Thermal night vision seeing through walls

I have a sniper in my game who’s always trying to find a way to find a perch, find a way to acquire targets through a wall, and take them out by sending a bullet through said wall. He has cybereyes with thermal night vision, which I generally deem unable to actually see through walls (subject to change due to circumstances – a troll leaning against a cold sheet metal wall for example).

He’s stated that he wants to get the ultrasound sensor inplant since “sound can travel through walls.” Pretty much the same as above, I told him it really doesn’t work like that, the sound waves will just bounce off of surfaces and back to you, which will let you see the physical form of anything (including a mage sustaining invisibility, or concealed by a spirit for example). However, I do suppose ultrasound might pick up someone talking in the next room, in which case he would at least be able to tell that someone is in there. But that’s a question of what frequency the device is actually able to read. Judging by the desciption on p.446 it only picks up ultrasound, so I guess I answered my own question on that one lol.

I was curious how you guys might rule this? Should thermal night vision give him more ability to see through walls, or is more for spotting gangers trying to hide in the bushes? How powerful would you rule thermal night vision to be? Could you pick up the heat signatures of fresh footsteps, or maybe just the feet that made them once you’ve found whoever you’re after? As for ultrasound, does it pick up any sound in the area or only the ultrasonic “ping” it (and devices like it) emits?

In writing this up I double checked some things in the book and think I mostly answered my own questions, but I’m still curious what you guys think, especially with thermal night vision.

This article comes from reddit edit released

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