In an increasingly connected world, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. From smart home devices to wearables, IoT devices make us more efficient, healthier, and introduce new levels of convenience. Amazon Sidewalk, launched by Amazon, is a shared wireless network designed to extend the coverage of IoT devices beyond the home, bringing more intelligence to IoT devices and providing robust and reliable connectivity. Furthermore, the Matter standard supports cross-brand IoT device connectivity, making smart home device connections easier. This article will introduce the architecture and applications of Amazon Sidewalk, the Amazon Sidewalk solutions offered by Silicon Labs, and the latest developments in the Matter standard.
A shared wireless network that extends the connectivity range of IoT devices
To make our world smarter, safer, and more connected, Amazon Sidewalk introduces an innovative concept by leveraging existing Amazon Echo and Ring devices as bridges to create a neighborhood-wide network. This network not only revolutionizes IoT connectivity by extending device range but also bridges the gap between homes and neighborhoods.
Amazon Sidewalk is a shared wireless network that allows compatible devices to communicate with each other through a shared network. It uses Amazon Sidewalk Bridge devices (such as compatible Amazon Echo and Ring devices) to enable communication between devices on the network. This network goes beyond individual homes, connecting devices over a wider area. Amazon Sidewalk provides reliable low-bandwidth, long-distance connectivity for both in-home and outdoor IoT devices, such as outdoor lighting, motion sensors, and location-based trackers. Amazon Sidewalk supports multiple communication protocols, including Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) for short-range communication within homes, as well as CSS and FSK radio protocols operating at 900 MHz for longer-range communication.
Amazon Sidewalk is built on an architecture consisting of radio, network, and application layers, and it supports three different RF (radio frequency) protocols. The radio layer is used to communicate with Amazon Sidewalk devices using Bluetooth Low Energy, CSS, or FSK. The application layer sits on top of the network layer and the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol stack. For FSK and CSS, there is an additional network layer. The network layer handles data routing and forwarding between devices, ensuring seamless communication across the Amazon Sidewalk network. The application layer manages the specific applications and services of devices, and all Amazon Sidewalk devices connect to the cloud via AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk.
Amazon Sidewalk creates a low-bandwidth network using Sidewalk Bridge devices, including some Echo and Ring devices. These bridge devices share a small portion of your internet bandwidth, which is pooled together to serve you and your neighbors. As more neighbors participate, the network becomes stronger. If a Sidewalk Bridge device loses its Wi-Fi connection, Amazon Sidewalk can simplify the process of reconnecting it to the router. It can also help keep Sidewalk-enabled devices connected outdoors or in garages. Sidewalk can also work with tracking devices like Tile to help locate valuable items outside the home, and it features multiple layers of privacy and security.
Scalable Amazon Sidewalk network architecture
Amazon Sidewalk is a low-bandwidth wireless network composed of nearby Bridge devices. Owners of Amazon Sidewalk Bridge devices can choose to share a small portion of their internet bandwidth to provide wireless connectivity for compatible devices within the Amazon Sidewalk range. Each participating Bridge device extends the network's range. Amazon Sidewalk can unlock the potential for new devices, supporting Amazon Sidewalk-enabled devices such as smart public devices, appliances, and consumer devices. It can also be used for park management, environmental management, airports, etc.
Unlike many IoT technologies based on a single gateway, Amazon Sidewalk is based on a distributed network architecture of nearby Bridges. Having more Amazon Sidewalk Bridges in an area can enhance the network's effectiveness. When expanding the infrastructure, Bridges form a distributed network, allowing devices to connect within the range and send data to any Bridge, rather than being limited to a specific Bridge. Amazon Sidewalk Bridges pull messages from compatible devices and send them to users via AWS cloud in a multi-layer secure manner.
Amazon Sidewalk can use three different physical layers (PHY) at the radio layer to address different network use cases, including Bluetooth Low Energy, sub-GHz GFSK, and sub-GHz CSS. Bluetooth Low Energy is used for in-home and phone-to-device connectivity. The Bluetooth Low Energy radio PHY can be used for in-home Amazon Sidewalk applications, providing short-range connectivity for devices (such as location-based devices) and connecting devices to smartphones with Amazon Sidewalk coverage.
Sub-GHz GFSK is used for in-home and outdoor front-door applications. The GFSK radio PHY can cover areas up to one acre and can address applications requiring coverage of detached buildings and yards, such as pools, spas, and water mitigation systems. GFSK can even support smart city and neighborhood applications with the help of Amazon Sidewalk coverage.
Sub-GHz CSS is used for in-home and beyond-the-fence applications. The CSS (Chirp Spread Spectrum) radio PHY can cover ranges up to several miles, supporting applications far from the nearest bridge, including smart neighborhoods, universities, and agricultural facilities within Amazon Sidewalk coverage.
Providing the most complete Amazon Sidewalk development ecosystem
To accelerate the development of Amazon Sidewalk-supported devices, Silicon Labs, a leading provider of IoT solutions, offers the most complete, one-stop development ecosystem for IoT device manufacturers. This includes the Amazon Sidewalk SDK (Software Development Kit), wireless hardware, security features, development kits, and tools, thereby simplifying the development process, reducing costs, and accelerating time to market.
Silicon Labs has launched certified SDKs to simplify the development of Amazon Sidewalk devices, reduce costs, and speed up time to market. A range of hardware options is also available, including the SG28 dual-band SoC, SG23 SoC, and BG21/BG24 Bluetooth Low Energy modules. Security is crucial in IoT, and Silicon Labs provides solutions to ensure that Amazon Sidewalk devices have robust security features. Developers can use development kits and tools to access integrated tools and services needed from concept to product launch.
