A FireWire Ethernet adapter sends FireWire signals over Ethernet or CAT5 cables for longer network connections. It cannot translate data from FireWire to Ethernet formatting. FireWire was used before Ethernet for LAN connections. There are three types of FireWire connectors. A circuit board with both Ethernet and FireWire ports can be installed as an alternative to the adapter.
A FireWire® Ethernet adapter is a type of computer network bus. It can send FireWire® formatted signals over an Ethernet or Category 5 (CAT5) cable to another FireWire® adapter. Another name for a FireWire® Ethernet adapter is FireWire® CAT5 Repeater.
Typically, FireWire® connecting cables are only 15 m (4.6 ft) long. To use cheaper CAT5 Ethernet cables to establish longer network connections in large buildings, a FireWire® Ethernet adapter can send formatted data with Ethernet cables. However, a FireWire® Ethernet adapter cannot translate data from FireWire® formatting to Ethernet formatting. The other end of the Ethernet cable cannot be plugged directly into the receiving computer’s Ethernet port.
FireWire® is a high-speed data connection serial bus used to connect devices to a computer. It can also be used to connect multiple computers together in a local area network (LAN) so that users can quickly exchange data. Before Ethernet LAN connections were invented, FireWire® was used to set up a LAN that connected computers for online gaming and data transfer.
There are three types of FireWire® connectors. Desktop computers use a six-pin rectangular connector. Laptops or notebooks use a four-pin square connector. Computer devices using the faster FireWire® 800 have a nine-pin plug on one end and a six-pin plug on the other for backward compatibility.
As an alternative to using a FireWire® Ethernet adapter, you can install a circuit board or board with an attached Ethernet port and a FireWire® port in a tower computer. This type of circuit allows for the simultaneous connection of a device using FireWire® and a device using Ethernet cables. For example, a FireWire® digital video camera can be connected to a computer connected to an Ethernet LAN. The video saved in the camera can then be sent to another user on the LAN.
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