Maximum firewire cable length?

Hi there,
Why do firewire cables come at a 6 foot limit? I have a joiner and am able to run my firewire audio device from twice that distance. Will this cause harm?
thanks,
rwa

I guess it should still work: the reason for the cable length limit is probably that the data transfers slightly more slowly when your FireWire cable is longer than six feet.

Similar Messages

Maximum cable lengths for USB / FW / DVI & sVGA?

I've hunted around on the net and can't find any kind of definitive answer regarding maximum cable lengths for USB, Firewire 400/800 and DVI / sVGA monitors. Can anyone shed some light?
I'm about to shift my studio into a new room, and have the oppourtunity to stick my G5 and external drives into a corridor cupboard adjacent to where my studio is - in other words, noise free bliss! But....
...if I map out how far my computer monitors, keyboard and audio interface will be from the cupboard, and take into account the twists and turns involved in neat routing, I'm looking at a distance of about 10 meters. I need to know if any of these devices will be OK with such a long run of cable, and if not, if it's possible to achieve a good result using hubs or repeaters?
So, can anyone help me out with info on:
an Apogee Ensemble (Firewire 400)
an Apple keyboard (USB 2.0)
an LCD flatscreen (DVI)
and another LCD flatscreen (sVGA)
Many thanks!

I was just researching the very same thing, though it does not sound like my studio setup will be as sweet as yours. Here are a few things I ran across:
FIREWIRE-
"The maximum cable length specified by the IEEE1394 standard is 4.5 meters. However, more recent tests have shown that certain high quality firewire cables can achieve longer lengths without significantly affecting transmission quality. Several manufacturers sell firewire cables longer than 5 meters (some up to 50 meters)."
~http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/article.php?id=206
I found an example of a company who claims to sell a firewire cable of that length:
http://www.expansys.com/pf.aspx?i=102956
USB-
There is forum discussion on the topic I was reading yesterday:
http://www.everythingusb.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=804
But don't go past the 11th post or so, they go off on another subject... the use of hubs & the words "active extension" in that post caught my eye. A quick google search came up with this site:
http://www.everythingusb.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=804
There were a bunch sites with devices claiming to do this.
Finally I have this chart, which seems to support what what the articles say, without of course any other extension technology/solutions:
http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=dedigform10
I'm not making any claims at all about how true these sources are, I just have the same questions and decided to toss what I've been looking at into the discussion. Feel free anyone to jump in and tell me its all wrong - I'd love to hear whats right.
~sam

Maximum Cable Length

This might be a stupid question, but... Is there a limit in cable length, beyond which Airport Express is unable to deliver a strong enough signal. My cable is not that long, maybe only 15 meters or something like that.
I have Airport Express (Gigabit Ethernet) and since I'm renovating my house, I had to move AEP and computers from one room to another (with one room in between). ADSL modem stayed in the room, only AEP and computers were moved.
As I did so, my internet connection (cabled trough AEP and/or wireless) became extremly slow and unstable, uploading only few bytes per second (it took half an hour to upload 300kb file).
Scenario 1 (extremly slow):
ADSL modem --15m--> AEP --> Desktop
Then I moved AEP back, and connected desktop computer in the new room, but desktop computer is unable to connect (limited or no connectivity)
Scenario 2 (no connectivity):
ADSL modem --> AEP --15m--> Desktop
But, if I connect my desktop directly to ADSL modem, everything works just fine (but of course, I don't have wireless).
Scenario 3 (works fine):
ADSL modem --15m--> Desktop
My ADSL modem is able to auto-negotiate cable type (CrossOver or normal), so I don't think wrong cable installations might be a problem....

