FireWire is a cross-platform implementation of the high-speed serial data bus– very similar to USB , created by Apple and standardized in 1995 as the name IEEE 1394 that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices. It features simplified cabling, hot swapping, and transfer speeds of up to 800 megabits per second, ability to chain devices together in a number of different ways without terminators or complicated set-up equirements.

FireWire is intended for devices working with a lot more data — things like camcorders, DVD players and digital audio equipment.

FireWire costs a little more than USB, which led to the adoption of USB as the standard for connecting most eripherals that do not require a high-speed bus.

The big difference between FireWire and USB 2.0 is that USB 2.0 is host-based, meaning that devices must connect to a computer in order to communicate. FireWire is peer-to-peer, meaning that two FireWire cameras can talk to each other without going through a computer.

FireWiresupports up to 63 devices on a single bus, and connecting to a device is as easy as plugging in a telephone jack. In addition, FireWire provides users with the ability to instantly connect devices without first turning off their machines. Another key feature of FireWire is its ability to stream A/V data off a hard disc in real time, without
computer assistance.

FireWire addressing done dynamically; there is no need for address pre-assignment. All together, FireWire allows up to 1,023 buses to be bridged together.