LoRaWAN devices to build out these networks. There’s an alternative to people and companies around the world in having to deal with Amazon. Will be interesting to see which one prevails.
I don’t see why amazon, of all companies who should be permitted to do this, without consent. For years they have used any tactics to become the giants they are today. Can we really afford to let them use us as sheep? Amazon are purely looking to dominate every market. This cannot continue.
Reasons to support Amazon Sidewalk.
1. Own Amazon stock
2. Paid troll for bad ideas
3. A control freak who wants to socialize bandwidth but not healthcare.
So what’s wrong with just using LoRa?
How much was the author of this article paid from Amazon?
$0 and 0 cents! It’s OK to publish what might be an unpopular opinion for free. 😉
It’s my data Amazon wants to use. This should be an opt in not an opt out. It’s completely in character with Amazon to assume they can steal my data. I won’t be doing it and it’s s shame because if they had asked me I’d be more likely to consider it.
Completely agree!
These companies already showed over and over again that they cannot be trusted with data. Giving them such access to one’s network is not a very good idea. They may say that they cannot see your data, but it if hacked this system could cause an unprecedented level of damage.
Amazon is notorious for security violations and just plain neglect. I’m absolutely not going to trust them. We only have any ring security because we got several devices for free from a family member. By the time I found out how crap they are we already had them installed. A company is only out to serve themselves to make profits. Why on any level would I opt in , no company has your best interest in mind ever. This is hilarious
So sorry, but I am retired, live very rural, and only have DSL available. I am lucky I have enough to stream (with buffering) and I am within 1500 feet from the node.Why would I give them up to 1/2G of my precious Wifi a month. I have no choice but to opt out of this . I can’t even get my wifi to reach my motor home in my own front yard!
You’re making the right choice for your situation and reasons! Which in the end is what we all should do; the point of this article.
As someone who has neither Ring nor Echo (I don’t trust Amazon), nor have any “smart” locks or other items (I don’t trust IoT, either — as someone who works in web development, I have a low opinion on what passes for security these days), I cannot help but endorse Reason #4 for opting out.
Having said this, I can’t help but think Amazon’s attempt to roll this out quietly, hoping no one would notice, and only giving a window of a week to opt out, is highly unethical, particularly for those who would want to opt out for Reason #1, but don’t realize it until the window for opting out has passed.
Rather than quietly opting people in by default, Amazon should have led this with great fanfare, explaining the benefits for everyone, and perhaps even adding a third device to their lineup, a little “stepping stone” that serves as a standalone router for SideWalk, for those who might see the benefit of SideWalk but don’t use Ring or Echo themselves.
Corporations have no more rights to my data and my services than you or anyone else do.
I get you’re a fan of socialism. Most of us aren’t.
Try harder.
This isn’t socialism. It’s theft.
Yes, let us all open our personal networks to vulnerabilities of unverified protocols, Bluetooth connections, and everything else Amazon will refuse liability for.
Yes, please continue to shill for Amazon. You don’t choose to opt in – they are forcing you to opt out. Amazon is deciding for you that you should be putting your internet security at increased risk and running up your internet usage (however small you may decide half a gig to be),and they’re doing so not to improve your life but their profits.
This attitude by large tech companies is a travesty and we need to hold them accountable for their actions. I truly worry about what they’ll do next time, but I’m sure you’ll be there to explain away their attack on consumer rights.
How about No I dont want people piggybacking off my Internet connection That I pay for! Especially if your a Comcast customer and cant afford Unlimited data. Sorry but I Don’t need my neighbors streaming their entertainment on my dime.
Not to mention there is No reason for an Amazon network. just another security nightmare probably as bad as Apple bonjour service if not worse.
I can always decide which neighbour I should NOT give a cup of sugar to. Sidewalk is leaving sugar out for everyone and anyone, and I can’t do or see squat about it.
I’m all for helping my fellow man, but there’s plenty of spectrum, cellular and wifi: if Amazon wants a ubiquitous radio network, build the infrastructure like every other company had to.
The devices using Sidewalk will still need LoRa (or similar) in them, to connect to the citizen-net; why can’t Amazon get space on cell towers for their LoRa gear?
So you’ve given a niche use case while ignoring the #1 reason why anyone should opt out, and that is SECURITY. Granting strangers access to your network, no matter how many safeguards Amazon has/claims are in place, is about the stupidest thing you can do. You’ve just made it easier for a bad actor to gain access to your network. And using a device that can grant physical access to your premises is just about the worst thing you could do, especially given the lack of security on the average user’s network as it is.
I’m sorry, but as a network administrator who has done this for over 15 years, this article lacks any true technical knowledge and could potentially jeopardize someone’s safety and/or property.
Plus, why should anyone let Amazon make money off of their network? It’s not like we’re receiving any sort of kickback.
I also see a major GDPR violation for any EU citizens living in the US, as opt out is considered a “pre checked box”, which is banned.
