Building Track and Trace applications using AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk

Introduction

As the need for real-time information gains momentum in the industry, so does the need for ubiquitous connectivity. Use cases, such as asset tracking, connected operations, and safety need reliable and continuous connectivity. Traditional solutions that rely on cellular connectivity can be expensive, higher power consuming, inflexible and can lower customer profitability due to high operational spend. On the other hand, wi-fi connectivity offers limited range and is not practical for real world transportation and logistics applications. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that supports long range, encrypted, and low-cost connectivity. Amazon Sidewalk is one answer to this need and offers a new pathway for cost-effective and ubiquitous connectivity, empowering businesses to optimize operations, deliver superior customer service, and drive continued profitability. This innovative community network empowers connected devices to communicate without expensive cellular contracts or hardware. Amazon Sidewalk is currently available in the United States and provides coverage across approximately 90% of the United States population. It offers widespread coverage across last mile, metro, city, state, and national routes. This blog will give a high level understanding of what Amazon Sidewalk is and how it works with AWS IoT Core to connect compatible IoT devices and display their locations on a map using Amazon Location Service.

Primary Services Used

Amazon Sidewalk offers low-power, long-range connectivity through a distributed community-sourced network. It operates using a multi-tier system consisting of:

1. Gateways (Amazon Echo and Ring devices) form the network backbone, allowing end devices to connect.
2. Endpoints (asset trackers, smart meters, sensors) connect to gateways, transmitting low-bandwidth data.
3. Amazon Sidewalk Network Server – the central cloud server handles device authorization, data routing, and network synchronization for all Amazon Sidewalk endpoints and gateways.
4. Application Services hosted in individual AWS accounts through the AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk integration to implement application logic, providing a serverless experience to AWS  customers.

Figure 1 – Amazon Sidewalk asset tracker services and data flows

AWS IoT Core enables secure and efficient device connectivity to cloud applications, supporting various protocols like MQTT, HTTP, LoRaWAN, and Amazon Sidewalk. Its integration with Amazon Sidewalk (AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk) simplifies provisioning, onboarding, and monitoring of Amazon Sidewalk devices. Additionally, IoT Core Device Location feature resolves device location without GPS hardware, making it suitable for asset tracking applications.

Amazon Location Service provides tracking features and maps for visualizing location data, sourced from global providers like ESRI and HERE. Its Places and Geocoding features enable point-of-interest search, address-to-coordinates conversion, and reverse Geo-coding. The Asset Tracking and Geofencing capabilities retrieve current and historical device locations and trigger alerts for Geo-fencing breaches.

Amazon Sidewalk Walk-through

Amazon Sidewalk enables low-power, non-IP devices to exchange messages with the AWS cloud through AWS IoT Core and is only activated for gateways located in the USA at the time of writing this article. Endpoint devices can use one of the following radio types to connect to the network:

1. Bluetooth Low Energy (2.4GHz – BLE) – suits ‘in-home’ use cases as it has the shortest range (tens of meters) but provides the fastest Amazon Sidewalk transport using the a 1Mbps PHY with a maximum message payload size of 255 bytes.
2. Frequency Shift Keying (Sub GHz – FSK) – suits ‘beyond the front door’ use cases as it supports medium range (up tens to low hundreds of meters) and provides medium Amazon Sidewalk transport rates using a 50kbps PHY with a maximum message payload size of 250 bytes.
3. Chirp Spread Spectrum AKA LoRa (Sub GHz – CSS) – suits ‘beyond the fence’ use as it offers the longest range (hundreds of meters), but provides lowest Amazon Sidewalk transport rates using a 2kbps PHY with a maximum message payload size of 19 bytes.

These radios enable a wide range of IoT applications, including sensors and location trackers supporting variety of use cases in and around the home and community.

