=Everyday Mesh Mechanics= 
Everyone (and everything) is meshed in Eclipse Phase. The following rules and concerns apply to standard mesh use. Note that various mesh-related terms are explained, along with other Eclipse Phase concepts, in the [[Glossary]].
==Mesh Interface== 
Characters have a choice of which interface to use, the entoptic interface of basic mesh inserts or the haptic interface of an ecto.
The basic mesh inserts used by most users allows them to interact with AR, VR, XP, and the mesh at the speed of thought. This is the default method of mesh use and suffers no modifiers. They are, however, more prone to visual and operative impairments (virtual illusions, denial-of-service effects) when hacked. Characters who use the haptic interface of an ecto, however, suffer a slight delay on their mesh activities due to manual toggling, physical controls, and physical interaction with virtual controls. In game terms, the use of haptics imposes a –10 skill modifier to all mesh tests where timing is rushed (particularly combat and or any sort of mesh use under pressure). Additionally, increase the timeframe for mesh-based Task Actions by +25% when interfacing via haptics. On the positive side, ectos can be easily removed and discarded if compromised—for this reason, many hackers and security-conscious users use an ecto in addition to their mesh inserts, routing all high-risk traffic through the ecto as an extra line of defense.
===Sidebar: Elite Exploits=== 
The mesh gear quality rules allow for players and gamemasters to make a distinction between software tools, separating the open-source, stock-repertoire exploit tools of amateur hackers from cutting-edge military-grade penetration wares. While many characters will simply buy or otherwise acquire such programs, a hacker with the do-it-yourself ethic is likely going to want to design their own personalized applications, based on their playbook of closely-guarded intrusion/counterintrusion methods.
To reﬂect the efforts a hacker character makes by designing, coding, and modifying their own customized personal arsenals, they may make a Task Action [[Programming]] Test with timeframe of 2 weeks. If they succeed, they upgrade one of their software tools by one level of quality (i.e., from +0 to +10). Multiple Programming Tests can be made to enhance a program, but for each level add the target modiﬁer as a negative modiﬁer to the test (so upgrading a +0 suite to +10 is a –10 modiﬁer on the Programming Test).
Similarly, at the gamemaster’s discretion, software tools—particularly exploits—may degrade in quality over time, reﬂecting that they have become outdated. As a general rule, such programs should degrade in quality about once every 3 months.
==Mesh ID== 
Every mesh user (and, in fact, every device) has a unique code called their mesh ID. This ID distinguishes them from all other users and devices, and is the mechanism by which others can find them online, like a combination phone number, email address, and screen name. Mesh IDs are used in almost all online interactions, which are often logged, meaning that your activities online leave a datatrail that can be tracked. Fortunately for Firewall sentinels and others who value their privacy, there are ways around this (see Privacy and Anonymity). AIs, AGIs, and infomorphs also each have their own unique mesh ID.
==Accounts and Access Privileges== 
Devices, networks (such as PANs, VPNs, and hardwired networks), and services require that every user that accesses them does so with an account. The account serves to identify that particular user, is linked to their mesh ID, and determines what access privileges they have on that system. There are four types of accounts: //public, user, security, and admin.//
===Public Accounts=== 
Public accounts are used for systems that allow access (or access to parts of their system) to anyone on the mesh. Public accounts do not require any sort of authentication or login process, the user’s mesh ID is enough. These accounts are used to provide access to any sort of data that is considered public: mesh sites, forums, public archives, open databases, social network profiles, etc. Public accounts usually have the ability to read and download data, and sometimes to write data (forum comments, for example), but little else.
===User Accounts=== 
User accounts are the most common accounts. User accounts require some form of authentication to access the device, network, or service. Each user account has specific access privileges allotted to it, which are tasks the user is allowed to perform on that system. For example, most users are allowed to upload and download data, change basic content, and use the standard features of the system in question. They are not, however, usually allowed to alter security features, add new accounts, or do anything that might impact the security or functioning of the system. As some systems are more restrictive than others, the gamemaster decides what privileges each user account provides.
