Amazon Sidewalk Will Push Neighbors to Share Wi-Fi Through Smart Devices

Starting next week, Amazon customers who own certain small smart devices will be automatically added to a new network the ecommerce giant is launching to extend the range of wireless networks beyond the strict boundaries of the home and into, say, a yard or sidewalk. The new program, called Amazon Sidewalk, will do this by sharing a portion of low-bandwidth home Wi-Fi networks between neighboring Amazon customers so that when one device's network drops out, it can simply latch onto another nearby signal. The company claims this shared connectivity will help maintain a connection for gadgets like far-flung Ring cameras, lost keys attached to a Tile finder—the first third-party service to join the project—and certain Echo products. Amazon will officially flip the switch on the Sidewalk network on June 8 (June 14 for Tile), at which point all eligible devices will be entered into the program by default, except for those in the homes of users who opted out. Devices slated for connectivity include certain generations of Echo Dot and Show devices, as well as Ring Floodlight and Spotlight cameras (a full list can be found here). In addition to expanding the general connective range of these devices, Amazon said the network sharing will be useful for keeping the software of remote devices up to date and simplifying the set-up process for new devices. Privacy and security concerns Of course, the new network has also raised concerns about the privacy and security of data being shared between a network of multiple neighbors' Wi-Fi connections. Amazon has attempted to head off some of these worries by releasing a white paper outlining exactly how it plans to safeguard customer information that flows through the network. Gartner Research analyst Bernard Woo said transparency measures like these are vital for companies when dealing with complex issues around personal data stewardship and privacy. "The new program from Amazon highlights the importance of the privacy user experience (UX) in managing relationships with customers and users," Woo said in an email. Amazon isn't the first company to attempt a bandwidth-sharing network along these lines. Comcast Xfinity launched a similar automatic opt-in program in 2014 that allows any of the cable giant's customers to log into a public network in certain areas, which consists of dedicated portions of other customers' connections. Compared to that program, Amazon has provided more notice—it first sent an email alerting customers late last year—and more transparency about security measures. But it still decided to make Sidewalk opt-out-only, choosing not to obtain explicit consent from all participating customers. Woo said companies like Amazon need to take whatever steps possible in these situations to minimize the amount of data they actively collect. "Even if consent has been obtained, [organizations need to] commit to the principle of data minimization to process and retain only the minimum amount of data needed to satisfy the intended use or uses of data outlined in the privacy UX," Woo said. "It goes without saying that any data processed must also be fully secured throughout their lifecycle." Amazon's last-inch ambitions Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said he sees intermediate-range wireless connections as an under-appreciated factor in accelerating the adoption of smart home devices. The company is hoping more third-party developers will follow Tile's lead in creating products compatible with the Sidewalk network in order to foster a larger ecosystem around it. "It’s a completely new way of thinking about intermediate-range wireless," Bezos told reporters in the fall of 2019, according to GeekWire. "There are a lot of things where Bluetooth is way too short-range, Wi-Fi is way too high-power, and so to have something that’s still low-power, but that has much longer range is really a gap in the marketplace." Constellation Research analyst Ray Wang said the launch of Amazon Sidewalk could spur a new race for so-called "last-inch" connectivity among tech giants like Apple and Google. "As tech giants double down on neighborhood and micro-mesh connectivity, expect more partnerships and innovations," he said in a research note. "This latest battle for the last inch will result in only a handful of players, creating the next opportunity for connected services."