Amazon Sidewalk requires device onboarding and registration before connecting to the network. This can happen automatically through Amazon Sidewalk Frustration Free Networking (FFN) or manually. Automatic onboarding involves exchanging certificates and keys, requiring Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) for the initial data exchange. Devices can use BLE, FSK, or a combination with LoRa, but not LoRa alone for automatic onboarding. The Amazon Sidewalk SDK handles radio switching during onboarding and allowing developers to control which radio is used for uplinks when multiple radios are present.

No pairing needed and roaming by default
Amazon Sidewalk simplifies the development of low-power, mobile IoT solutions by enabling seamless connectivity for devices. Devices on the network are treated as roaming by default, eliminating the need for pairing with specific gateways. This innate support for mobility allows devices to connect while moving through areas with different gateways, making Amazon Sidewalk well-suited for asset tracking and other dynamic use cases. By handling complex back-end functions like multi-gateway routing, Amazon Sidewalk reduces barriers to building innovative mobile IoT solutions, allowing you to focus on your device’s core functionality.

Architecture for Asset Tracking with Amazon Sidewalk

Figure 2 – Amazon Sidewalk asset tracker detailed architecture

Data Processing Flows for Amazon Sidewalk Asset Tracker

1. Ingest – Asset tracking devices gather location-specific signal data such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) NAV messages or Wi-Fi access point (AP) MAC addresses and RSSI(Received Signal Strength Indicator) then form payloads that are transported over the Amazon Sidewalk network. Note: The Amazon Sidewalk network does not provide location of connected endpoints, so it is used for transport of asset tracker data only. Any location specific signals that could be received by the device could be used in the payload to determine the geo-location of the device as long as they can be resolved in the cloud. The payloads are ingested into the AWS IoT Core based on the device profile and configured destination in AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk.  See the Provisioning section below for a more concise description of how device provisioning ties the devices and message routing to a specific AWS account.
2. Decode – Amazon Sidewalk payloads received by AWS IoT Core are base-64 encoded binary messages. To extract the location payload data for further operation, these messages must be decoded. In this architecture, we use a Lambda function triggered by incoming messages to decode and extract the location-specific data. The Amazon Sidewalk protocol has a maximum message payload of 19 bytes over the LoRa/CSS radio type. Any application payload exceeding this limit must be fragmented by the device application and transmitted over multiple messages. WiFi location payloads with only one or two MAC addresses can fit in a single Sidewalk message. However, payloads with GNSS NAV messages (approximately 50-70 bytes) or a larger number of WiFi MAC addresses require fragmentation and de-fragmentation. The Decode Lambda function stores decoded fragments in a cache implemented in an Amazon DynamoDB table if the device sends a fragmented payload. The de-fragmentation Lambda function monitors the DynamoDB stream for end fragments and then reassembles these larger payloads.
3. Resolve Geo-Location – Once a complete location payload is decoded and de-fragmented, the Lambda function resolves the Geo-location (Latitude/Longitude) of the device using the AWS IoT Core Device Location resolver (GNSS, Wi-Fi, Internet Protocol, or Cellular) API. The resolved Geo-location of the device is then published by the Lambda function to a MQTT topic used by the Amazon Location Service architecture. Additionally, the Lambda function can store the resolved location in Amazon DynamoDB or Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) along with the timestamp.
4. Track – Tracking of the devices is accomplished using Amazon Location Service and the architecture pattern presented in the AWS Solutions Library.  This pattern uses a MQTT topic to receive the resolved Geo-location in a normalized fashion that is then passed to a tracker resource in Amazon Location Service via a Lambda function and Amazon EventBridge. This approach enables location tracking to be accomplished for a heterogeneous fleet of trackers through different data transport and location types: IP based, Amazon Sidewalk, LoRaWAN, and more. Once the location data is provided to the tracker in Amazon Location Service, advanced functions, such as Geo-fencing and asset proximity can be used along with live and historic tracking.
5. Visualize – Finally, visualization of the devices is accomplished using a web application hosted with AWS Amplify and Amazon Cloudfront along with maps from partners in Amazon Location Service.

