Introducing AWS IoT Core System Location integration with Amazon Sidewalk

As we speak, I’m blissful to announce a brand new functionality to resolve location knowledge for Amazon Sidewalk enabled gadgets with the AWS IoT Core System Location service. This characteristic removes the requirement to put in GPS modules in a Sidewalk machine and likewise simplifies the developer expertise of resolving location knowledge. Gadgets powered by small coin cell batteries, equivalent to sensible residence sensor trackers, use Sidewalk to attach. Supporting built-in GPS modules for merchandise that transfer round is just not solely costly, it will probably creates problem in guaranteeing optimum battery life efficiency and longevity.

With this launch, Web of Issues (IoT) machine producers and resolution builders can construct asset monitoring and site monitoring options utilizing Sidewalk-enabled gadgets by sending Bluetooth Low Vitality (BLE), Wi-Fi, or World Navigation Satellite tv for pc System (GNSS) info to AWS IoT for location decision. They’ll then ship the resolved location knowledge to an MQTT subject or AWS IoT rule and route the info to different Amazon Internet Providers (AWS) providers, thus utilizing completely different capabilities of AWS Cloud by means of AWS IoT Core. This is able to simplify their software program improvement 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 if you use the Sidewalk community infrastructure itself to find out machine location, which eliminates the necessity for power-hungry and expensive GPS {hardware} on the machine. And, this characteristic additionally permits gadgets to effectively measure and report location knowledge from GNSS and Wi-Fi, thus extending the product battery life. Due to this fact, 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 System 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 means of improved connectivity choices. It’s designed to help a variety of buyer gadgets with capabilities starting from finding pets or valuables, to sensible residence safety and lighting management and distant diagnostics for home equipment and instruments.

Amazon Sidewalk is a safe group community that makes use of Amazon Sidewalk Gateways (additionally referred to as Sidewalk Bridges), equivalent to appropriate Amazon Echo and Ring gadgets, to supply cloud connectivity for IoT endpoint gadgets. Amazon Sidewalk permits low-bandwidth and long-range connectivity at residence 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 offers protection to greater than 90% of the US inhabitants and helps long-range related 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 group.

In March 2023, AWS IoT Core deepened its integration with Amazon Sidewalk to seamlessly provision, onboard, and monitor Sidewalk gadgets with certified {hardware} improvement 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 machine, 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 System Location service, a brand new characteristic that you should use to get the geo-coordinates of their IoT gadgets even when the machine doesn’t have a GPS module. You should use the System Location service as a easy request and response HTTP API, or you should use it with IoT connectivity pathways like MQTT, LoRaWAN, and now with Amazon Sidewalk.

Within the AWS IoT Core console, you may check the System Location service to resolve the placement of your machine by importing machine payload knowledge. Useful resource location is reported as a GeoJSON payload. To study extra, go to the AWS IoT Core System 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 System Location service to extract location-data from Sidewalk merchandise. This is able to streamline buyer software program improvement and provides them extra choices to decide on the optimum location supply, thereby bettering their product.

Get began with a System Location integration with Amazon Sidewalk
To allow System 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 machine or your current machine to edit the setting and choose Activate positioning within the Geolocation possibility when creating and updating your Sidewalk gadgets.

Whereas activating place, you might want to 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 machine:

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

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

Additionally, you will get location info 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’ll be able to monitor the System 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 System 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 associate 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:Put up for AWS IoT Core or by means of your typical AWS Assist contacts.

— Channy