USB & FireWire Interfaces

Connecting a peripheral to your computer has never been easier. Any modern PC or Mac now comes equipped with a combination of versatile connections or ports, to which you can connect external hard drives, DVD Writers, Flash Drives, cameras, digital videos and so on.

Peripheral Compatibility

The handshaking between the computer and the peripheral is usually done by the PC's operating system, so installation is incredibly easy. However, before buying any peripheral it is important that you check whether the ports of the peripheral are a direct match for those of the PC, that it can be upgraded to match, or that it provides more than one option; for example, the so-called Combo (both FireWire and USB 2.0).

Data Transfer Speed

At present, the two main interfaces are USB and FireWire. Each has two versions, varying in the speed with which the transfer of data occurs. For example, with USB 2.0 the transfer of data is between 5 and 20 times faster than with USB 1.0. A USB 1.0 based PC can be upgraded with a USB 2.0 upgrade-card.

FireWire Ports

If you work with digital video or need to transfer large amounts of data quickly, FireWire is a good choice of connection. FireWire 800 has twice the data transfer rate of FireWire 400, though it is only found on high specification Apple Mac computers. The two types of FireWire ports are physically different, thus, cannot be interconnected without an adaptor cable.

Network Attached Storage Devices

If you need an even faster data transfer rate, eSATA is an excellent choice. It will be appearing on new computers, although current PCs can be upgraded to accept it. A fourth option exists if you have a network and need to access any PC in the network for the storage of data. One of our award winning Network Attached Storage devices may be the perfect answer.