Please read if you have Alexa or Ring devices on your White Cloud service.
Amazon is enabling many of their devices such as the Echo’s and Ring devices, to share the internet service you’re paying for with anyone who wants to use it using a feature they call “Sidewalk”. There are many reasons this is a bad idea, especially from a security perspective.
- First and foremost, it’s security. Sidewalk enables access to your network inside your firewall, bypassing its security features. With this feature enabled, ANYONE can get on your WiFi connection and potentially obtain access to 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.
- Second, you lose control over your internet experience. When someone outside your home is using your internet connection, that means the signal is is being used outside your home, which can slow down your connection due to the signal strength of those devices connect. Also, if these users are using bandwidth, that means they are using bandwidth your devices need to stream, work, learn, and so on.
- Third, it’s against our terms of service. As a White Cloud customer, you’ are not allowed to share your internet connection beyond the address where it is installed. This is to prevent “theft of service” where someone who should be paying for their own asks a neighbor for a “favor’ by asking for their wifi passwords so they can use their internet. This may seem like no big deal, but this stuff we sell doesn’t come to us for free. We want to be able to keep our service affordable and reliable. If a neighbor uses your internet, they aren’t paying us 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 that!
As you can see, the Sidewalk service allows Amazon to steal internet from you and ultimately from us, and give it to someone who isn’t paying for it, leaving you open to security issues.
To turn off the sidewalk services here’s what you can do:
Instructions for Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Open More and select Settings.
- Select Account Settings.
- Select Amazon Sidewalk.
- Turn Amazon Sidewalk Off for your account.
Instructions for Alexa app:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Go to Control Center by tapping the three-lined icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
- Select Sidewalk and use the toggle icon to opt out
- It will ask you to confirm you opt-out.
If you have any issues or questions please email our support team at support@wcloudus.com or give us a call and we will be happy to assist.