Hiding your cyberdeck, Is it possible? Options

[KCKitsune]

OK, quick stupid question. Say you're a hacker and you have your cyberdeck as a piece of cyberware (in a cyber limb because let's be honest, with the bricking rules, I wouldn't want a cyberdeck in my head), can you run the Deck in a mode to make it look like a regular commlink?

I mean even a top rank deck is only Device rating 6, so it should be easy to camouflage the fact you have a deck.

[Jack_Spade]

Certainly.
Just run the wrapper program to make it look like whatever you want.
Or run silent like you should do anyway and have a normal link running as a decoy.

[SpellBinder]

Don't even run silent; keep the wireless off entirely until you need it, using Wrapper to disguise the icon if you want. When you're done, reboot and kill the wireless again.

[Mantis]

Sounds like discussions we had back with 1st through 3rd ed. Yeah having to hide you multi thousand nuyen deck sure was fun. Nothing like having one piece of irreplaceable gear which, if stolen or confiscated or whatever completely cripples your character. Good times.

[SpellBinder]

Sounds like discussions we had back with 1st through 3rd ed. Yeah having to hide you multi thousand nuyen deck sure was fun. Nothing like having one piece of irreplaceable gear which, if stolen or confiscated or whatever completely cripples your character. Good times.

Just checked one of my main characters in a line of SR4 fiction I've been writing, his implanted commlink is worth 1,903,950¥. Too bad he'll be losing out once converted to SR5 since a Fairlight Paladin isn't worth as much.

[KCKitsune]

Certainly.
Just run the wrapper program to make it look like whatever you want.
Or run silent like you should do anyway and have a normal link running as a decoy.

Wrapper seems so half-assed it's not even funny. I should be able to perfectly camouflage my deck. It runs just like a commlink when you're not running hacking programs.

[Mantis]

Just checked one of my main characters in a line of SR4 fiction I've been writing, his implanted commlink is worth 1,903,950¥. Too bad he'll be losing out once converted to SR5 since a Fairlight Paladin isn't worth as much.

Heh. I'd forgotten the implanted decks were almost an order of magnitude more expensive. Of course they were pretty hard to steal and usually if someone did get it from you, you were in no condition to complain. Or move. Or even breathe really.
The Fairlight Paladin seems much like the old Excaliburs, a status symbol more than something you actually use. Especially with the pathetically low payouts most of the adventures have. If you did earn that much you'd be better off just retiring than buying one of those decks.

[PraetorGradivus]

Wrapper seems so half-assed it's not even funny. I should be able to perfectly camouflage my deck. It runs just like a commlink when you're not running hacking programs.

Except it's not a commlink.
And the powers that be don't want you to walk around with a hidden deck.
Hence, you have to resort to running an illegal program to mask its true icon.

And while it's off, nothing distinguishes it in a scanner from any other electronics in your arm.
So unless a cyber-technician is handy and opens up your arm- it's hidden.

So I'm with the group that says use and Blue Defender for all your commlink needs until you actually need to do the stuff deckers do.