So this has came up in my game and I looked through the SR4 book and didn't see anything that directly applied. In SR3 the Locate Slave system test was specifically targeted at finding devices within a host.

Update to SR4 and now all devices have a wireless signal and are, thus, a node. But, much like a character's PAN, I don't think that the average security camera would be configured to allow "public" access. Instead, they'd be configured with a very small signal rating (or a wired connection) to a specific node which would analyze or store the data as necessary.

So, what's the SR4 equivalent of SR3's locate slave? I've been running it as a Data Search test (+ Browse if you're looking for the stored data as normal or + Scan if you're looking for the device providing that data) or an Electronic Warfare + Scan (Detect Wireless Node) if you're trying to access a device directly. Doesn't seem quite right, to me, though, perhaps just because I wish there were a specific action to locate the devices subscribed to a node.

Any thoughts or should I just stop being so self-critical

If you have hacked into a node, with the correct rights (Admin should do ) you can simply read out the subscription list (with browse, that is) . It should contain any info on the nodes connected to the node you're on.

then the next question becomes, do one have to hack every camera's node individualy or can one control them all from their "mother-node"?

You should be able to use a command device action from the parent host.

You wouldn't need Admin if you can find the passcode for the security guard in charge of watching the camera.

Wouldn't that imply that you could use security access rather than admin, if the sec. guards access the camera feeds?

Here's how we do it:

A device is any particular computerized object, including cameras, imagelink goggles, cyberarms, whatever.

A node is a commlink and any devices that have been subscribed to or associated with that commlink. So a low-end apartment would have a commlink that has subscribed to it the refrigerator, microwave, front door, trid, HVAC, security, etc.

When it comes to deciding whether a particular device is part of its own node or part of another node, consider how important it is (bringing the chances of it having its own commlink up) and how much money the owner is willing to put into it (bringing the chances down).

Most device ratings are low (like 1 for a cyberarm), so it makes more sense, security-wise, to subscribe devices to a commlink, for the Firewall if nothing else. Of course, that may lower the commlink's Response ...