Amazon devices now linking up your Wi-Fi with your neighbors'. Here's how to opt out

Amazon's reach just got a little wider Tuesday with the launch of its Sidewalk service that borrows bandwidth from customers to create a larger community network.

Posted 11:02 p.m. Jun 8, 2021 — Updated 11:49 p.m. Jun 8, 2021

Amanda Lamb

, WRAL reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — Amazon's reach just got a little wider Tuesday with the launch of its Sidewalk service that borrows bandwidth from customers to create a larger community network.

Not unlike a real sidewalk that connects people who live in the same neighborhood through a shared path, people who use Amazon technology like a Ring Doorbell or Echo speaker would donate some of their bandwidth to a separate shared network.

"Amazon is trying to keep your network – your home network – and that network separate. There’s triple encryption on that to really keep it safe," said Brooks Seahorn, an Amazon trainer at INE, a computer training school in Cary.

The benefit to consumers is that it keep devices connected even if they're out of range of their individual Wi-Fi signal. Seahorn gave an example of a runaway dog with an Amazon Tile tracker on its collar.

"If they’re running up and down the street and everyone has this enabled – and it will be by default – you would be able to find your doggie quickly," he said. "It’s pretty nice."

Still, Seahorn said Amazon is "going to have to prove the technology," especially with regard to privacy concerns.

"There’s still going to be lots of questions about it, and that’s why you see so many people going to the Alexa app this time and disabling the service until its been proven out a little bit better," he said. "My personal recommendation is shut it down for now. It’s brand new. Let’s shut it down and see how it works."

Sidewalk is automatically activated on Amazon devices, so follow these instructions to disable it:

On the Alexa app:

Open the app
Open More and select Settings
Select Account Settings
Select Amazon Sidewalk
Turn Amazon Sidewalk Off for your account

On the Ring app:

Open the app
Go to Control Center by tapping the three-lined icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen
Select Sidewalk and use the toggle icon to opt out
It will ask you to confirm you opt-out. Users can opt back in the same way.

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