3 Different Types of Firewire Adapters Explained

A firewire adapter and USB hub are different high-speed bus technologies used for connecting different devices to a computer. The different technologies are not integrated. You cannot simply connect a USB device to a Firewire port directly without the aid of a firewire adapter. As an example a firewire to USB adapter cable for transferring digital video is available but it can be expensive and difficult to find since it is only made by 1 manufacturer.

The 3 different firewire adapter explained in this article are the combination firewire/USB port, separate firewire and USB cards along with the relatively unavailable single firewire to USB cable adapter discussed above.

Combination Firewire/USB Port

Not having a firewire to USB adapter cable doesn't necessarily render your firewire devices useless if you have a USB port or firewire port. Their are dual firewire to USB hubs that are available for installation. The device has 2 ports combined in a single hub. This port may be external or internal. 1 port is for the firewire and the other is for the USB, which allows either devices to function. The combination hub is 2 separate ports that have been combined into 1 as a convenience for you. Understand however that there is no conversion that takes place between the firewire and USB ports.

Separate Firewire and USB Cards

Separate cards firewire and USB cards can be installed as a way to accommodate these different high-speed bus technoogies as long as your computer has enough available slots for the installation. The price of firewire and USB cards are coming down enough to make affordable the purchase and installation of 1 or the other missing hub card.

Firewire Hub Support

A firewire hub can support  data transfer rates of up to 400Mbps to 800Mbps, depending on the standard required for the firewire device. 1 firewire port can connect up to 63 separate devices. Firewire is often the standard used for those devices that have a need for real-time operation. This includes audio and video systems and it is also used in storage area networks.

USB Hub Support

A USB hub can connect more devices than the firewire hub, up to 64 more devices (127). It supports data transfer rates of only 12Mbps which is much slower. Standard peripheral devices such as your mouse, modems, and keyboards are typically connected to the USB hub. The USB 2.0 standard can support speeds of up to 480Mbps and the USB 3.0 has a transfer rate that is 10 times faster than the USB 2.0. This makes the later USB port versions as fast and faster than the firewire, making the need for an adapter obsolete.

Supporting Audio and Visual Systems

With the faster speeds of the USB 3.0 in comparison to the firewire technology and the relative unavailable of a real firewire to USB adapter connection, it may be advisable to simply convert your firewire technologies to an USB only standard which is widely available.