Ok, I've about had it with the whoooooole WiFi thing. First off, as everybody knows, wireless networks are far less secure than wired ones, despite all the precautions that one might take. Second, with the amount of information being sent wirelessly, who knows what effects it could have on people and animals? There have already been concerns about cell phone signals screwing with bee's navigations. No bees, no pollination, and things begin to get bad.

I rather liked the Matrix of the last decade, and am considering having a THIRD crash that leads to a regression back to (predominatly) wired tech.

What do you guys think? Is it just me? Would anyone be interested in working on house rules to make the Matrix wired again?

In my games, corporate security planners have not abandoned all reason. Nor have PCs and NPCs. As a player, runners on my team are intelligent in their use of wireless equipment. There is still a place for a simple FM analog transceiver., and PCs (and NPCs) recognize this. As a GM, the world in general recognizes there are times where security trumps convenience.

Similarly, security planners in my world still get their way some of the time. However convenient wireless technology is, there are secure places in my own game world where wireless is simply inappropriate. Outside connections to the matrix are hard-wired and heavily secured (both physically and virtually) or non-existant (in the case of ultra-secure facilities).

Use common sense, is my motto.

You could also assume that everyone didn't get their brain eaten and remembers how to write encryption algorithms that work. In terms of shadowrun plausibility, I'd argue that Magic returning is more likely than people cracking decent encryption in seconds with hand held computers.

In the real world there are wireless networks approved for transmitting classified data. Given that cracking a 128 bit cypher will release several megatons of waste heat I think that whoever wrote the matrix rules hasn't the foggiest clue what encryption really is, how and why it is used on computer networks and why the laws of physics make it difficult to crack.

I see no particular reason why, in a highly-secure installation, you would have exclusively wireless cameras, sensors, databases, and other sensitive peripherals. These things need wired power, so it's trivial to ratchet security up by wiring the network too. Shadowrunners will go partially-wired for best security too (skinlinks, old-school datajacks, etc.), and corp security techs aren't stupid. It gives players a chance to use other tech skills to find and patch into these wired networks as well.

The sheer convenience of wireless will mean that low-to-mid security areas will have varying ratios of wireless to wired. Because employees need to accomplish actual work, there WILL be hackable wireless nodes that can be used to get into almost any wired systems... it just might not be a cakewalk all the time, since it introduces gateways where security can be concentrated. And the REALLY hairy sites won't have any wireless access to the Good Stuff.

That said, I refuse to go back to the old SR (and old Cyberpunk) methods of carefully mapped networks, like a mini-dungeon to occupy your hacker. There might be gateway wireless nodes into the more secure wired nodes, but I don't want to return to the good old days of "Ok team, chill for an hour or so while the decker plays with the network...".

Way I've been pondering it is to assume that 15-25% of any serious security system is wireless. IMO they bought a crapload of wireless gear right off the bat to get back on their feet post-Crash2. Then they decided to keep it but put it in as a secondary role, mainly that of unpredictability.

One problem with any security system is that it costs a fortune to significantly modify it. But, if one sensor out of every 4-6 are portable, you can change your security profile relatively easily. Your fixed installation will provide your baseline coverage but the wireless supplements and acts as a wildcard.

Mom'n pop shops, stripmalls, stuffershacks, and the like will continue to rely almost exclusively on wireless just because it's cheap and doesn't require much planning; unbox it, subscribe it, screw it on the wall, set a reminder to change the batteries in three weeks.

I have posted a description of how one could securely use a ubiquitous wireless internetwork, in a manner consistent with the RAW, in other threads. However, I am posting this on my Palm TX while sitting in on a Shadowrun Missions game at my FNGS, and I've already spent five minutes just writing to this point (call it a demonstration of a low System and Response Rating). Would someone be so kind as to apply their search-fu in my place?

Incidentally, I've been thinking of making an explanatory Flash animation or something equally accessible to people who are non-technical, although some of my colleagues tell me I should patent it first.

Never mind, I'm home now.

Audio example of hacking: http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?act=...ndpost&p=524056

I'm not finding anything good describing a way to send and receive messages wirelessly in a search of all my posts, and I may just be missing it, so I'll just write that part again.

Let's say we have a message, like "Attack at dawn." For whatever reason, I don't have any encryption scheme available, so instead I'll split the message up into an arbitrary number of unintelligible segments and send them via the same number of couriers. Each courier will take a different route and deliver their segments at varying times.

Let's say I choose five segments for my message. I then number each character of my message, counting off by fives. I then have something like this:

You know, although mesh networks, ect are mentioned in RAW as being the bottom layer of the Matrix that most people interface with, you can't find anywhere stating that yes, everything in the Matrix is indeed wireless, and the only description of how the Matrix's topology actually works describes 'hardwired base stations' and local infrastruture, which in a truly ad-hoc wireless network wouldn't be needed.

So I'd say that it isn't much of a stretch if any to say that although your average wageslave interfaces with the corps network via wireless for his day job, after that bottom level most everything switches back to good old fashioned wires.

Oh and Aaron, I am perfectly and painstakingly aware that in real-life it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to set up what is supposed to be a 'wireless Matrix' the way that RAW describes it as being set up, but Shadowrun computers have never really followed the model of 'real life' anyways, the latest example being Encryption that doesn't hold up to a strong sneeze.

..you get yourself a plug with wifi build in.

Bee thing (Colony Collapse Disorder) on wikipedia.

DECT is really evil.

well there is as always a line between caution and panic...

when its war, the law is only ink on paper...