Alexa Owners - You May Want to Disable Amazon Sidewalk ASAP!

If you don't want your Alexa Devices sharing your Network with Sidewalk, you need to make this change before June 8.

Amazon Ring Cams and Echo Devices Will Automatically Become Part of Mass Wireless Sharing Unless You Opt Out Soon

Anyone who uses a Ring Camera or Amazon Echo device with Alexa knows how useful these devices can be. But now Amazon is rolling out a new feature on these devices that some owners may not be that thrilled with.

Amazon calls these devices Sidewalk Bridges and the following devices will all need to have these features disabled or they will be on by defualt after June 8.

Sidewalk Bridges include many Echo devices and select Ring Floodlight and Spotlight Cams. The current list of Sidewalk devices includes: Ring Floodlight Cam (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019), Echo (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot for Kids (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot with Clock (3rd gen and newer), Echo Plus (all generations), Echo Show (all models and generations), Echo Spot, Echo Studio, Echo Input, Echo Flex.

Here is What Amazon Says About Their New Sidewalk Feature

"Get connected convenience beyond your front door. Many of the smart devices in our homes today rely on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections to stream music to a nearby speaker or help a video doorbell notify us when a package is delivered. But these connections only extend so far. On the other end of the spectrum, 5G cellular is incredibly important when you need reliable, long distance, guaranteed delivery of data, but it can be complex. In the space around homes, that leaves a middle-ground for devices like sensors and smart lights that can benefit from low-cost, low-power, low-bandwidth connections. Customers shouldn’t have to settle for connected devices that lose functionality past the front door, which is why we’re excited to introduce Amazon Sidewalk.

Amazon Sidewalk is a new long-term effort to greatly extend the working range of low-bandwidth, low-power, smart lights, sensors, and other low-cost devices customers install at the edge of their home network. Using the 900 MHz spectrum, we are developing a new protocol we project can increase the connection range of these devices by more than one half mile/one kilometer. With Amazon Sidewalk, customers will be able to place smart devices anywhere on their property and know they’ll work great, even in dead spots where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth don’t reach."

Sounds all warm and fuzzy, right? Who would not want better Wi-Fi range for devices they use? But not so fast, first they are not allowing their users to opt in to this additional feature. Rather, they are opting everyone in by default. Second, once this technology goes active on June 8, your neighbors could now share bandwidth on your broadband connection.

If you have no use for using Wi-Fi devices outside your home, or are subject to data caps or just want increased security, we suggest turning Amazon Sidewalk off.

Here's How To Disable Amazon Sidewalk

If you don't feel like sharing your Internet connection with the world, here is how to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk.

Remember this goes live on June 8, so any Amazon Sidewalk Bridge enabled device you now own, or may buy in the future will already have this turned on by default.

1. Open the Alexa app on your device.
2. Open “More”
3. Select “Settings”
4. Select “Account Settings”
5. Select “Amazon Sidewalk”
6. Turn Sidewalk Off for your account.

You can use these same steps should you decide you want to reenable Sidewalk later.

If you need an extended Mesh Network, adding a WiFi Mesh System along with an extender can increase your wireless network's range outside your home. And it keeps your Internet connection private and from being shared outside your home. Amazon says they will protect your privacy but there is no guarantee a hacker or crazy neighbor can't figure out how to get past their security protocols to access your Internet connection and download porn, or who knows what else?

These are Three of the Top Rated Mesh WiFi Systems Available Today:

Good - TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System(Deco M5) –Up to 5,500 sq. ft. Whole Home Coverage and 100+ Devices,WiFi Router/Extender Replacement, Anitivirus, 3-pack
Better - Google WiFi system, 3-Pack - Router Replacement for Whole Home Coverage (NLS-1304-25)
Best - ASUS ZenWiFi AX6600 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System (XT8 2PK) - Whole Home Coverage up to 5500 sq.ft & 6+ rooms, AiMesh, Included Lifetime Internet Security, Easy Setup, 3 SSID, Parental Control

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