The latest USB standard transmits data faster than IEEE 1394 and is more widely available.

Other companies sometimes use different names for the IEEE 1394 standard.

Sony dubbed it asi.Link, whileLynxis the name used by Texas Instruments.

Photo of an AmazonBasics IEEE 1394 4-Pin to 6-Pin FireWire Cable

Photo from Amazon

A maximum of 63 devices can connect via daisy-chain to a single FireWire bus or controlling unit.

FireWire devices can create apeer-to-peer networkfor communicating.

This ability means they won’t usesystem resourceslike your rig’smemory.

More importantly, it means that they can communicate without a computer at all.

Assuming they both have FireWire ports, connect them and transfer the datano computer or memory cards required.

FireWire Versions

IEEE 1394, first calledFireWire 400, was released in 1995.

These data transfer modes are commonly calledS100, S200,andS400.

In 2000, IEEE 1394a was released.

It provided improved features that included a power-saving mode.

Just two years later came IEEE 1394b, calledFireWire 800, orS800.

In the late 2000s,FireWire S1600andS3200came out.

They supported transfer speeds as fast as 1,572 Mbps and 3,145 Mbps, respectively.

You won’t see FireWire supported on nearly every computer and equipment as you do with USB.

Most modern computers don’t have FireWire ports built-in.

You’d have to upgrade them, which costs extra and may not be possible on every computer.

The most recent USB standard is USB4, which supports transfer speeds as high as 40,960 Mbps.

It’s much faster than the 800 Mbps that FireWire supports.

As previously mentioned, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 use different cables that aren’t compatible with each other.

On the other hand, the USB standard has always been good about maintaining backward compatibility.

However, you’re free to’t daisy-chain USB devices together as FireWire devices can be.

They instead require a computer to process the information after it leaves one machine and enters another.

FAQ

Some desktops still come with FireWire ports, although they’re becoming rarer.

it’s possible for you to find new and used FireWire cables online for pretty cheap.

Get a FireWire hub that it’s possible for you to connect to your rig via USB.

A more advanced solution is to install a FireWire card and port.

TheeSATA standardprovides faster data transfer speeds than FireWire and USB 2.0.

However, USB 3.0 is faster than both eSATA and FireWire.

A FireWire 400 port resembles a USB port but is larger.

A FireWire 800 port is more squarish.