Amazon Sidewalk, the new wireless connectivity protocol that promises to help you know the location of anything

It's not the next-generation smart speakers or Alexa virtual assistant, the highlight on Amazon's Alexa and Echo event stage is Sidewalk, the company's new wireless connection protocol.

For wireless control of smart devices, users usually choose Bluetooth or Wifi. But both of these options are limited by distance, and users can only order them when approaching them. Users can also opt for data connections like 4G or 5G, but they're complicated and power-hungry.

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Limiting the distance in the above wireless connection protocols will be overcome with Sidewalk, Amazon's new connection protocol. Amazon Sidewalk uses the 900MHz band to connect, so it can extend the device control distance up to 500m or even kilometers. Due to the lower frequency, the energy consumption is also less. Even Amazon Sidewalk with mesh network can expand the connection range up to a city, bringing unprecedented benefits.

For example, when your pet wears a Ring Fetch, Amazon's dog collar product will launch next year, running outside the garden around the house, you will receive a warning. If the Amazon Sidewalk protocol becomes popular on a large scale you will even be able to determine where your dog is, a play area nearby or a neighbor's house.

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Apple and Amazon, great minds meet

Coincidentally, Apple is also having the same ambition of being able to locate objects remotely from Amazon. Apple's ambition lies in the U1 chip.

Unlike Sidewalk that uses a 900MHz band to connect to remote devices, Apple's U1 chip can accurately locate objects in a room by using the ability to locate via ultra-wide-range ultra-short range. .

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If Apple and Amazon work together they can easily pinpoint the exact location of almost everything.

Amazon has conducted a test to prove the connectivity and coverage of Amazon Sidewalk. Amazon's Sidewalk broadcasting equipment was broadcast to 700 employees of the company living in the Los Angeles Basin. These devices are within 500m to one mile of the distance, allowing users to wirelessly connect to their devices at an unbelievable and identifiable distance from any device in Los Angeles. .

Meanwhile, although compatibility between Apple devices and rival devices in the smart home ecosystem is impossible due to the tight control of its software and services on the iPhone. But due to the popularity of Apple's hardware, when the U1 chip is built into its device, it can still build a network of necessary access points. This will help users to find lost objects, even if it is located in a hidden corner of the room.

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There is enormous potential in the future, but now is not the time

While it is easy to deploy its technology solution, both Apple and Amazon remain silent about the technology for now. Perhaps because the performance of this technology is not good enough, there are not many applications for it or both technology guys want to be more cautious because of concerns about users' privacy issues.

But certainly, Apple's close-range connectivity, and Amazon's long-range intermediary connectivity are vital to both companies' ambitions for the near future. It is likely that in the next decade, this technology will define the hardware and service efforts of each company.

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