FireWire (IEEE 1394) - The Serial High-Speed Bus

4-, 6- or 9-pin data connection at 100 to 800 Mbit/s - the standard in audio/video studios and external storage for many years.

FireWire (Apple trademark, generally IEEE 1394, called iLink by Sony) is a serial high-speed bus with three common connector variants: 4-pin (FW400 without bus power, on camcorders), 6-pin (FW400 with 8-30 V bus power) and 9-pin (FW800, additional shielding pins for 800 Mbit/s). For long the standard bus in pro audio/video (DV camcorders, audio interfaces, external RAID systems) - largely replaced today by USB 3.x and Thunderbolt.

Technical Specifications

Standard	IEEE 1394 / IEEE 1394b
Data rates	S100 / S200 / S400 (FW400), S800 (FW800)
Connectors	4-pin, 6-pin, 9-pin
Bus power (6-pin)	8 - 30 V DC, up to 1.5 A
Topology	Daisy-chain up to 63 devices
Max cable length	4.5 m copper, 100 m optical FW800
Status	Largely superseded

Matching products in the shop

FireWire cables
Data cables and adapters

Frequently Asked Questions

FireWire 400 vs 800 - what is the difference?

FW400 = 400 Mbit/s, 4 or 6 pins, max. 4.5 m. FW800 = 800 Mbit/s, 9 pins, double the data rate and longer max cable length.

Can I connect FireWire 400 to FireWire 800?

Yes, with an adapter (9-pin to 6-pin). The connection runs at the slower speed (FW400).

What replaces FireWire today?

USB 3.0 / 3.2 for storage, Thunderbolt 3 / 4 for pro audio/video, and for DV capture either specialised cards or recording directly onto memory cards.

Related connectors in the glossary

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