Commlinks and Image Link:, Questions About Connectivity Options

[Panda Bear]

I know that you can have multiple commlinks and fake SINs. Also, I know that SINs (legal or fake) are connected to your commlink(s). I'm not sure if you can have more than one sin connected to a single commlink, but I know if you could, that would be a horrible tactical decision.

Anywho, I was wondering if you could have multiple commlinks on and connected to your image link at the same time. As well, would it be a bad idea (or is it possible) to have each commlink connected to your PAN? Or should you have a clean SIN connected to a commlink with your PAN connected to it? Or should you have a different PAN for each SIN?

[deek]

I view a SIN as a type of "profile" on your commlink. So, conceptually, you can have multiple SINs on the same commlink, just not all active at the same time. I don't know if there is a better way or not, to spread your SINs out...

I say that because a higher rated fake SIN is not contained solely on the commlink, it contains datarecords on a variety of SIN databases, so someone stealing your "active profile" on you comm, doesn't mean that you have lost your SIN. But it does give a hacker a good direction to hack those other databases and alter it...

That is at least, how I think of it. Its all just data and you protect the stuff that is important to you. If you are running with a bunch of SINs, you probably don't care and just pick up a new one the next time you get a chance.

[tehbighead]

i doubt that you could have multiple SINs "active" on your commlink simultaneously:: that would scream "HEY! IMMA CRIMINAL!" to sec systems or the star if they asked you for ID.

[kzt]

It's pretty clear that whoever wrote up that part of the book had never heard of the concept of "identity theft" or even vaguely though about what the "transmit your SIN" bit implied. Combined with the total lack of understanding on how cryptographic techniques are essential to any sort of electronic authentication process it doesn't exactly produce anything that even vaguely holds together under examination.

Essentially you can steal the SIN of some random guy walking down the street and have your comlink transmit their SIN. If they are not wanted you can do whatever you want, as there is no possible way to electronically verify that you are the real owner, or attempt to further authenticate that you look like the person with the SIN, or recognize there are 40 copies of that SIN strolling down different streets at the same time.

You may not be able to casually loot their bank account, but there isn't any way to keep you from robbing stuffer shack using their SIN on your commlink.

Does this make sense? Of course not, but the traditional Shadowrun approach of "Sell the Sizzle, not the steak" results in lots of things that don't hold together under even the most casual examination.

[Geekkake]

[Panda Bear]

Wait, does that mean that if your SIN connected to a commlink is found out, that your commlink becomes useless and you need to toss it with the fake SIN?

[kzt]

[Nocturne]

[cx2]

If SINs include biometric data as they are said to then it would be fairly safe to say they include an image of the owner too one would imagine.

I agree though trying to think in real life terms isn't always a good idea, if in doubt use your intuition and don't overcomplicate things more than you are happy with. Perhaps these sort of questions would be good to ask your GM since different people will have varying views.

[Ravor]

Well although I'm not going to get into whether or not its a good idea to do so, but yeah you can set up you PAN however you want provided that no one device goes over its subscription limit of System x2, and your standard image link has a ( Device Rating 3 ) so it can directly link up to six other devices. (However there isn't anything keeping you from daisy chaining your connections so in theory given the unlimited bandwidth of the Matrix 2.0 you should be able to have thousands of devices blasting into your image link all at once unless I've missed something.)

[kzt]

[Panda Bear]

Okay. I don't understand why commlinks are so utterly confusing to me. Guns aren't. Magic isn't. Cyberware isn't. But commlinks confuse the shit out of me.

Using an adhesive microphone, can you talk secretly between allies on a mission without your commlinks being discovered? And without spending essence, how could I control my commlink with my mind? I know there isn't a mechanical difference between switching things on and off with your brain or your hand, but there's just something cool about using your brain to do it instead.

It also says your commlink is a camcorder? Where would that go?

[Buster]

[Ravor]

Buster has the right of it, using your commlinks to transmit wirelessly to each other can be discovered and tapped into, so make fragging sure that everyone on the team has a SOTA commlink and the best Encryption Program that money can buy. (Sure encryption is a joke in the Sixth World, but for on-the-run communications it should be good enough as long as no-one mentions anything that the corp wouldn't find out anyways.)

However keep in mind that unless you use hardwire connections or adapt all your gear to use skinlink, the corp can detect and discover your PAN as well.

As for controlling your gear with your mind, you need a sim module and either a trodenet or a datajack. Personally if you are going to have cyberware anyways I'd suggest that you buy a Betagrade Datajack and load it with as much ICE as it can handle and have all your cyber set up to only talk to the datajack through internal hardwires.

However remember that I'm of the opinion that everyone should get at least 1 Essense worth of cyber/bio implanted, just because it's so fragging more useful then being "pure". :cyber:

[Panda Bear]

Well, I'm starting with 6 magic. So there's no cyberware being put into my body, no sir-ee.

Anywho, is skinlink then basically a commlink that is integrated into your body?

[bait]

SIN aren't raw data, there a hash that gets compared to multiple sources, hence why you can't simply copy or forge your own SIN.

[Ravor]

Well personally if I were you I'd start out with ( Magic 5 ) and then burn one point of Essense for a starting value of ( Magic 4 ), because I've found that buying any of your stats up to the cap with BP tends to put a squeeze on other things and for the most part ( Magic 6 ) is just overkill anyways and Cybereyes ( Rating 3 ) along with a few other choice implants really will save your hoop far more then the ability to drop ( Force 12 ) magical tac-nukes.


Still to answer your question, all skinlink does is turn your skin into a virtual wire that you can use to connect with other skinlink adapted gear. Basically it adds 50 :nuyen: to the price of every piece of equipment that you want to be able to use it and would require a Decker to actually touch you or plant a skinlink => wireless RFID tag on your body in order to hack into your PAN without first going through an open wireless connection on your commlink.

So basically everyone who is the least bit security minded and who has the extra cash should skinlink adapt almost everything that he owns, including his betagrade datajack. :cyber:

*Edit*

Also with the possible exception of a cyberware scanner, you can't detect the presence of a skinlinked PAN (With the exception of any wireless connection you have open on your commlink of course.) whereas a wireless PAN is always screaming it's presence to anyone who wants to listen.

Plus skinlink adapting a device doesn't actually remove the wireless link so if you really have to you can still turn wireless back on for whatever reason so it still leaves you with full options on the table.

*Edit 2.0*

However please don't misunderstand me, skinlink adaption is not cyberware and is not the same as a Touchlink Implant (Which is cyber, although I haven't quite figured out a mainstream use for it considering how easy it is just to simply dump simsense directly into your brain in the first place..).

[kzt]

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Buster]

It wouldn't be hard to steal someone's SIN if it's being broadcast, and the SIN watchers know that. The SIN hash itself is only a very tiny part of the security of a SIN, the datatrail around the SIN is where all the security lies. If you copied someone's SIN into your commlink and started using it, the SIN watchers would know it right away and flag you as a spoofer. That's why it's so freaking expensive to buy a forged SIN. The SIN forgers have to go to vast lengths to create a long data trail leading to the fake SIN. The section on fake SINs on page 258 is well written, it explains it better than I can.

[kzt]

Can be be more precise about exactly who are " the SIN watchers" and why they care?

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Buster]

I don't think so. The only way a person "won't need or use" his SIN anymore is if he's dead. And in that case there's going to be a death certificate and a flag on his account. Even if you secretly geeked a guy and stole his SIN, there would be systems in place that would identify a change in spending patterns and travel patterns.

[Rotbart van Dain...]

[Buster]