====== AE2 Mechanics: Channels ======

^ Author | Applied Energistics Team |
^ Category | Storage & Automation |

Applied Energistics 2's ME Networks require **Channels** to support devices that use networked storage or other network services.  
Think of channels like USB cables for your devices. A computer only has so many USB ports, and can only support so many devices at once.

Most machines, full-block devices, and standard cables can pass **up to 8 channels**. Dense cables can carry **up to 32 channels**. The only other devices capable of transmitting 32 are **ME P2P Tunnel** and the **Quantum Network Bridge**.  

Each device that uses a channel removes one "wire" from the bundle, leaving fewer wires available further down the line.

----

===== Cable Limits =====
^ Cable Type       ^ Channel Capacity ^ Notes                   |
| Glass / Covered  | 8                | Standard throughput      |
| Smart Cable      | 8                | Shows channel usage      |
| Dense Cable      | 32               | Dense or dense smart     |

Smart cables visually display how many channels are flowing through them.

----

===== Power Consumption =====
Channels consume **1⁄128 AE/t per node** they traverse.  
In some cases, adding a **ME Controller** can actually *decrease* power consumption because of how channels get reallocated.

----

===== Channel Routing =====
When using a ME Controller, channels route in 3 steps:

1. Shortest path through adjacent machines to the nearest normal cable (glass, covered, smart).  
2. Shortest path through normal cable to the nearest dense cable (dense or dense smart).  
3. Shortest path through dense cable to the ME Controller.  

If the shortest path is maxed out, some devices will not receive channels.  
Use **colored cables**, **cable anchors**, and **tunnels** to force channels down specific paths.

Networks should be **treelike** or bushlike. Loops and ambiguous paths cause problems.

----

===== Ad-Hoc Networks =====
A network without a ME Controller is considered **Ad-Hoc**.  

* Supports up to 8 channel-using devices.  
* If you exceed 8 devices, all channel-using devices shut down.  
* Smart cables show **network-wide channel count**, not per-cable usage.  
* Each device uses 1 channel network-wide.  
* Controller-based routing is different, as it allocates channels based on shortest route.

----

===== Design Guidelines =====
**Bad Example:**  
Immediately exiting the controller to the right, the drive bottlenecks the path to 8 channels because drives act like normal cables.  
Without smart cables, you cannot see usage. Channels run out quickly, leaving later devices unpowered.

**Good Example:**  
Use **dense cables branching from the controller**, then regular cables branching from those, with devices in clusters of 8 or fewer.  
This ensures full channel distribution without bottlenecks.

----

===== Channel Modes =====
Starting in AE2 **10.0.0 for Minecraft 1.18**, channels can be configured with different modes.  

Operators can use commands:  
  * **/ae2 channelmode <mode>** – change the mode.  
  * **/ae2 channelmode** – show the current mode.  

Changing modes will reboot all existing grids.

^ Setting   ^ Description                                                                 |
| default   | Standard channel rules (as described above).                                |
| x2        | Double capacity (16 on normal cable, 64 on dense, 16 on ad-hoc).            |
| x3        | Triple capacity (24 on normal cable, 92 on dense, 24 on ad-hoc).            |
| x4        | Quadruple capacity (32 on normal cable, 128 on dense, 32 on ad-hoc).        |
| infinite  | Removes all channel restrictions. Controllers still reduce power usage.     |

Smart cables in **infinite** mode only toggle between off (0 channels) and on (1+ channels).

----