Hello PetLj. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Is there a limit in cable length, beyond which Airport Express is unable to deliver a strong enough signal.
The maximum CAT-5 Ethernet cable length would be 100m. However, cable length and wireless strength are not directly related.
However, it is very possible that you may have some form of Wi-Fi interference in the immediate area that is preventing your AirPort Express from providing a good clean signal to wireless clients.
I suggest you perform a simple site survey, using utilities like the following to determine potential areas of interference, and then, try to either eliminate or significantly reduce them where possible:
For Macs:
o KisMAC
o MacStumbler
o iStumbler, or
o IPNetMonitorX
For PCs:
o NetStumbler
o WiFi Hopper
o WiFi Owl
o WiFi Manager

Ethernet cable length from route

Love this forum: After a few years of use this is the first time I haven't found an answer by searching!
Everyone seems to say that the limit of ethernet cable is 100 meters but in two apartments with different routers I have not been able to get a connection between (two different) the router and my computer over about 25 feet. I'm using a (seemingly) top of the line d-link wireless router but maybe its too weak. Can anyone suggest a router or switch that will reach 50 feet or more?
Thanks!
(P.S.) wireless is too slow to back up my iPhoto library, which I want to back up to a Linux Ubuntu PC home server.

Thanks for responding!
The iPhoto library is about 25 gigs at the moment (iTunes is another 15gigs), and can grow pretty quickly. I do have 250gig firewire drive for back up next to the computer but I feel my life of photos in that library and want a second backup in another room of the apartment. I installed Ubuntu on a Windows PC so I could use NFS sharing with the Mac (works great except for speed).
The specifications all talk about maximum theoretical lengths and none of the manufacturers discuss actual cable lengths. Everyone seems to assume that any router will do the job.
I did find an interesting post at the bottom of this:
http://discussions.hardwarecentral.com/showthread.php?t=172404
so I've order a couple of 50ft cat5e cables with factory attached jacks to see if it was my crimping color order that was at fault (which doesn't really make sense but it's the only thing I've found)
Should get them in a few days...
iMac 20" 1.8 PPC Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Retractable firewire cables ...

Hi all,
Thinking I'd treat myself to a Christmas cable-cleanup, I purchased some Iogear ReelQuick Firewire 6pin-to-6pin retractable cables. Problem is, once I got them and read the fine print, I saw they have a 5V maximum voltage supported, so they won't provide enough juice to mount my big external firewire drives. I know, I know, I should have realized that ahead of time, but I was swooning over the concept of cleaning up the jungle of firewire cables.
They will work with cameras, smaller drives, and other firewire accessories that draw less power.
So ... before I go through the hassle of eBaying, I thought I'd tell you folks. Just email me off line (email address is on my profile page) for details.
Lesson learned, believe me!
Merry Christmas!

Good information, Tina.
"Cable clutter" is one of those cool geek-tech things. Cables hide the dust bunnies I'm too lazy to chase, and the mass of cabling swinging under the desk provides endless entertainment for our daughter's little white cat.
Mostly kidding. We bough some office-grade Bush computer furniture about two years ago that has box chases about 3" square that run under every section and line up when sections are assembled. The top of each section of chase has a slot about 3/4" wide into which you can stuff an amazing amount of cabling. With only a minimum of planning, we're been able to hide if not reduce the horrible array of cabling when we had three computer on three different pieces of furniture in the same room.

Cable length limit on the so-called "Internet" port?

Is there a limit on the cable-length when connecting an Ethernet cable to the so-called "Internet" port on a WRT54G router?
I assume this is a standard 10/100 Ethernet port, since I am connecting this to the Ethernet port of my DSL modem. Since the Ethernet standard defines a maximum cable-length of 100 meters when connecting any 2 Ethernet devices, I should be able to use a cable up to this length when connecting 2 Linksys routers together.
Here is what I want to do:
DSL Modem-->Linksys Router-->Linksys Router
My first Linksys WRT54G router is connected to a DSL modem. I want to put a second WRT54G Linksys router in a different building, and connect them with a 100 meter Ethernet cable, connecting the remote end to the second router´s "Internet" port, and the other end into one of the first router´s available 10/100 ports. This will allow me to create 2 wireless signals, with 2 different DHCP scopes and 2 different SSID´s, basically allowing me to extend the range, with the 2 routers connected with a physical wire.
This works when connecting them with a short, 2 meter cable. Using a short cable I am able to associate with the second router´s SSID, get a DHCP address from that router, and then turn on RIP on both routers and have traffic route from the second router to the first one and out to the Internet successfully.
However, when I replace the short cable with a longer one, either 80 meters or 100 meters, I don´t get a link light between the routers. I do get a link light if I connect to a 10/100 port on both routers, but RIP doesn´t seem to want to exchange routes on the second router out anything other than the "Internet" port. Moving the cable back to the "Internet" port fails to produce a link light (unless I use a really short cable, which does produce a link light).
So my question is this: from a Layer-1 perspective, is the "Internet" port an Ethernet port that enforces a cable-length limit that doesn`t follow the standard 100 meter rule?
--- Christer

