Amazon has launched its own wireless network system in an attempt to make connecting up your multiple smart devices easier than ever before.
Amazon Sidewalk is a new low-energy network protocol using the 900Mhz wave to allow devices around your home to speak to each other.
The company says that Sidewalk can even be used outside of the home as part of its bid to support the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT).
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“People don’t even realise yet how important that intermediate range is going to be, for things like lights in your yard, controlling your lights on your sidewalk in the street,” Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said at the company's launch event this week.
Amazon is looking to position Sidewalk as an alternative to traditional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks, allowing users with multiple devices from the company to get set up quickly.
The company hopes that Sidewalk will allow for greater security and stability for your connections, but also be less of a battery drain than current Wi-Fi connections thanks to requiring lower amounts of power.
Amazon showed off one use case for Sidewalk that uses a tracking collar to allow pet owners to track a runaway cat or dog by watching where it connects to devices on the Sidewalk network.
Sidewalk will also allow other user's enabled devices to mesh in seamlessly, so if you have visitors who want to play their own music or movies on your network, it should prove an end to complex set-up procedure.
The company says that it also plans to publish the network protocol for Sidewalk, allowing third-party developers to utilise it for new offerings.
It's not clear how Sidewalk will work with Amazon's own Eero mesh Wi-Fi router, but the company unveiled a new and upgraded version of its system yesterday as well, offering a much cheaper price and easier setup than its first model.
