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A FireWire port is a high-speed, serial interface (also known as IEEE 1394) used to connect external devices to computers, known for its suitability for digital video, audio, and graphics applications requiring high, deterministic bandwidth. Visually, it appears as a rectangular port that comes in two main forms: the 4-pin and 6-pin FireWire 400 and the larger, 9-pin bilingual FireWire 800. It offered peer-to-peer communication and hot-swapping, but was largely superseded by the more cost-effective and universally adopted USB.

Key Characteristics

Speed & Bandwidth: FireWire provided high-speed data transfer, with FireWire 800 offering up to 800 Mbps, significantly more than early USB versions.

Isochronous Data Transport: It featured native support for isochronous data, meaning data requiring consistent, deterministic latency—like from a video camera—could be transferred without interruption.

Hot-Swapping: Devices could be connected and disconnected while the computer was running, a feature known as hot-plugging.

Peer-to-Peer Networking: FireWire enabled the creation of simple ad-hoc networks and direct connections between devices without needing a host computer.

Power Delivery: The standard supported power distribution to connected devices, reducing the need for separate power supplies for some peripherals.