Here at Cable Chick, there is a question we are asked perhaps more than any other. "Can I get a Firewire to USB Adapter?". It's a logical question right? They both transfer data, usually between an external device and a computer, so it makes sense this issue would be solved with a simple cable or adapter. But the truth is... you can't.
We're sorry to say but there is no cable, no dongle, no adapter that lets you plug a Firewire device into a USB port and have it 'just work'. But to understand why, we need to back up a bit, back to when Firewire and USB were battling for dominance in the early days of plug and play peripherals.

The Birth Of Firewire

Firewire, officially known as IEEE 1394 (catchy right?), was developed in the late 1980's and early 1990's by Apple with contributions from Sony, Panasonic and others and was designed as a high speed data transfer protocol specifically for demanding devices such as camcorders, audio interfaces and external hard drives. When it launched to the public in the mid 1990's, it was a game changer, offering much faster speeds than what USB could manage at the time.

Another one of Firewire's strengths was that it allowed for peer-to-peer connection meaning devices had the ability to communicate directly with each other without needing to be routed through a computer. This made it the ideal standard for professional video and audio setups at the time and it quickly became the standard in creative industries.

The following years saw the introduction of updated versions such as Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 offering ever increasing transfer speeds. But despite its technical strengths, it never quite caught on with the larger mainstream consumer mostly due to its limited implementation on devices and higher expense with Apple eventually replacing this technology with Thunderbolt in 2012.

The Rise Of USB

Around the same time Firewire was in development, Intel, Microsoft and IBM were combining forces on the development of the Universal Series Bus standard, known commonly as USB. At the time USB wasn't as fast or capable as Firewire but was rather designed to be cheap, simple and most importantly universal, a true plug and play option that would replace the older serial, parallel and PS2 ports with a single standardised connector.

Over the years, USB evolved at seemingly lightning speed with USB 2.0 bringing the standard closer to Firewire 400's capabilities and USB 3.0 and beyond completely overtaking Firewire's performance. More importantly, USB was everywhere! Mice, keyboards, printers, hard drives, smart phones, speakers, you name it. The breaking point for Firewire came when manufacturers (other than Apple) realised they could save money and simplify development by implementing USB only, cementing Firewire's future as soon to be forgotten legacy.

So Why Can't We Convert Them?

Despite the fact that Firewire and USB were used to connect similar types of devices and perform similar functions, they are completely incompatible at a technical level. Obviously they use different connectors, but more importantly, they use completely different communication protocols.

Firewire transfers data in a continuous uninterrupted stream, optimised for real time video and audio, whereas USB works in bursts with the computer controlling when and how data is sent. So while on paper it may seems logical they should be able to work together, they are built around completely different chipsets, technologies and data handling methods. To put it simply, it's like two people speaking completely different languages to each other with no translator in sight.

Because of this, there's no such thing as a passive Firewire to to USB cable that will work. Sure you may have seen some available online via Ebay or Temu, but we can assure you, these are completely non-operational and essentially a scam. Even active converters devices with chips inside that could theoretically do the conversion, aren't commercially available. The demand just isn't there and the engineering cost wouldn't be worth development.

What If I Still Need To Use My Firewire Device?

Good question! A lot of creative professionals and tech enthusiasts still have perfectly functional Firewire equipment such as camcorders, audio gear and external hard drives that they'd love to use again. And you can, with the right setup.

If you're a PC user, your best bet it to try and track down a Firewire expansion card that can be installed in your existing computer or track down an older computer with built in Firewire ports. These machines are getting rare but they're often still available secondhand. Neither are a particularly simple solution but unfortunately it is where we are currently.

If you're a Mac user there's a little bit more hope. Apple released an official Firewire to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter for pre-2015 MacBook and iMac models that can be combined with a Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter for newer models. It's a little clunky and chunky, but it can get the job done, especially if you only need to retrieve some files or footage for obsolete cameras and hard drives.

Unfortunately if you're on a modern Windows laptop with USB-C ports and no legacy inputs, there's simply no realistic way to make this connection so your best option is to try a local service that specialises in data retrieval or converting footage to digital.

The Takeaway

We get it, it's frustrating. On paper, Firewire and USB look like they should be friends but ultimately they're just not on speaking terms and that's why no adapter or cable can make them get along.

So if you're digging through a drawer and find your old Firewire device, don't expect to just plug it in and away you go.  Sadly, it might just be time to let that piece of tech history go. But if you believe you may be one of the lucky few who can utilise one of the workarounds detailed above and need some advice, drop us a message and we'll help you untangle the mystery. Contact us

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