I think I have a handle on AR, it's a overlay on the physical world. You use your commlink to Scan for nodes around you and interact with them. If you are within range of a Node's Signal, you will become aware of it unless it's Hidden and that takes more time. So, if I wanted to find Nodes farther away, I would need to physically get my commlink closer to them, specifically, within that Node's Signal range. Fine.

The part that confuses me is, if I switch to VR I am no longer physically moving (nor is my commlink) so how can I detect new Nodes as I virtually move through cyberspace? Wouldn't I be limited to only the Nodes Signal ratings I am able to intially reach?

I understand sytems/Nodes will send data to my Persona so I can interpret what I see (Nodes, Systems, Icon, etc.), but what about Hidden Nodes that are part of the System I want to explore? How does a Scan program work in VR and how can I "see" new nodes (out of my physical commlink range) in VR if I physically am not within their Signal range?

In an earlier thread about tracking RFID's someone raised the assertion about using devices linked through the Matrix to search for the RFID.

Unless I am missing something here, it sounds like that's exactly how VR is working else how would you be able to locate Hidden nodes in the VR world?

Can someone please help me with this?

Thanks!

~GTT

The Node your persona is in can scan for active nodes within it's physical range.

The way I understand it you are basically bouncing off of the other nodes. You are using your devices signal to reach a particular node, and then you use that nodes signal to bounce to another and so on. I could be wrong, but that is my way of looking at it.

i would hazard a guess that a VR scan is done with data search, not electronic warfare.

in the end its one of the confusing bits about the new matrix. the AR bit is very local and physical, but the VR bit still seems to think of the matrix as one gobal digital sea.

The node should be presenting as part of it's own view of itself the positions of what it thinks the nearby nodes are. So a browse or data search as alreadysuggested seems reasonable. Analyzing the icons within the node should work to.

Once you connect to the matrix for AR/VR forget about "range". Your comm range is now irrelevant as you are sliding from node to node using other signals.

I think to detect hidden nodes that are connected to a node your in you just decrypt the dataflow and then run a scan program.

Scan: scan is used for detecting wireless nodes (related skill electronic warfare)

Sniffer: is used to intercept data traffic and wireless signals to scan/capture (related skill hack/electronic war)

Sniffing is mainly for intercepting traffic to scan or capture the information. I guess that would include a hidden nodes location/address.

Scan sounds like you can bypass a sniff test and just find the node.

I dont know the right answer.

to use my logical/physical layer seperation, sniffer is logical, scan is physcial, other then that they more or less do the same jobb by the looks of it.

AR and VR are the same, except that VR is faster, and you can't see real life and walk around while in VR.

glad you like it.

as for browse vs sniffer with data search, i would say that browse looks for static data (ie files, addresses, anything that you can stuff into a database and look up later), while sniffer is for searching thru data gathered on the fly (like say finding that comlink to comlink call thats going on "right now").