Amazon Sidewalk explained: should you turn it off?

What Sidewalk is

Amazon describes Sidewalk as a neighborhood network that extends the range of low-bandwidth devices and keeps them online outside your home Wi-Fi. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy, 900 MHz radio and other frequencies. It is built for tiny messages such as a tracker location, a sensor reading or a lock status, not for streaming or browsing.

Three roles matter:

• Gateways (bridges). Compatible Echo and Ring devices connect Sidewalk devices to the internet through your home connection.
• Sidewalk-enabled devices. Trackers, some sensors, some lights and other products that use Sidewalk to stay connected. Tile was the first third-party example Amazon named.
• Amazon’s Sidewalk servers, which route traffic and the apps that manage the devices.

What you share, and the caps

Gateway owners share a small part of their internet connection. Caps have been described in two ways:

• At launch (2020): a Sidewalk gateway was limited to 80 Kbps toward the Sidewalk server, and total monthly data per customer was capped at 500 MB, according to Amazon’s white paper as reported by GeekWire.
• Today: Ring says the cap is the maximum your account contributes each month to keep neighbors’ devices connected. When it is reached, your gateway stops routing neighbor traffic until the next month. The cap will not exceed 0.15% of average U.S. household data use for the prior year, which Ring says is less than streaming about 10 minutes of 4K video, and Amazon reviews it annually. Your own Ring devices do not count against it.

The effect on your internet speed should be small, but it is not zero, and you are lending your connection to a network you do not control.

What data is shared

Amazon says Sidewalk traffic has three layers of encryption and unique security keys, that neighbors cannot see data from your devices, and that the Sidewalk servers route packets without knowing their contents. Ring says the content is designed so that no one, including Amazon, can access it in transit.

Security researchers raised these concerns when Sidewalk launched, as summarized by SecurityWeek:

• It is on by default, so users must opt out.
• Even with encryption, signals can be used to estimate where a device is. SecurityWeek reports that Amazon’s white paper acknowledges this and describes transmission identifiers that change every 15 minutes to make backtracking harder.
• Any shared network adds new code and new devices that were not part of your home before.

These are risks to weigh, not proof of a breach. Amazon’s own pages describe protections; independent testing is still the main way to confirm them.

Which devices are affected

Amazon has named eligible Echo models and select Ring cameras as gateways. The Ring support page links to a list of compatible devices that changes over time, so check the current list in your app. The setting applies to all eligible Echo and Ring devices on your Amazon account.

How to turn Sidewalk off

1. Ring app: open the menu, tap Control Center, scroll to Amazon Sidewalk, tap the toggle and confirm.
2. Alexa app: open Account Settings and look for Amazon Sidewalk. Menu wording can change between app versions, so search the app’s settings if you do not see it.
3. Check again later. After a new Echo or Ring purchase or a major app update, confirm the toggle is still where you left it.

Ring’s page says you can turn Sidewalk off at any time. Amazon’s 2020 announcement said gateway owners can turn off network support without affecting the device’s original function.

What you give up if you turn it off

• Backup connectivity for Ring devices. Ring describes Sidewalk as helping Ring devices stay online during internet outages. With Sidewalk off, you lose that fallback.
• Coverage for Sidewalk trackers and sensors. If you own a Sidewalk-enabled tracker, sensor or light, its coverage may depend on neighbors’ gateways, and your own gateways help the neighborhood. Check the device maker’s app for what changes.
• Nothing for most Echo uses. Music, timers and smart home control do not rely on Sidewalk.

Who should leave it on, who should turn it off

For a wider look at Alexa privacy, see smart speaker privacy settings. If you want devices that do not depend on Amazon’s servers at all, read the local-only smart home kit.