well..the internet port is definitely an ethernet port...however, it is not supposed to limit the cable length .. try a 50 m cable and check whether it works...because my friend had a similar kind of an issue and it worked fine with a 50 m ethernet cable ..

Usb vs firewire cable

the 5th gen. ipod come with a usb cable can i use a firewire cable with it instead? the firewire cable is much faster with my old ipod.

Hello krop and everyone,
IMHO, Apple changed to USB to move product for the iPod line.
While FW is an Apple innovation, corporate logic would not allow sales to be limited with an an estimated 94% market share on PC's w/out FW connections.
That said, the debate here depends on which computer OS/hardware your have, and the Bottom Line is that real transfer depends on the chipset your hardware is using.
Beware of and use of the word, "theoretical". It's far different from actual "transfer speed" or "throughput".
Theoretical Throughput (Maximum)
Megabits Megabytes
USB (low xfer ) 1.5Mbps .19MBps
USB (high xper) 12 Mbps 1.5 MBps
FW-400 (1394a) 400 Mbps 50 MBps
USB 2.0 480 Mbps 60 MBps
If your interested, here's a link that may help or confuse the issue more.
http://www.barefeats.com/usb2.html
Respectfully,
Bill Gallagher

Testing speed of usb and firewire cables?

I have a bunch of usb and firewire cables that I would like to test somehow to determine if they are usb 1 or 2 and firewire 1 or 2. Some cables are labeled as high speed usb, some are not and some have no labels at all.
1. Is there a way to do this in Tiger?
2. For transfering data to an external drive, is Firewire 400 or usb 2 faster?
Thanks!

Hello kat.hayes,
Let's take your three questions in the same order:
Question #1: Technically, No, USB cables have the same termination ends. However, not all cables are made to the same standards and quality (shielding has a lot to do with how well they work/last). Quality cables are at a minimum double shielded but that does not stop mfg's from making claims about "high-speed". If there is a problem with the cable, you will know it in that the device connected will not work. Period.
The 2nd part of your question #1 regarding "bottleneck" is that if the USB2 port receives the slower USB protocol from a connected device, it will negotiate to the lower speed. Not a "bottleneck" exactly, as the external device you have connected will determine the speed. Not the USB cable.
I don't know why you are trying to figure out the speed of the USB cables.
It really comes down to what you want to do with your computer and what type of external device you need to connect. If you have a choice of which type of device to use, choose FW(See below #2 for a brief explaination).
Question #2: The issues and technical debate about which protocol is better(faster) really are meaningless as the final speed determinate is controlled by the chip/interperter that the manufacturer of your external device choose to use. If the device uses inferior chipset design, then no amount of "maximum rated transfer speed" for either FW or the USB-2 is going to make a bit of difference.
FW is usually faster. It comes down to the protocol used by the two designs. The one major diffence that benefits Firewire users is that it is isosynchronus. That means that if you have for example 3 devices, that all 3 would get 400mbps bandwidth to use, while USB2 is shared between devices. This is the ugly side of using USB2. If you a want an in depth technical explaination let me know.
Regarding your question #3:
Your Power Mac G5 has one FireWire 400 port on the front (rectangular shape with one pointed end), one FireWire 400 port on the back, a FireWire 800 port on the back(square,blocky shape), and four USB 2.0 ports—one on the front and three on the back. There are also two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard. See this link:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PowerMacG5Late2005_TechBrief.pdf
If thats not clear, here is a card showing two FW800 ports (square) and one FW 400 port (rectangular w/pointed one end).
http://www.1394store.com/eshop/product.asp?dept%5Fid=42&pf%5Fid=1225
Technically, FW400 is refered to as 1394a and FW800 as 1394b.
So, plug any USB2 into the computer only. USB1 devices can be plugged into either the computer or the keyboard.
And FW400 & FW 800 into the correct, differently shaped recepticals.
If you let us know what you intend to do with your external devices and I'm sure there will be a number of excellent suggestions, hopefully based on personal experience, on which protocol would best fit your situation.
Hope this helps.
Respectfully,
Bill Gallagher

