How To Disable Alexa Sidewalk

Amazon is enabling many of their devices, such as Echo and Ring cameras, to share the internet service you’re paying for with anyone who wants to use it using a Sidewalk feature.  This may be a bad idea for many reasons, especially from a security perspective.

You may not know what this means if you own any of these devices. Let’s go ahead and explain why you want to disable Sidewalk and give you some ways to do that. 

Security Risk

First and foremost, security.  Sidewalk enables access to your network inside your firewall, bypassing its security features. With this feature enabled, anyone can access your WiFi connection and potentially access your shared files, devices, cameras, or anything else inside your network in your home.  Your firewall protection that comes as a default with your router, whether purchased/rented from us or not, protects you from outside threats connecting to your network devices.  Once someone has access to the network inside this router’s network, you’re no longer protected from whatever they do.

Slower Connections

Second, you lose control over your internet experience.  When someone outside your home is using your internet connection, the signal is being used outside your home, which can slow down your connection due to the signal strength of those devices connected. Also, if these users are using bandwidth, they are using bandwidth your devices need to stream, work, learn, and so on.

In theory, Amazon Echo and other Sidewalk devices use very little bandwidth. However, each device can quickly add up, giving you a noticeable decrease in Internet speed.

Breaks ToS

Third, it’s against our terms of service. As an internet provider, we at Broadlinc believe that good internet shouldn’t come with a laundry list of terms and conditions. However, one rule we take seriously is theft of service.

As a Broadlinc customer, you are not allowed to share your internet connection beyond the address where it is installed. This is to prevent theft of service. We should clarify that service theft is not when you invite a friend or family member to your house and share your WiFi password. One appeal of our services is that multiple people can connect and still have fast internet. By theft of service, we mean when the entire neighborhood has access to your home Wi-Fi network.

Remember, Broadlinc is not a giant corporation; we are a small internet provider to bring affordable and fast internet to rural Kentuckians. Because of this, we want to be able to keep our service affordable and reliable.  If the entire neighborhood uses your internet, they aren’t paying for it, and the average usage per customer goes up – which means our rates will have to go up faster than we anticipate. No one likes this, and that includes us. We want to bring affordable internet to your homes, but we must also keep the lights on.

How to Turn Off Amazon Sidewalk Services:

Instructions for the Alexa app:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Open More and tap Settings.
3. Tap Account Settings.
4. Tap Amazon Sidewalk.
5. Turn Amazon Sidewalk Off for your account.

Instructions for the Alexa app:

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Go to the Control Center by tapping the three-lined icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
3. Select Sidewalk and use the toggle icon to opt-out
4. It will ask you to confirm your opt-out.

What Are Sidewalk Bridges?

Before you learn about Sidewalk Bridges, you must know what Amazon Sidewalk is. Amazon Sidewalk is a network that uses little bandwidth or power. The benefit of Amazon Sidewalk is that it can extend the range of your smart home devices. For example, you can put smart home devices on the edge of your yard, where your internet may not reach usually.

Bridges are participating in Amazon Sidewalk devices. These compatible devices use a little bit of their bandwidth to help create the Amazon Sidewalk network. Amazon Sidewalk devices can. Could you send information up to a half-mile away?

With Amazon Sidewalk, you can receive local notifications. If you’re going on a neighborhood walk, you can keep track of your Ring app or see your Ring spotlight cam mount send you info in real time.

While there are benefits, many want to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk-enabled devices. You may be concerned about privacy concerns or sharing your internet bandwidth with others.

Who To Contact If You Cannot Disable Sidewalk

It’s simple to disable Sidewalk on Amazon devices like Alexa and Ring apps, but sometimes it doesn’t work. Where can you go from here if you cannot disable Amazon Sidewalk? There are a few options:

Contact Broadlinc Customer Service

If your Echo smart speakers, Ring floodlight cam, or other Echo devices have difficulties turning off Sidewalk, please contact us. Our customer support team can help you disable Sidewalk and look into any issues you may have. We understand that most people with Echo and Ring devices do not want to participate in the theft of service, so do not be afraid to contact them.

Don’t feel like sitting on the phone? Then could you email us? Our customer support team’s email is support@wcloudus.com. When you email us, a representative should email you back as soon as possible.

Amazon Customer Service

You can also go to Amazon. Amazon’s customer service has several avenues you can take. You can visit their community pages with general answers to commonly asked questions. These answers include basic tutorials about Amazon’s Sidewalk network. Please feel free to request a call and speak to a representative. In addition, Amazon has a support chat that is usually available all week to help you.

Turn Off the Devices

If you’re in the process of disabling Sidewalk, keep the devices turned off for the time being. This will prevent anyone from connecting to your network.

Final Thoughts

While Sidewalk is a good idea, it may pose a security risk, lower your speeds, and possibly lead to a termination of your account. To play it safe, be sure it’s disabled when you use any Amazon devices.