It is written somewhere (can't remember where exactly) that one of the ways to protect the various (peripheral) nodes of your PAN is to reduce their signal ratings, so that a hacker has to be in close range in order to hack them.

However, any device can function as a router:



Therefore, it is enough to carry one device (for example, the commlink) with a high enough signal rating that is not in passive or hidden mode in order for an enemy hacker to hack every device in your PAN, since that device will route any connection requests to all the nodes in the PAN. Or, in a crowded area, use the commlink of any bystander to do that. Is that correct?

EDIT: maybe one thing I didn't think of is that the hacker needs those nodes' access ID in order to do that...

Moreover, those nodes, even with an ECCM program running, will almost never resist a jamming attempt, making them even more vulnerable to enemy hackers' attempts to mess with them.

I know there are other solutions, like skinlink or wired connections. I'm just wondering if purely wireless, low signal rating devices are of any use to any serious shadowrunner.

Which is why I once proposed a set of simple to use "distance calculations" regarding wireless hacking.

Every 2 nodes required to make a jump (aside from the Hacker and the Target) would impose a -1 dice pool modifier on hacking attempts. Assume that all city provided nodes are Signal 3.

In addition every Signal 0 device would impose an additional -1 dice pool modifier (including Hacker and Target).

This only comes up when the hacker isn't inside the target's signal radius (assuming the hacker has a better signal), which is pretty uncommon. The second part would be even rarer and only apply during Jamming or when hacking cyberware.

So "hacking from the van 3 miles away" suddenly becomes not quite as viable. You could still do it, but at a slightly greater risk (as the system isn't penalized, as its not attempting to connect to the hacker's node, merely analyze the incoming connection, etc). It also makes hacking cyberware an even less* viable option (because it should be a dumb idea).

*Instead of being "one of the least effective things you can do in combat" it becomes "pointless to do in combat" as it should be. Seriously, even a low skill, average agility human can take a shot at a guy, reducing his dodge pool, possibly even hitting if the guy has no more dodge. Hacking cyber mid combat is not supposed to be "stop punching yourself *5 boxes stun* stop punching yourself *8 boxes physical*" which means the cybersam doesn't have to be fucking paranoid about his own legs.

One thing I didn't think about is that you can only detect nodes that are in mutual signal range. If you want to reach any other node on the Matrix, you need its access ID, so that the intermediate nodes know where to route the signal to. And I doubt that streetsam arm's access ID is available anywhere, so hacking it without being in its signal range is not possible. Unless, of course, you hack another node that is in its signal range.

Found my original post.

And you do make a good point. Likely its one most people forget.

The other thing is that it only works as a router if it is in active mode. A hidden mode item will not act as a router so you cannot bounce off the enemy's hidden PAN (and I run all my stuff in hidden mode, since they are all subscribed to my commlink).