The underappreciated Amazon Sidewalk network is bigger than you think

By Jon Bitner March 29, 2023

Amazon Sidewalk — a shared network that helps smart home devices stay connected — first launched in 2021 and has been steadily growing larger over the past few years. In fact, the size of Amazon Sidewalk might surprise you, as the network’s first coverage map shows a massive blanket that Amazon says covers 90% of the U.S. population.

The recently launched interactive map makes it clear that Amazon didn’t forget about Sidewalk after releasing it two years ago. It’s a service that doesn’t often step into the spotlight, but one that’s obviously been high on the priority list over at Amazon HQ. The interactive map coincides with an announcement that Sidewalk is officially open to all developers, allowing them to integrate their products with the network and enhance the already impressive coverage map.

The Amazon Sidewalk coverage map showing all the Sidewalk hotspots.

“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,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices & Services, in a statement. “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.”

Amazon Sidewalk’s current coverage map is the result of a collaboration with select developers that allowed only a handful of smart home products to produce and broadcast a low-powered signal for other smart home devices to connect with. But now that the floodgates have been opened and any developer can use Sidewalk, expect to see that coverage map grow exponentially in the coming years.

If you’ve got the technical prowess to tinker with Sidewalk, you can request a free Sidewalk devkit over on the official Amazon website.

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Jon Bitner is a freelance journalist whose gaming addiction began with the SEGA Genesis. His work has been published on…

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