General ? About Firewire Cables and Interfaces

I've been having sync problems with my FirePods recently when attempting to record more than 8 channels, resulting in distortions/artifacts. They sync over firewire, which apparently is a little unstable to begin with.
Presonus tech support hasn't been able to work out the problem yet, and I've tried everything they've asked. While doing a little research about other interfaces, I read this in the RME Fireface 800 manual:
"The cabling of FireFace 800 units is critical. In real world operation, it is not unusual that all firefaces have to be connected directly to the 1394b ports of the computer, using cables of similar length. A long cable from the computer to the first fireface, and a short one from the first to the second fireface can cause problems."
The second part about different cable lengths is really what interests me. Presonus never mentioned anything about cable lengths, but I typically use a 15' from the computer to the first Pod, a 1' cable from the first to second Pod, and another 15' to the external hd from the second pod. Could my cables be causing sync problems? Should I use all cables that are as short as possible? If this is causing my problems, I'm going to feel pretty stupid.

Presonus recommends chaining the devices together, but I've also tried running them on the Powerbook's internal fw bus while running the fw hd on a pc card bus slot, two seperate busses. This didn't work, and any combination seems to create problems.
From the Presonus website:
"When using 2 Firepods:
SPDIF inputs are not functional, do not switch clock source to SPDIF. (SPDIF outputs are functional."
Doesn't this mean you can't use an external clock, or even use one Pod as a SPDIF master for the other? I think multiple Pods can only sync over firewire based on their design, which you think would work if thats how they are intended to link together. They claim you can chain up to 3 units as well.

What kind of firewire cable from 400 to 800?

Hello,
I have recently purchased an iMac Intel Duo. I want to use the Migration Assistant to move my environment on my PowerBook to my new iMac. Migration Assistant tells me that I need to connect the two computers using a firewire cable. The PowerBook has a firewire 800 port. The iMac has a firewire 400 port. What kind of cable do I need to purchase to make this connection work?
Oh BTW, what gives with the far newer iMac having older technology firewire port?
Thanks,
Bryan

Hi all,
Sorry for the delay. I did see the rapid-fire responses and I'm truly astonished with this forum. Thanks!
However, I must admit that I don't understand any of the answers. To Eric: Yes, I will only need to do this once, but what alternative do I have? Will Migration Assistant work over ethernet? I did not see an option for this. That would be my preference as I already have both machines on my LAN.
As to the question of whether my PowerBook has FW400: The System Profiler for Firewire only says "Maximum Speed: Up to 800 MB/sec". So I have no idea if the interface supports FW400. Isn't the physical interface (or jack) different for FW400 versus FW800? Isn't one 6-pin and the other 9-pin? If so, then I would assume that you would need a 9-pin cable jack to attach to an FW800 port, no?
Eric, you also said "so use that with the cable that you likely have for your external peripherals anyway." But what I have discovered is that the cable I have has two different jacks on each end: one connects to the Mac and the other connects to the peripheral. The peripheral jack will not plug into the iMac (nor to the PowerBook). In other words, I need a cable that has two jacks that connect to the computer side. Does anyone know the product number for that type of cable?
Thanks,
Bryan
iMac Intel Duo Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Can I transfer info from one macbook to another by using a firewire cable?

Can I transfer info from one mac to another by using a firewire cable?

You can boot the computer that you would like to get the file from into target disk mode.
This document will help you.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8443.html

Using A FireWire cable between two Macs and Migration Assistance to transfer all my desktop to my macbook laptop, will all my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be transferred? I am trying to make a complete copy of my desktop to my laptop.

