Amazon’s Sidewalk IoT network, which is intended to enable a new wave of connected devices, is now available to more than 90% of the U.S. population. In conjunction with the official opening of Sidewalk to developers, the company released its first Sidewalk coverage map.
The low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) is a new type of Internet of Things network designed to connect low-bandwidth devices that do not require costly LTE or 5G connectivity. The network currently allows Ring cameras to send motion notifications even when they are not connected to the internet and Level smart locks to connect to the internet without the use of battery-draining Wi-Fi radios. Amazon has also formed a few early alliances, including one with CareBand, which created a wearable health tracker.
Sidewalk will benefit devices such as dog trackers, package trackers, soil moisture sensors, weather stations, leak sensors, mailbox sensors, pill bottles, solar panel controllers, garage door controllers, and other devices that don’t always live in places where Wi-Fi is a given, according to Dave Limp, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Amazon.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheVerge.
