Editing Communications (section)

= Communications =
The oldest and most widespread communications technology still in regular use is radio. Every habitat and world inhabited by transhumanity is awash in radio traffic, with humans, machines, and uplifts all constantly communicating with one another. The smallest radios are no larger than a spec of dust and have a range of no more than 20 meters, while the largest are the size of a truck and have a range of many thousands of miles. Radios large and small are ubiquitous and almost all devices contain at least short-range radios so they may interact with the mesh. Most morphs are equipped with basic mesh inserts that include an implanted radio.

'''Fiberoptic Cable:''' Fiberoptic cables are used to establish wired connections between two devices. Given the ubiquity of radios and the tangled mess wires cause, they are typically only used for privacy (unlike radio communication, fiberoptic signals may not be intercepted) or in areas with heavy radio interference. '''[Trivial]'''

'''Laser/Microwave Link:''' These portable devices are used to establish a tight-beam, line-of-sight communications channel with another laser or microwave link. The range of these transceivers varies widely with environmental factors, but approximates 50 kilometers in atmosphere and 500 kilometers in space (though horizon limits must be kept in mind, being 5 kilometers at ground level on Earth and less on smaller bodies). Lasers are subject to interference from fog, dirt, smoke, and similar visual chaff, while microwaves may be hindered by metallic obstructions. These links may only be intercepted by getting directly in between the beams. Some teams carry a micro version of this system, worn on their person, allowing line of sight intra-team communications that cannot be intercepted like radio. '''[Moderate]'''

'''Radio Booster:''' This device boosts the range and sensitivity of short-range radios, like those from implants, ectos, or microbugs. The booster must be with the shorter-ranged device’s range (or directly linked via fiberoptic cable). It will repeat any transmissions received from that device, but at its extended range of 25 kilometers in urban areas (250 kilometers remote areas). Broadcasts from a radio booster are easy to receive by anyone looking for broadcasts, though transmissions may be stealthed. Boosters are commonly used by characters traveling far from habitats or other civilized regions. '''[Low]'''

== Neutrino Communicators ==
Neutrinos are particles that can pass through any solid matter with ease and are impossible to block. As a result, they make an ideal medium for communications. Unfortunately, they are also easy to intercept. Even a tight beam of neutrinos sent between two locations can be intercepted simply by placing another receiver behind the location the broadcaster is sending to. Neutrino communicators require a large power plant to power the high energy particle interactions required to generate the neutrino broadcast. Neutrino receivers are also relatively large, with the smallest occupying 100 cubic meters. In most cases, neutrino communicators are designed to broadcast neutrinos in all directions, though tight-beam transmissions are also possible. Quite often neutrino communications take advantage of quantum farcasting for security.
'''Neutrino Transceiver:''' This transceiver is capable of generating and receiving neutrino signals at a range of at least 100 astronomical units. It is large, with a size of 8 cubic meters (in a cube 2 meters on a side), but they can be loaded onto large vehicles. To function, it must be connected to a large power plant, such as one found in habitats or large spacecraft. The cost and size of this device includes the computer necessary for quantum farcasting. '''[Expensive]'''

== Quantum Farcasters ==
Quantum farcasters are special computers designed to protect a communications channel (such as fiberoptic, radio, laser/microwave, or neutrino) with unbreakable encryption. To function, two or more quantum farcaster computers must first be entangled together (on a quantum level) in the same physical location. The farcasters may then be separated, at which point they may continue to exchange encrypted data via quantum teleportation. This data exchange requires a standard communications link (� fiberoptic, radio, laser/microwave, or neutrino), and so is limited by the speed of light, but it is a high bandwidth form of communications. The quantum encryption used by these entangled farcasters is unbreakable, and any attempted interception is immediately detected and neutralized. A quantum farcaster may not be used to securely communicate with any farcasters other than the ones it is entangled with.
Because it is exceptionally safe and secure, quantum farcasting via neutrino communications is the primary means of both long-distance communication between habitats and egocasting. The neutrino signal cannot be blocked and it can only be decrypted if a character has access to the computer that is sending or receiving the signal.
'''Miniature Radio Farcaster:''' Miniature farcasters communicate with each other using standard radio transceivers. As noted above, they may only securely communicate with the other farcasters with which they are entangled. Most miniature farcasters are worn as jewelry or fitted into clothing or other equipment. '''[Low]'''

== Quantum Entangled Communications ==
The rarest form of communications is quantum entangled (QE) communication. QE communication is instantaneous and works over any distance, but is also very limited. QE communication requires pairs of entangled particles known as qubits. To use QE, large number of pairs of qubits are created and then separated from each other. Millions of these separated pairs of particles are stored in special containers known as qubit reservoirs. If two QE communicators each have a qubit reservoir containing qubits that are each entangled with qubits in the other communicator’s qubit reservoir, then characters can use the two QE communicators to commutate with one another instantaneously. Characters can use QE to instantly communicate between any two locations, even if one character is in the solar system and the other has passed through a Pandora gate and is standing on a planet 500 light years away.
Each bit of data transmitted between these two QE comms uses up one qubit. Once all of the qubits are used up, the two QE comms can no longer communicate with each other until they each get a new batch of entangled qubits. Qubits are expensive to produce, contain, and transport, making this an exceedingly expensive form of communication. As a result, extremely high bandwidth communications like full sensory AR and egocasting cannot be performed using QE communication.
'''Portable QE Comm:''' This is a handheld FTL communications device. The actual communications unit can be made as small as desired, but must be large enough to connect to or hold a qubit reservoir. Because qubit reservoirs are relatively large and must be replaced, they are rarely implanted. Some miniature farcasters are designed so that users can also attach qubit reservoirs to enable them to be used for both light speed and FTL communication. '''[Low]'''

'''Low-Capacity Qubit Reservoir:''' Low-capacity qubit reservoirs can be used for 10 hours of high-resolution video conferencing or meshbrowsing and 100 hours of voice or text only communications. '''[High]'''
'''High-Capacity Qubit Reservoir:''' High-capacity qubit reservoirs can be used for 100 hours of high-resolution video conferencing or meshbrowsing and 1,000 hours of voice or text only communications. '''[Expensive]'''