The standard IEEE 1394 was developed by Apple in 1986. Most consumers simply refer to it as "FireWire." It is widely available in the market in the forms of coaxial, wireless and fiber optic cable.

IEEE 1394 interface has the following features:

• Real-time data transferring for multimedia applications
• 100-800 Mb/s data transfer rate
• Hot plugging is allowed (at a minimum ratio)
• Line terminators are not required
• Plug-and-play
• Auto-configuration for many peripheral devices
• Same connectors for multiple devices and components

The FireWire system is commonly used to connect digital cameras and other storage devices. FireWire has an edge over USB in terms of power distribution, reliability and data transfer speed. Moreover, FireWire system has adopted the functionalities and characteristics of SCSI.