===Security Accounts=== 
Security accounts are intended for users that need greater rights and privileges than standard users, but who don’t need control over the entire system, such as security hackers and muses. Security access rights usually allow for reading logs, commanding security features, adding/deleting accounts, altering the data of other users, and so on.
===Admin Accounts=== 
Admin accounts provide complete control over the system. Characters with admin rights can do every- thing security accounts can, plus they can shut down/reboot the system, alter access rights of other users, view and edit all log files and statistics, and stop or start any software available on the system.
==Mesh Gear Quality== 
Not all gear is created equal, and this is especially true of computers and software, where new innovations are made on a daily basis. Keeping up-to-date with the last specs isn't too difficult, but on occasion the characters will get their hands on some old relic or find themselves in secluded or decrepit places with local systems and gear that aren’t up to date. Likewise, they may acquire some cutting-edge gear straight from the labs or may run up against a state-of-the-art installation with next-generation defenses. To reflect this, mesh tests can be modified according to the state of the hardware or software being used, as noted on the Mesh Gear Modifiers table.
||||~ Mesh Gear Modifiers ||
|| **Modifier** || **Software / Hardware** ||
|| -30 || Bashed-up devices, no-longer-supported software, relics from Earth or the early expansion into space ||
|| -20 || Malfunctioning/inferior devices, buggy software, pre-Fall technology ||
|| -10 || Outdated and low quality systems ||
|| 0 || Standard ectos, mesh inserts, and software ||
|| +10 || High-quality goods, standard security-grade products ||
|| +20 || Next-generation devices, advanced software ||
|| +30 || Newly-developed, state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line technology ||
|| >+30 || TITANs and/or alien technology ||

==Computer Capabilities== 
Computerized electronics can be broken down into three simple categories: peripherals, personal computers, and servers. In game terms, all are collectively referred to as devices.
===Peripherals=== 
Peripherals are micro-computerized devices that don’t need the full processing power and storage capacity of a personal computer, but benefit from online networking and other computerized functions. Peripherals may run software, but the gamemaster may decide that too many programs (10+) will degrade the system’s performance. AIs and infomorphs are incapable of running on peripherals, though they may access them. Peripherals only have public and user accounts (users accounts include security and admin functions).
Common peripherals include: spimes, appliances, most cybernetic implants, individual sensors, and weapons.
===Personal Computers=== 
Personal computers account for a wide range of computer types, but essentially account for anything that has the capabilities evolved from generations and generations of personal computers to meet an everyday user’s needs. Most personal computers are portable and tailored for use by multiple users at a time. Personal computers may run one AI or infomorph at a time. They may not run simulspace programs. Common personal computers include: mesh inserts, ectos, and vehicles.
===Servers=== 
Servers have much greater processing power and data management capabilities than personal computers. They are capable of handling hundreds of users, multiple AIs and infomorphs, and they may run simulspace programs. Though few are portable, some of them come close.
==Software== 
A wide manner of software is available for mesh users, from firewalls and AIs to hacking and encryption tools to tacnets and skillsofts. These programs are listed on of the Gear chapter. Like other gear, software may enable a character to perform a task they could not otherwise. The quality of the software may also be a factor, applying a modi er as appropriate (see Mesh Gear Quality, above).
Some software is equipped with digital restrictions to prevent it from being copied and shared with others. These restrictions may be defeated, but it is a time-consuming task, requiring a Task Action Programming Test with a timeframe of 2 months. Thanks to the efforts of the open source movement and numerous individual software pirates, however, quite a bit of software is available free or online. The availability of pirated software or freeware will depend on the local habitat and legalities. Finding it may be a matter of a simple search, or it may require some use of reputation to find someone who has it. Usually there is at least one local crime syndicate that is willing to help you out—for a price.
===Software Compatibility=== 
In most instances, software compatibility is not going to be an issue for characters. Gamemasters who like it as a plot device, however, can introduce compatibility problems in certain cases, whether this is done to increase drama, slow the characters down, or create obstacles that they must overcome. Such incompatibilities are more likely to arise when dealing with outdated systems or devices, or at least ones that are unlikely to have the latest patches and software updates. Incompatibilities can also be used as a drawback to acquiring software from untrustworthy sources.