The Helium Network is already attempting/building the infrastructure for this. They reward users/miners with HNT a cryptocurrency. They are building this network by people opting in to purchase a “miner”. Why would I want Amazon to gain more IoT power when they treat workers like garbage and won’t reward people for building this network for them like the helium team already does? I don’t see an upside to allowing Amazon more access to my household when others already are doing this and allowing users/miners to monetize it through blockchain. Decentralized network is the future. Not Amazon building another network off the backs of its users
Eh I’m in Australia and to be honest i have never met anyone who uses any useless smart hubs :’) google made a push with their crap for free which you see plastered all over local sales pages at $50.. i have a 1gigqbit connection at home.. 4g everywhere i go and unlimited mobile data.. how are so called first world countries this garbage that they lack a basic like internet? 😂😂😂 hicks
What really bothers me about Sidewalk is that Amazon presents it as an altruistic program for the consumer but the reality is that they are using devices you already paid for, your Internet bandwidth, your electricity while THEY resell the network coverage. Not to mention the threat to my beloved Helium network.
I want someone to prove the problems Amazon claims Sidewalk addresses actually exist.
People don’t need Sidewalk they need a new router or ISP.
Nobody “needs” IoT devices. I currently have none of them, and my daily life moves along just fine. My lights turn on and off, my doors are locked when I go out, and I have no trouble playing music in my home. Don’t try to sell people on things that are completely untrue. The fact that you’ve done this only makes me trust this system even less.
I may not need them, but they have certainly make my life much easier.
I am tetraplegic, use a wheelchair and have only limited hand function. Prior to getting home automation in 2015 I had to have someone else change the TV channels for me, I left the lights on in multiple rooms on my way to bed each night and hoped that one of my roommates would remember to turn them off, and it took about 10 minutes for me to unlock my own door.
Now I can independently manage the television, the lights, the door lock, and turn off the smoke detector if there’s a false alarm. All with voice control or motion activated Switches.
I can also control the thermostat, the outside sprinkler system, the dog food dispenser, the microwave, the ceiling fan, and several other devices. all by myself, on my schedule.
It may not seem like a big deal, but when you do without these things, it is indeed highly valuable to have that independence.
Choice is good, and as the old saying goes: “your use case is not my use case.“
All of that said, I’m still opting out of Sidewalk for now, for the reasons discussed above.
Amazon Sidewalk is a solution in search of a problem.
nothing in this condescending article of useless infomercial or in the comments changes that.
What Router and or ISP has a network, that can’t reach your front door or garage door? If you’re signal is so weak to your front door how is your neighbors echo that’s further away going to help?
Its not and never will.
Sidewalk doesn’t boost or help with Netflix streaming, its for smart lights and door locks hahah A solution in search of a problem.
When am with My Family and Friends in my town, my Wifi 6 is still solid streaming 4k over my iphone 2 miles away as the crow flies 5 driving, again No need for sidewalk we live in sparsely populated area.
If Amazon Sideways can improve Pet location services, You Don’t have a Pet location Service.
Nobody needs Sidewalk and Sidewalk will not improve home security. Wifi doesn’t make any home more safe it makes it less safe.
WiFi improves home monitoring, not security. Nobody has built a secure anything, connected to the internet, least of all Amazon.
If you feel that somehow, Sidewalk will improve your signal strength, to out of reach Lights and locks you need a new router and maybe an extender, not a useless wifi sharing that doesn’t really help the consumer at all.
Sidewalk doesn’t make the internet free or improve streaming or other internet services it’s strictly for Amazon. No reason for sidewalk to exist.
So you’re still paying for Wifi, and if you’re paying; and can afford all these expensive in home Smart gadgets, you can afford to upgrade your own mesh network, you don’t need to share anything with anyone for any reason, ever. Especially when Amazon says you have to. The opt out time frame is gone you’re in if you want it or not.
Prove there’s a consumer benefit beyond weak signals too door locks and lights hahaha
Pet location, is marketing to people’s heart strings not anything based in reality.
Pet location services are purposely engineered to work in the most remote least connected regions of the ENTIRE WORLD so please spare me that ridiculous argument.
Prove the problem exists and prove sidewalk will fix these problems. Its 2021 not 2001.
Am calling out, anyone, that says these issues are true; are nothing but bought and paid for liars.
Sidewalk provides a bridge between Wifi and cellular to fix a non existent problem.
Prove there’s problem, and prove this will fix that problem. Nobody owns a Wifi Router that requires this support, and no internet service provider would launch a network incapable of reaching your front door. Or the edge of your property.
Sidewalk is a solution in search of a problem.
Is it really difficult to prove the problem is real and this helps fix the alleged problem?
Insider Tip: Amazon is not being truthful about the max “cap” of 500MB. Some households will experience 10x that amount of shared consumption by the community.
Another quick fun fact: the “community” packets running across your network, although encrypted, but can still be captured and stored for future cracking. The best part – it’s not illegal for me to grab & mirror the data – as it is running across my network.
Remember AMZ is very sloppy on the DEV side 😉
TL: techie with very close ties people behind the curtain at Amazon.