Amazon is partnering with Tile and Level to create location-tracking devices that people can use to track their items (via CNBC).
Amazon Location Trackers
Tile makes physical location trackers while Level makes smart locks, and CNBC’s take is that this meant to compete with Apple’s new AirTag product that can also track things.
Amazon’s plan is to use trackers to enhance its Sidewalk network, a low-bandwidth network used for smart home devices. Amazon product boss Dave Limp:
Sidewalk is all about the next billion things that are going to get on the network. Wi-Fi is constrained, mostly to your home, it just doesn’t have the range to go into your backyard into the neighborhood.
Cellular may be the future, but it’s very expensive today. So Sidewalk kind of splits the difference between those two and allows us to put millions and billions of things on the edge of the network but do it in a secure way.
Mr. Limp said that Tile will work with Sidewalk by integrating compatible Echo devices to extend Tile’s network coverage even further, in the effort to help users securely locate misplaced keys, wallets and other items.