One significant distinction of FireWire
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Written by Atila on July 23, 2008 – 6:50 pm
This high-speed data specification is very similar to USB 2.0 in most of its details. The IEEE 1394 specification was developed by an industry group for use with video recorders and other similar devices and called iLink; it was adopted by Apple (as FireWire) for its desktops and laptops.
The specification is supported by current versions of Windows, from Windows 98SE forward through XP. Whatever you call it, here are the important details:
- If your laptop doesn’t have a FireWire port, you can add one or more by using an adapter . . . which connects to a USB 2.0 port or a PC Card slot.
- The original specification (IEEE 1394) lets you connect as many as 63 devices to a single port, which is probably dozens more than you’d ever require; a newer specification not yet in wide use (IEEE 1394.1) permits more than 60,000 devices to connect to a single port, which is a mind-boggling number unlikely to be of much value to most users. Each port can be split by using an external hub.
- FireWire devices can be plugged into or removed from a laptop system that’s turned on or off.
- One significant distinction of FireWire is that it can work as a peer-to-peer network without the need for a computer. For example, a FireWire video camera can directly exchange data with a FireWire hard disk drive.
- A FireWire cable usually has six wires, including two power conductors. Some devices, such as miniaturized digital camcorders, have a smaller four-pin connector; they require a special cable with a six-pin connector at the computer or hub end and a four-pin connector for the device.
