What is a Firewire to USB Adapter?

What is a Firewire to USB Adapter?

Before we get into this subject too deeply we should know that, technically, there isn’t a two-way adapter. According to specifications the two technologies are entirely different and one cannot be adapted to the other in the truest sense of the word. You may find that electronic units must have hubs that will support USB and Firewire technology (single hub with both ports). By some descriptions there isn’t a true adapting method or conversion from one technology to the other in both directions.

You can find a Firewire-to-USB adapter in cable form that is designed to transfer digital video. These tend to be expensive. But there is marketing information in electronics catalogs, retail stores and online that state quite clearly that Firewire and Universal Serial Bus (USB) are separate high-speed technologies that cannot be connected directly in the direction of USB to Firewire port.

What are They?

USB and Firewire are technology standards applied to high-speed data transfer. Firewire may transfer data at 400 Mbps or at 800 Mbps. According to traditional specifications a Firewire port can handle more than 60 devices and still provide the transfer rate for each device. In current use, Firewire ideal for video and audio use that requires real-time operation.

USB technology can actually connect twice as many devices while delivering the required data-transfer speed. However, in its initial design this speed was considerably lower than that which is possible with Firewire (generally up to 12 Mbps). USB technology is commonly used for a computer mouse, modem connections and keyboard connections. Newer technology in USB 2.0 takes the transfer rate above 400 Mbps, so that USB has become quite competitive with Firewire technology. Even more speed and efficiency is possible with USB 3.0.

What Can You Do?

As mentioned earlier, there are dual-purpose hubs that contain both the USB and Firewire ports. But these hubs are not designed to convert one technology to another. Some computer users have made the decision to use separate cards, one Firewire card and one USB card. Prices have dropped considerably in recent years so purchasing and installing separate cards has become a reasonable option.

Because the two technologies are so different, most users do choose a dual-purpose hub and simply connect the devices to the proper port. Computer users can get the benefit of both Firewire and USB simultaneously. In some cases, they can adapt one to the other (Firewire to USB) so that it isn’t necessary to resort to dual-use hubs.