Posted on 11/24/2020 9:38:43 AM PST by rxsid
What is Amazon Sidewalk?
Amazon Sidewalk is a shared network that helps devices work better. Operated by Amazon at no charge to customers, Sidewalk can help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home wifi. In the future, Sidewalk will support a range of experiences from using Sidewalk-enabled devices to help find pets or valuables, to smart security and lighting, to diagnostics for appliances and tools. "Amazon Sidewalk is a shared network, coming later this year, that helps devices like Amazon Echo devices, Ring Security Cams, outdoor lights, and motion sensors work better at home and beyond the front door. When enabled, Sidewalk can unlock unique benefits for your device, support other Sidewalk devices in your community, and even open the door to new innovations like locating items connected to Sidewalk.
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Where can I change my Amazon Sidewalk preferences?
Available later this year, Ring customers who own an eligible device can choose to update their Amazon Sidewalk preferences anytime from the Control Center in the Ring app or Ring website. Echo customers who own an eligible device can update their Amazon Sidewalk preferences anytime from Settings in the Alexa app. If you have linked your Ring and Amazon accounts, your Sidewalk preferences on either your Alexa or Ring app will apply to all of your eligible Echo and Ring devices.
How does Amazon Sidewalk work?
Customers with a Sidewalk Bridge (today, many Echo devices, Ring Floodlight Cams and Ring Spotlight Cams) can contribute a small portion of their internet bandwidth, which is pooled together to create a shared network that benefits all Sidewalk-enabled devices in a community. Amazon Sidewalk uses Bluetooth, the 900 MHz spectrum and other frequencies to extend coverage and provide these benefits.
What are Sidewalk Bridges, and which devices are able to become Sidewalk Bridges?
Sidewalk Bridges are devices that provide connections to Amazon Sidewalk. Today, Sidewalk Bridges include many Echo devices and select Ring Floodlight and Spotlight Cams. A comprehensive list of Sidewalk devices includes: Ring Floodlight Cam (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019), Echo (2nd Gen), Echo (3rd Gen), Echo (4th Gen), Echo Dot (2nd Gen), Echo Dot (3rd Gen), Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Dot (2nd Gen) for Kids, Echo Dot (3rd Gen) for Kids, Echo Dot (4th Gen) for Kids, Echo Dot with Clock (3rd Gen), Echo Dot with Clock (4th Gen), Echo Plus (1st Gen), Echo Plus (2nd Gen), Echo Show (1st Gen), Echo Show (2nd Gen), Echo Show 5, Echo Show 8, Echo Show 10, Echo Spot, Echo Studio.
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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 Bridge’s 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.
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Will I know what other Sidewalk-enabled devices are connected to my Bridge?
Preserving customer privacy and security is foundational to how we’ve built Amazon Sidewalk. Information transferred over Sidewalk Bridges is encrypted and Bridge customers are not able to see that Sidewalk-enabled devices are connected to their Bridge. Customers who own Sidewalk-enabled devices will know they are connected to Sidewalk but will not be able to identify which Bridge they are connected to.
To have internet connection in the United States, it’s the most expensive in the world. It’s so cheap to have internet in Korea and Italy for sure. Sometimes capitalism is expensive.
My Sonia Bravia will power up on its own and then go back down. I think it is a glitch in a setting. Dont remember which one. I did what internet said to do and it may have fixed it.
There’s a reason that the NSA builds every component of their computing system whether it’s servers, computers etc. If you can hack a system using a USB charging cable, imagine what they can do with voice enabled appliances.
IIRC Comcast had/has something similar.
I don’t get it. What is the point of “sharing bandwidth?”
********
It’s so homeless vagrants can cluster up and camp on the sidewalk in front of your house and burn up your bandwidth while searching the dark web for illegal drug deals and watch snuff porn on your net.
Of course, that’s not in the sales slogan but this is how this idiot crap tends to turn out, by design.
Sales slogans are for idiots, after all.
Tucker Carlson gave a staffer several phones that had all had the Internet disabled in one way or another then sent him on a road trip to sites that were supposed to be secured by restricting WiFi or having private access. When the guy got back they put the phones on traffic loggers and restored them to normal use. Every one sent location information straight to Google. They said that even the supposed secure locations could be easily figured out just by looking at the GPS coordinates. All of the phones stored the data until it could be sent when the connection to Google was restored. Creepy stuff.
Comcast has been doing this for years. I don’t see any disadvantage to the subscriber. But the company should have explained that this was happening. It didn’t.
and how much will Amazon pay me for using my wifi? or should I say stealing?
So that when your neighbor starts downloading child pornography, the FBI will come knocking on YOUR door.
Just another way to target the Deplorables for extinction.
Adding to the growing list of why to avoid using Amazon.
I worked in Tech Security a decade ago, and the answer is yes. The camera on your computer can be turned on without the little light coming on. Think turning a mic on without the user “enabling” the software that is already installed is an issue? Mic’s dont even come with lights to let you know they are on (hence the term “hot mic gaffe”). ANY CAMERA on ANY ELECTRONICS device in your house should have a physical shutter cap installed (you can get a pack of 3 for under $10) and keep it closed unless you specifically want it open. Also, some devices now have an IR camera about an inch left or right of the camera you can see. That is what enables facial recognition, and ... cover it permanently and dont use facial recognition.
Another big issue. If you’re sharing your connection, it will trace back to your own IP address. So, some dirty chomo connects to your network and starts downloading child porn... Now the cops are smashing in your door. Not a good idea by any means.
So was Atlas Shrugged.
They also give welfare recipients a discount, paid for by the rest of us in the form of higher fees.
As a cyber security professional - Ummm, no.
What could possibly go wrong with this snitcherama...
NO
Is this related to 5G without saying so?
As for spying ....i don’t have Alexa or any device, no mic or camera on computer, just cheap 3 or 4 g phones.
This weekend hubs was telling me about his first apartment in Plainfield Ct.
We also discussed what warehouse stores are available where we’re moving to.
Today in the mail is a Costco invite for his dearly departded dad, for ENFIELD Ct.
We live in Saratoga NY. Not exactly in the same area. Dad never lived here.
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