FireWire is a method of transferring information between digital devices, especially audio and video equipment. Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire is fast -- the latest version achieves speeds up to 800 Mbps. At some time in the future, that number is expected to jump to an unbelievable 3.2 Gbps when manufacturers overhaul the current FireWire cables.
Find cables, charging docks and battery cases for Mac. Charge and sync up your Mac. Buy online with fast, free shipping. More recently, the development of FireWire 800 (IEEE-1394b) arose with the maximum data transfer speed of 800 Mbps. Remember that for adapter cables with one 4- or 6-pin connector and a FireWire 800 9-pin connector, the maximum transfer rate remains 400 Mbps. Select the FireWire connector that you want to learn more about.
Use FireWire devices with Mac. You can use FireWire (sometimes called IEEE 1394 or i.LINK) to connect external devices, such as a hard drive or a digital video camera, without needing to restart your computer.A FireWire port provides power, so the connected device usually doesn’t need its own power cable. Many Mac computers have one or more FireWire 400 ports that transfer data at up to 400. IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple, which called it FireWire, in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony and Panasonic.The 1394 interface is also known by the brands i.LINK (Sony), and Lynx (Texas Instruments). Werleo Firewire High Speed Premium Cable 1394B 800-400 IEEE 9 Pin Male to 4 Pin Male Cable 6FT for Mac Pro MacBook Pro Mac Mini iMac PC Digital Cameras SLR. Model #: 45gbvgb6y76; Item #: 9SIAJXR97U7307; Return Policy: View Return Policy $.
You can connect up to 63 devices to a FireWire bus. Windows operating systems (98 and later) and Mac OS (8.6 and later) both support it.
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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.
Now let's take a look at FireWire's specifications.