To power some of its own products, including Ring doorbells and Echo speakers, Amazon has made its low-bandwidth, long-range wireless network Sidewalk available to third-party developers.
In order to assess whether their devices will connect to the network before designing a product, developers may now evaluate their local signal strength on a map by utilising the Sidewalk test kit, according to sources.
An open network called Amazon Sidewalk was created to link low-power, long-range, and low-data devices to the Internet to improve device performance both within the home and outside the front door.
As a result, Sidewalk is able to connect devices that are neither Bluetooth or Wi-Fi enabled.
“We’ve rapidly built out a long-range, low-bandwidth network that now covers more than 90 per cent of the US population, and this is an open invitation for developers to put it to the test,” Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices & Services, was quoted as saying.
“Many types of connected devices have been limited by the range of Wi-Fi and the cost of cellular technology, which has hindered the ability to connect devices like environmental sensors, leak detectors and smart locks. Sidewalk is designed to provide a secure, low-cost way to invent and connect a whole new range of devices, and we can’t wait to see what developers build,” he added.
DPReview, Amazon's go-to website for camera reviews, will soon be closing down after running for almost 25 years.
“The site will remain active until April 10, and the editorial team is still working on reviews and looking forward to delivering some of our best-ever content,” said Scott Everett, General Manager of DPReview.com.