Silicon Labs works closely with Amazon, continuously innovating on the hardware roadmap to ensure compatibility with Amazon's evolving ecosystem and performing regular software updates to enhance device performance and security. To assist customers in selecting the right hardware when developing Amazon Sidewalk devices, Silicon Labs has launched the Amazon Sidewalk Hardware Selector Guide. This guide helps developers understand Silicon Labs' integrated tools and service portfolio to choose the ideal module or SoC and related development hardware for their Sidewalk-supported devices, facilitating a complete development journey from concept to launch.
Industry-leading Amazon sidewalk solutions
Silicon Labs' SG23 (EFR32SG23) is a Sub-GHz FSK Wireless SoC designed for Amazon Sidewalk applications. This secure, low-power, high-performance SoC features an ARM Cortex®-M33 running at speeds up to 78 MHz, with 512 kB flash memory and 64 kB RAM. Its low active and sleep currents make it ideal for battery-powered Amazon Sidewalk smart home devices such as door, window, and temperature sensors. The EFR32SG23 provides reliable range beyond the front door, covering areas like standalone buildings, swimming pools, and spas, with a link budget of 129.5 dBm for long-distance reliable communication. The dedicated security core supports Silicon Labs' Secure Vault™ High, delivering industry-leading IoT security to protect wireless data and devices from remote and local attacks.
Silicon Labs' SG28 (EFR32SG28) is another secure, low-power dual-band wireless SoC designed for Amazon Sidewalk devices, supporting Sub-GHz FSK and Bluetooth Low Energy. It provides reliable connectivity using Bluetooth Low Energy inside the home and Sub-GHz FSK beyond the front door to cover a larger network range. This low-power device is equipped with an ARM Cortex®-M33 running at frequencies up to 78 MHz, with 1024 kB flash memory and 256 kB RAM, supporting up to 49 GPIOs. Its low active and sleep currents make it suitable for battery-powered end devices and applications requiring more resources. The SG28's link budget of 128.6 dBm ensures long-distance reliable communication and also supports Silicon Labs' dedicated Secure Vault™ High security core, ensuring the security of connected devices.
Silicon Labs has also launched the Silicon Labs Pro Kit for Amazon Sidewalk, providing the necessary tools for evaluating and developing high-capacity, scalable Amazon Sidewalk devices. The kit supports all three Amazon Sidewalk protocols, including Bluetooth Low Energy, sub-GHz FSK, and CSS wireless protocols. This wireless pro kit includes a KG100S radio board, offering a complete reference design that supports Bluetooth, FSK, and CSS protocols used in Amazon Sidewalk. It also includes a BG24 radio board and an FSK/CSS adapter board, suitable for customers requiring discrete designs. The wireless pro kit mainboard also includes an on-board J-LINK debugger with a packet trace interface and virtual COM port, allowing for application development and debugging of connected radio boards and external hardware via an expansion header. This Amazon Sidewalk pro kit provides all the tools needed for developing high-volume, scalable IoT applications.
Matter standard makes cross-brand smart home device connectivity easier
While building a smart home is meant to make our lives easier, managing smart home devices can be a hassle, especially when you mix and match devices from different brands. This is because many smart home devices can only be used with the manufacturer's proprietary applications. Platforms like Google Home, Alexa, HomeKit, or SmartThings do support larger smart home ecosystems, but they are usually confined to their respective ecosystems, limiting your device choices.
On the other hand, while Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are good communication protocols because they are widely supported, Thread (a low-power mesh networking protocol designed for Matter smart home devices) has several advantages in the smart home space. Thread is not only very energy-efficient (which is important for battery-powered smart home devices), but its mesh network nature allows devices to relay signals to each other and more efficiently automatically adjust and route data. This makes Thread capable of providing more robust and reliable connectivity and is also easy to expand.
Matter is a royalty-free connectivity standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). Matter aims to create an interoperable way for smart home devices to communicate with each other. With Matter, you can connect Matter-certified smart home devices (such as light switches or thermostats) to a Matter-compatible app or hub, regardless of the manufacturer.
Currently, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are equipped with Thread radios, making them the first smartphones to feature this capability. The new iOS 17.6, macOS 14.6, watchOS 10.6, and tvOS 17.6 versions will also add code reference support for these new features. On the other hand, some mobile devices running Android 15 will support the Thread protocol, which will help in the rapid adoption of Matter smart home devices.
Conclusion
Amazon Sidewalk is a network service specifically designed for IoT devices, aiming to provide broader connectivity for smart devices in homes and neighborhoods. By utilizing low-bandwidth Bluetooth and the 900 MHz frequency band, Amazon Sidewalk can extend the coverage of devices, even in areas with weak or no Wi-Fi signals. This technology not only enhances device performance and user experience but also offers more flexible solutions for device positioning, monitoring, and management. The emergence of Amazon Sidewalk injects new momentum into the development of smart homes and smart cities, enabling IoT devices to operate more intelligently and efficiently. Silicon Labs has launched a complete Amazon Sidewalk development environment and solutions, making it one of the best partners for developing related products. On the other hand, iOS and Android have also started to support the Matter standard, which will make cross-brand smart home device connections more convenient, paving the way for the promotion of future smart home applications.