Amazon Sidewalk is a disaster waiting to happen
And the default should NOT be that its turned on! C'mon Ring - are you kidding me? Amazon is going to use up to 500MB of MY wifi per month without asking me? Sounds like theft of services among other things, like lawsuits. I've spent time and money to harden my home network just so packets I know nothing about can travel over it? Or cause problems? People want to opt in to this train wreck - fine. But it should be turned OFF BY DEFAULT.
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25-11-2020 01:43:40
Responses (5)
- M
I can kind of see your concern. Although BT do similar where every home router by default hosts a public SSID for other BT users. So i could stand outside another BT customers home and use a slice of their internet. It's a good way to spread connectivity, only uses a slice of speed and with no data caps in the UK it's no issue
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26-11-2020 03:46:38
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- R
A bit late, but I don't normally get on the website a lot to have noticed any announcement about Sidewalk, and decided to look after my son sent me an online article about it. I do appreciate Jim77's concern. I haven't had time yet to look into the white paper to see how network password security, etc. are handled, but I agree with him about unexpected packets wandering around in my router, given the recent router hacks. Unfortunately, I followed the instructions in the Help article, and I see nowhere in the PC Ring alarm dashboard to disable Sidewalk. On the App (Android), it looks like you can (currently) only enable/disable it by device. Currently my list only shows Spotlight Cams, which I don't have any of at the moment. Given how things pop up on the app with no warning or explanation, does this mean that I will need to monitor that list to make sure that my other cams, etc. aren't added in the future and enabled without my knowledge? Thanks, Ron
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30-05-2021 02:48:46
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PSounds like the iOS app and Android app must have different interfaces, but try logging into your account on the Ring website. From there, go into the Control Center, then into Amazon Sidewalk, and you can toggle it on or off for all of your devices (one setting for everything on or everything off).
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30-05-2021 04:38:15
REven on the Ring website there's no option. In fact, it does the same thing that the iOS app does. When you choose "Amazon Sidewalk" it gives some sales pitch and some links to buy these security-sucking devices but no slider to turn it on or off.
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01-06-2021 03:08:57
CHey neighbors! I’m here to help clear up some confusion that there may be around the Sidewalk feature and it’s opt-out option and viewing this in app. Sidewalk is only enabled for existing customers with eligible Sidewalk-enabled Ring devices, known as Sidewalk Bridges. You can see which Ring devices are Sidewalk-compatible [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032492292-Sidewalk-Information). Before Sidewalk became available, we began notifying existing customers with eligible Sidewalk Bridge devices so they could consider the benefits of Sidewalk and decide whether they want to change their preferences. Customers setting up a Sidewalk Bridge for the first time will see their Sidewalk settings during device setup, and can change those settings at any time. **Please note**: You must have a Sidewalk-enabled Ring device to use Sidewalk. You can learn more in our Help Center article [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032492292-Sidewalk-Information). If you do not have a compatible device, Sidewalk is not available to you.
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03-06-2021 04:49:36
- ME
In regards to the Amazon sidewalk feature, will ring customers be paid for the internet/data usage being utilized by this feature and is this free and or subsidized network access allowable by individual clients internet service providers? Only seems legal if if individual customers and ISPs are paid for this usage. “No such thing as a free lunch”.
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04-06-2021 03:58:46
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- D
The auto Opt-in on Amazon Sidewalk is ABSOLUTELY Theft of Services and I have made an official complaint to my regional district's Attorney General. I am also prepared to be a claimant during a class-action lawsuit. If the program was optional opt-in, there would be no legal ramifications. But, by *auto* opt-in to a "sharing" system, a system that *intentionally* bypasses an owner's security settings on their wireless services to auto-allow connectivity, Amazon is allowing the stealing of bandwidth without permission from any neighbors in range. It's Theft of Services, period.
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09-06-2021 03:06:24
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Caitlyn_Ring
Hi @jim77, we appreciate your feedback about this feature and will make sure to share it with the team here. If you would prefer to opt out of Sidewalk this [Ring Help Center article](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032524592-Opting-In-and-Out-of-Sidewalk) has some great details and steps for you to follow. Thank you!
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25-11-2020 09:26:15
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