Which firewire cable

Connectivity is an important aspect of computer technology. Having multiple devices that all operate together at maximum efficiency is what FireWire is all about. The following information describes what FireWire is, how it works, the difference between FireWire and USB, and how all this matters regarding the efficiency of multiple devices. What is FireWire? FireWire, which is also called IEEE , is a connecting device used primarily for adding peripherals to a computer. FireWire is often used for connecting external hard drives and digital camcorders that benefit from a high transfer rate.

These transfer rates are often up to Mbps. It is predicted that it may not be too far into the future when these rates increase to 3. FireWire hubs can also connect devices that are up to meters apart. FireWire can work with FireWire equipment as well. FireWire was initially developed by Apple and was a standard feature on many of the Mac computers for several years. In recent years, however, Macs have been installed with an interface called Thunderbolt.

If you have a computer that is connected to any external devices, the computer will query all devices that are connected whenever it starts to power up. This process is called enumeration, with the computer giving each device an address. When connecting a new device to your computer, the operating system will detect it and ask for a driver disc. If the device is already installed, the computer will automatically activate it and start communicating with it.

Best 4K TVs. Best iPhone 13 Cases. Best Tech Gifts for Kids Aged Awesome PC Accessories. Best Linux Laptops. Best Bluetooth Trackers. Best eReaders. Best Gaming Monitors. Best Android Phones. Browse All News Articles. Prey Predator Prequel Hulu. Window 11 SE Downgrade. Disney Plu TikTok. Windows 11 Default Browser Block. Teams in Windows 11 Taskbar. Smart TVs Ads. Team Comes to Workplace by Meta. Block People Spotify.

Verizon Selling PS5. Windows 11 SE Explained. Find Downloaded Files on an iPhone. Use Your iPhone as a Webcam. Hide Private Photos on iPhone. At some time in the future, that number is expected to jump to an unbelievable 3.

You can connect up to 63 devices to a FireWire bus. Windows operating systems 98 and later and Mac OS 8. Let's say you have your digital camcorder connected to your home computer. When your computer powers up, it queries all of the devices connected to the bus and assigns each one an address, a process called enumeration.

FireWire is plug-and-play , so if you connect a new FireWire device to your computer, the operating system auto-detects it and asks for the driver disc. If you've already installed the device, the computer activates it and starts talking to it. FireWire devices are hot pluggable , which means they can be connected and disconnected at any time, even with the power on.

FireWire is still in use today and features:. The release of USB 2. FireWire is capable of:. FireWire and USB share a number of characteristics but differ in some important ways. Implementing FireWire costs a little more than USB, which led to the adoption of USB as the standard for connecting most peripherals that do not require a high-speed bus. FireWire is peer-to-peer , meaning that two FireWire cameras can talk to each other without going through a computer.

FireWire devices can be powered or unpowered. FireWire allows devices to draw their power from their connection. Two power conductors in the cable can supply power 8 to 30 volts, 1. Two twisted pair sets carry the data in a FireWire cable using a 6-pin configuration. Some smaller FireWire-enabled devices use 4-pin connectors to save space, omitting the two pins used to supply power.

Six of those pins are the same as the six pins in the a connector shown above. Two of the added pins provide a "grounded shield" to protect the other wires from interference, and the third added pin does nothing at this time [ ref ]. Because FireWire is backward-compatible with FireWire , there are a variety of adapters available to facilitate the combination of both standards on the same bus.

There are also two types of FireWire ports available: a "bilingual" port accomodates both FireWire standards, while a b-only port accepts only a FireWire connector.