Firewire (IEEE 1394): Advantages and Disadvantages

This page explores the advantages and disadvantages of Firewire (IEEE 1394), covering its benefits and drawbacks.

What is Firewire?

Introduction: Firewire, with specifications defined in IEEE 1394 by Apple, defines specifications for a high-performance serial bus used to connect devices to PCs. Essentially, it’s a method for transporting information between devices, particularly audio and video equipment.

There are various standards and versions of Firewire, including Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Firewire S800T, Firewire S1600, and Firewire S3200, supporting speeds up to 3200 Mbps. IEEE 1394 is comparable to USB, supporting isochronous real-time data transfer and serving as a serial bus for high-speed communications.

Benefits or Advantages of Firewire

The following are the benefits or advantages of Firewire:

• It can connect more devices (~63) on a daisy chain compared to Thunderbolt (~6).
• It is more widely used in devices than Thunderbolt.
• Firewire is a much older technology than Thunderbolt.
• IEEE 1394 is cooperatively managed by connected devices, whereas USB requires a master controller.
• It allows devices with moderate power requirements to operate without a separate power supply.
• It supports a cable length of 4.5 meters, which is better than Thunderbolt with copper wires.
• FireWire supports full-duplex communication, meaning simultaneous communication in both directions, unlike previous versions of USB 3.0.
• Firewire host supports DMA and memory-mapped devices, allowing data transfer without waiting for the host CPU with interrupts and buffer copy operations.

Drawbacks or Disadvantages of Firewire

The following are the drawbacks or disadvantages of Firewire:

• It is slower in speed (~3.2 Gbps) than Thunderbolt (~40 Gbps in the latest version 4).
• Firewire is limited to use with copper cables, unlike Thunderbolt, which is used both with copper or fiber optic cables.