Conflicting software issues are going to have one of two effects. Either the software will simply not work with certain devices, or it will inflict a –10 to –30 modifier due to instabilities and glitches. If the gamemaster allows it, a character may reduce this penalty by patching up the software, requiring a successful Programming Task Action (1 day). For every 10 points of MoS, reduce the incompatibility modifier by 10.
==Traffic Filters and Mist== 
Mesh networks and AR are overrun with yottabytes of information. Though mesh inserts and ectos can deal with a lot of data traffic in terms of bandwidth and processing power, using filters to weed out unwanted traffic is quite simply a necessity. This is especially true of AR, where unwanted entoptics can clutter your vision and distract you. Nevertheless, entoptic spam of many flavors—advertisements, political screeds, porn, scams—do their best to bypass these filters, and in many areas the amount of unfiltered entoptics can be
overwhelming—a phenomenon colloquially referred to as “mist.”
At the gamemaster’s discretion, mist can interfere with a user’s sensory perceptions. This modifier can range from –10 to –30, and in some cases might be so distracting as to affect all of a character’s actions. To lift the data fog, a character or muse must adjust their filter settings by succeeding in an [[Interfacing]] Test modified by the mist modifier. Alternately, the character can completely disable AR input, but this is likely to impede them in other ways.
==Slaving Devices== 
For ease of use, as well as for privacy and security purposes, one or more devices may be slaved to each other. One device (usually the character’s mesh inserts or ecto) takes the role of master, while the other device(s) takes the role of slave. All traffic to and from slaved devices is routed through the master. This allows a slaved device to rely on the master’s security features and active monitoring. Anyone that wants to connect to or hacked into a slaved device is rerouted to the master for authentication and security scrutiny. Slaved devices automatically accept commands from their master device. This means that a hacker who penetrates a master system can legitimately access and issue commands to a slaved device, assuming their access privileges allow for it.
PANs are typically formed by slaving all of a character’s devices to their ecto or mesh inserts. Similarly, individual components of a security system (doors, sensors, etc.) are usually slaved to a central security node that serves as a chokepoint for anyone hoping to hack the system. The same is often true for other networks and facilities.
==Issuing Commands== 
Characters may issue commands to any slaved device or teleoperated bot (see [[Action and Combat Complications#x-Collisions-Shell%20Remote%20Control|Shell Remote Control]]) with a Quick Action. Each command counts separately, unless the character is issuing the same command to multiple devices/drones.
==Distance Lag== 
Anytime you extend your communications over great distances, you run into the risk of time lags. Most communications are restricted to “local” for this reason, which generally means your local habitat and any others within 50,000 kilometers. On planetary bodies like [[Mars]], [[Venus]], [[Luna]], or [[Titan]], “local” encompasses all of the habitats and linked mesh networks on that planetary body.
If a character is searching the mesh beyond their local area, the most efficient way is to transmit a search AI (usually a copy of your muse) or a fork to the nonlocal area, which will then run its search and return completed results. This process does, however, add to the time of transmission to the timeframe (i.e., searching the mesh of a station 10 light-minutes away adds 20 minutes to the search as the search is transmitted over and the results are transmitted back). Since long-distance communications are sometimes interfered with or bumped for higher-priority items, the gamemaster can increase this time at their discretion. If the research involves correlation and fine-tuning the search parameters based on data accumulated from different locals, the timeframe may be exponentially increased due to the need for back-and-forth interaction.
If the character is simply communicating with or accessing non-local networks, an appropriate time lag must be introduced between communications and actions. The effects of this lag are largely up to the gamemaster, as fitting current distances and other factors.
==Accessing Multiple Devices== 
Meshed characters may connect to and interact with numerous devices, networks, and services simultaneously. There is no penalty for doing this, but the character may only focus on one system at a time. In other words, you may only interact with one system at a time, though you may also switch between them freely, even within the same Action Phase. You could, for example, spend several Quick Actions to send a message with your ecto, tell your spime oven at home to start cooking dinner, and look up a friend’s updated profile on a social network. You may not, however, hack into two separate systems simultaneously. Note that you may send the same command to multiple slaved devices or teleoperated drones with the same Quick Action, as noted above.

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