Introducing AWS IoT Core Machine Location integration with Amazon Sidewalk

Right now, I’m glad to announce a brand new functionality to resolve location knowledge for Amazon Sidewalk enabled gadgets with the AWS IoT Core Machine Location service. This characteristic removes the requirement to put in GPS modules in a Sidewalk gadget and likewise simplifies the developer expertise of resolving location knowledge. Units powered by small coin cell batteries, comparable to good house sensor trackers, use Sidewalk to attach. Supporting built-in GPS modules for merchandise that transfer round isn’t solely costly, it might probably creates problem in guaranteeing optimum battery life efficiency and longevity.

With this launch, Web of Issues (IoT) gadget producers and resolution builders can construct asset monitoring and placement monitoring options utilizing Sidewalk-enabled gadgets by sending Bluetooth Low Vitality (BLE), Wi-Fi, or International Navigation Satellite tv for pc System (GNSS) data to AWS IoT for location decision. They will then ship the resolved location knowledge to an MQTT subject or AWS IoT rule and route the information to different Amazon Net Providers (AWS) providers, thus utilizing totally different capabilities of AWS Cloud by AWS IoT Core. This might simplify their software program growth and provides them extra choices to decide on the optimum location supply, thereby bettering their product efficiency.

This launch addresses earlier challenges and structure complexity. You don’t want location sensing on network-based gadgets whenever you use the Sidewalk community infrastructure itself to find out gadget location, which eliminates the necessity for power-hungry and dear GPS {hardware} on the gadget. And, this characteristic additionally permits gadgets to effectively measure and report location knowledge from GNSS and Wi-Fi, thus extending the product battery life. Subsequently, you may construct a extra compelling resolution for asset monitoring and location-aware IoT purposes with these enhancements.

For these unfamiliar with Amazon Sidewalk and the AWS IoT Core Machine Location service, I’ll briefly clarify their historical past and context. For those who’re already aware of them, you may skip to the part on the best way to get began.

AWS IoT Core integrations with Amazon Sidewalk
Amazon Sidewalk is a shared community that helps gadgets work higher by improved connectivity choices. It’s designed to assist a variety of buyer gadgets with capabilities starting from finding pets or valuables, to good house safety and lighting management and distant diagnostics for home equipment and instruments.

Amazon Sidewalk is a safe neighborhood community that makes use of Amazon Sidewalk Gateways (additionally known as Sidewalk Bridges), comparable to suitable Amazon Echo and Ring gadgets, to offer cloud connectivity for IoT endpoint gadgets. Amazon Sidewalk allows low-bandwidth and long-range connectivity at house and past utilizing BLE for short-distance communication and LoRa and frequency-shift keying (FSK) radio protocols at 900MHz frequencies to cowl longer distances.

Sidewalk now supplies protection to greater than 90% of the US inhabitants and helps long-range linked options for communities and enterprises. Customers with Ring cameras or Alexa gadgets that act as a Sidewalk Bridge can select to contribute a small portion of their web bandwidth, which is pooled to create a shared community that advantages all Sidewalk-enabled gadgets in a neighborhood.

In March 2023, AWS IoT Core deepened its integration with Amazon Sidewalk to seamlessly provision, onboard, and monitor Sidewalk gadgets with certified {hardware} growth kits (HDKs), SDKs, and pattern purposes. As of this writing, AWS IoT Core is the one means for patrons to attach the Sidewalk community.

Within the AWS IoT Core console, you may add your Sidewalk gadget, provision and register your gadgets, and join your Sidewalk endpoint to the cloud. To study extra about onboarding your Sidewalk gadgets, go to the Getting began with AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk within the AWS IoT Wi-fi Developer Information.

In November 2022, we introduced AWS IoT Core Machine Location service, a brand new characteristic that you should utilize to get the geo-coordinates of their IoT gadgets even when the gadget doesn’t have a GPS module. You should utilize the Machine Location service as a easy request and response HTTP API, or you should utilize it with IoT connectivity pathways like MQTT, LoRaWAN, and now with Amazon Sidewalk.

Within the AWS IoT Core console, you may take a look at the Machine Location service to resolve the situation of your gadget by importing gadget payload knowledge. Useful resource location is reported as a GeoJSON payload. To study extra, go to the AWS IoT Core Machine Location within the AWS IoT Core Developer Information.

Prospects throughout a number of industries like automotive, provide chain, and industrial instruments have requested a simplified resolution such because the Machine Location service to extract location-data from Sidewalk merchandise. This might streamline buyer software program growth and provides them extra choices to decide on the optimum location supply, thereby bettering their product.

Get began with a Machine Location integration with Amazon Sidewalk
To allow Machine Location for Sidewalk gadgets, go to the AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk part below LPWAN gadgets within the AWS IoT Core console. Select Provision gadget or your current gadget to edit the setting and choose Activate positioning within the Geolocation choice when creating and updating your Sidewalk gadgets.

Whereas activating place, that you must specify a vacation spot the place you need to ship your location knowledge. The vacation spot can both be an AWS IoT rule or an MQTT subject.

Here’s a pattern AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) command to allow place whereas provisioning a brand new Sidewalk gadget:

$ aws iotwireless createwireless gadget --type Sidewalk 
  --name "demo-1" --destination-name "New-1" 
  --positioning Enabled

After your Sidewalk gadget establishes a connection to the Amazon Sidewalk community, the gadget SDK will ship the GNSS-, Wi-Fi- or BLE-based data to AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk. If the client has enabled Positioning, then AWS IoT Core Machine Location will resolve the situation knowledge and ship the situation knowledge to the desired Vacation spot. After your Sidewalk gadget transmits location measurement knowledge, the resolved geographic coordinates and a map pin may even be displayed within the Place part for the chosen gadget.

Additionally, you will get location data delivered to your vacation spot in GeoJSON format, as proven within the following instance:

{
    "coordinates": [
        13.376076698303223,
        52.51823043823242
    ],
    "sort": "Level",
    "properties": {
        "verticalAccuracy": 45,
        "verticalConfidenceLevel": 0.68,
        "horizontalAccuracy": 303,
        "horizontalConfidenceLevel": 0.68,
        "nation": "USA",
        "state": "CA",
        "metropolis": "Sunnyvale",
        "postalCode": "91234",
        "timestamp": "2025-11-18T12:23:58.189Z"
    }
}

You may monitor the Machine Location knowledge between your Sidewalk gadgets and AWS Cloud by enabling Amazon CloudWatch Logs for AWS IoT Core. To study extra, go to the AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk within the AWS IoT Wi-fi Developer Information.

Now accessible
AWS IoT Core Machine Location integration with Amazon Sidewalk is now usually accessible within the US East (N. Virginia) Area. To study extra about use circumstances, documentation, pattern codes, and companion gadgets, go to the AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk product web page.

Give it a attempt within the AWS IoT Core console and ship suggestions to AWS re:Submit for AWS IoT Core or by your ordinary AWS Assist contacts.

— Channy