FireWire adapters include cards, hubs, thumb drive-style adapters, and cables that convert between FireWire 400/800 and USB connections. Categorization can be by connection type or fit method. Cable adapters are limited to two connection types, while thumb drive-style adapters convert specific types. Adapters and hubs offer the widest range of connectivity. Maximum connection speed is determined by the slowest device. FireWire 400 runs at the same speed when plugged into an 800 port with an adapter.
The different types of FireWire® adapters are cards, hubs, thumb drive-type adapters, and cables. These various adapters can be used to convert between FireWire® 400 and 800 and Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections. Some users may prefer to categorize adapters by the connection types they work with rather than the specific fit method. Most hubs and adapters work with most connections, but thumb drive-style adapters and cables convert specifically from one connection to another. FireWire® is a form of high-speed data transfer, with FireWire® 800 offering a transfer rate of 800 megabytes per second.
Cables are the simplest type of FireWire® adapter. One end of the cable has one type of connection and the other end has another type of connection. This means that these adapters are limited to working with two different connection types, such as FireWire® 800 and 400, and can be used either way: 400 to 800 or 800 to 400. The original cable that came with the device it is rendered useless if there is no matching port on the user’s computer and he or she uses a cable adapter.
Thumb drive-style FireWire® adapters work similar to cable adapters, but have a female input side and a male output side. This means that they can only be used to change a specific connection type to another connection type. For example, a thumb drive adapter might have a FireWire® 400 input and a USB output. It can only be plugged into the USB slot on the user’s computer and therefore cannot be used to convert a USB connection to FireWire® 400. Users must use the original cable that came with the device to use this type of adapter.
Adapters and hubs are two other types of FireWire® adapters. Hubs have multiple ports for input and one or more output ports for connecting to the user’s computer. Some hubs have multiple ports for the same type of input, allowing the user to connect multiple devices to one port on their computer. Cards connect to the motherboard or network card slot on the user’s computer and have multiple input ports. These solutions offer the user the widest range of connectivity.
The maximum connection speed when using FireWire® adapters is the same as for the slowest device. FireWire® 400 provides a transfer rate of 400 megabytes per second and, when plugged into an 800 port with the use of an adapter, still runs at the same maximum speed. The reason for this is that the data is not going to the fastest connection fast enough to be transferred at higher speeds. Likewise, if you change a faster connection to a slower one, information arrives quickly, but it can’t be transmitted to your computer as quickly from the slower connection.
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