For detailed deployment steps and the full-stack application represented in Figure 2, please refer to the following workshop content: Asset tracking using location-based services and Amazon Sidewalk

Device Selection

Hardware compatible with the Amazon Sidewalk is available through silicon partners and original equipment manufacturers who have completed qualification of finished devices, hardware development kits, and supporting software through the Works with Amazon Sidewalk qualification program. When selecting hardware for asset tracking with Amazon Sidewalk, consider the following factors:

1. Radios: Devices should have BLE and/or FSK along with a LoRa radio. BLE or FSK is required for onboarding and registration. BLE could potentially be used for mobile phone interaction.  LoRa enables the long-range communication.
2. Location Sensing: Incorporate GNSS, GPS, wi-fi, or other location sensing technologies with compatible resolvers for AWS IoT Core Device Location
3. Power: Ensure the hardware can operate on battery power for mobile use cases.

The AWS device catalog and Amazon Sidewalk hardware development kit listings provide a good reference to find qualified silicon partners and OEMs. These resources can guide you in either building or purchasing finished devices compatible with the Amazon Sidewalk network.

Figure 3 – AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk device provisioning and onboarding

Amazon Sidewalk device provisioning starts with the creation of a wireless device profile in your AWS IoT Core account. A wireless device destination is also created that is associated with the device profile that determines the routing of uplink messages to either an AWS IoT Core rule or MQTT message published to the broker. Device certificates and identity are created with the wireless device profile using tooling available from the Amazon Sidewalk team. These provisioning tools will generate binary images of the device identities that are injected into the devices at time of manufacturing, private keys are now generated on device and never leave the device. Once the devices power up for the first time, automatic registration and onboarding to the network is performed using Amazon Frustration Free Networking technology. Once the Amazon Sidewalk stack on the device completes registration and onboarding, messages can then be sent across the network and will be received by AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk for further processing.

Location tracking use cases

Pet and consumer asset tracking – This technology is well suited for consumer application such as the tracking of pets and valuable consumer assets like bicycles, luggage, or expensive electronics. By incorporating devices capable of location sensing and Amazon Sidewalk connectivity in these items, owners can monitor their real-time location and receive alerts if they move outside a designated area. This can provide peace of mind and help recover lost or stolen items.

Rental equipment tracking – For businesses renting out equipment such as construction tools, medical devices, or outdoor gear, location tracking is crucial for inventory management and asset recovery. By embedding Amazon Sidewalk enabled tracking technology directly into the rental equipment, companies can leverage low-cost, ubiquitous connectivity to track the location of their assets without the need for separate tracking devices. This integration ensures equipment is returned on time, prevents loss or theft, and reduces replacement costs, improving operational efficiency.

Automotive tracking – In the automotive industry, location tracking that leverages Amazon Sidewalk or other public LPWANs(Low Power Wide Area network) can be directly integrated into existing telemetry modules used for fleet management. This enables fleet operators to reduce their operating costs to monitor the real-time location of their vehicles and optimizing routes. Usage-based insurance providers could also leverage this embedded location data to accurately calculate premiums based on driving behavior and mileage, without the need for aftermarket tracking devices.

Conclusion

In this blog post, you learned how track and trace applications can be built using Amazon Sidewalk, AWS IoT Core, and Amazon Location Services. This allows you to use Amazon’s long-range, low-power community network to connect IoT devices like asset trackers. By integrating with AWS IoT Core and Amazon Location Service, you can provision and onboard Amazon Sidewalk devices, monitor their location events, and visualize device positions on maps. This serverless solution applies AWS’s well-architected principles to optimize connectivity costs while enabling ubiquitous coverage across homes, businesses, transportation routes, and more. While focused on tracking use cases, the solution can be scaled to broader logistics, transportation, and supply chain management use cases, empowering businesses to optimize operations, enhance customer service, and drive profitability. Learn more about Amazon Sidewalk, AWS IoT Core and Amazon Location Service. Here is a sample Amazon Sidewalk application to get started. If you would like to educate yourself here is a step by step workshop you can follow.

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