Using a FireWire cable between two Macs and the Migration Assistance feature, will al my apps, bookmarks, contacts and files be tranferred?

See Pondini's Setup New Mac guide

Mid 2010 Macbook Pro battery will not charge after plugging in firewire cable shut down computer

I have a mid 2010 15" Macbook pro with Lion installed.
I was running off battery, and I went to plug in a firewire cable, not plugged into anything, and when I inserted it, the computer shut off.
The computer would not turn on again without being plugged into the AC adaptor. The magsafe charger shows green, but the computer says not charging. The battery is showing 57%, but the indicator lights will only light up when AC charger is connected..
I have let it sit off, and plugged in for a couple hours, and nothing chages, and let it sit overnight not plugged in, but nothing.
I have read other forums about the same issue,, it seems like its a common issue, and some have said what it could be, but no one said what it IS.
I have tried resetting the SMC and PRAM, but to no avail.
When i plug in the AC adaptor, the computer immediately turns on (which I find kond of funny), and I am able to turn it off normally, and it will stay off, and I can also turn it on if the charger has been connected from pervious.
Below is my power information.:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:          W0013PVDXBX0A
Manufacturer:          SMP
Device Name:          bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          201
Hardware Revision:          000a
Cell Revision:          157
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          3406
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          5956
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          395
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          0
Voltage (mV):          11638
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          Yes
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          3
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          Yes
ID:          0x0100
Wattage (W):          85
Revision:          0x0000
Family:          0x00ba
Serial Number:          0x00b9468c
Charging:          No
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

I have a mid 2010 15" Macbook pro with Lion installed.
I was running off battery, and I went to plug in a firewire cable, not plugged into anything, and when I inserted it, the computer shut off.
The computer would not turn on again without being plugged into the AC adaptor. The magsafe charger shows green, but the computer says not charging. The battery is showing 57%, but the indicator lights will only light up when AC charger is connected..
I have let it sit off, and plugged in for a couple hours, and nothing chages, and let it sit overnight not plugged in, but nothing.
I have read other forums about the same issue,, it seems like its a common issue, and some have said what it could be, but no one said what it IS.
I have tried resetting the SMC and PRAM, but to no avail.
When i plug in the AC adaptor, the computer immediately turns on (which I find kond of funny), and I am able to turn it off normally, and it will stay off, and I can also turn it on if the charger has been connected from pervious.
Below is my power information.:
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:          W0013PVDXBX0A
Manufacturer:          SMP
Device Name:          bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:          0
PCB Lot Code:          0
Firmware Version:          201
Hardware Revision:          000a
Cell Revision:          157
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh):          3406
Fully Charged:          No
Charging:          No
Full Charge Capacity (mAh):          5956
Health Information:
Cycle Count:          395
Condition:          Normal
Battery Installed:          Yes
Amperage (mA):          0
Voltage (mV):          11638
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          5
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Wake on LAN:          Yes
Current Power Source:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
PrioritizeNetworkReachabilityOverSleep:          0
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes):          0
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):          3
Wake on AC Change:          No
Wake on Clamshell Open:          Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim:          Yes
Reduce Brightness:          Yes
RestartAfterKernelPanic:          157680000
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:          No
AC Charger Information:
Connected:          Yes
ID:          0x0100
Wattage (W):          85
Revision:          0x0000
Family:          0x00ba
Serial Number:          0x00b9468c
Charging:          No
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Connecting a MacBook to PowerMac G5 with a firewire cable

I have a 13" MacBook. I want to transfer files from my PowerMac G5 running OS X 10.4.11 to it. I can hook an external drive to the MacBook via firewire and it recognizes it. I can hook up the PowerMac and the MacBook via firewire, start the MacBook with the T key depressed and see the hard drive on my PowerMac. But... I can't do the reverse. I can start up the MacBook with the T key depressed and see the G5's hard drive on it.
Any suggestions?

Are you using the same cable to connect the machines?
Some folks suggest to shut both machines down, then connect the Firewire cable. Boot the Power Mac into Target Disc mode. Once you see the FireWire symbol on the PowerMac's screen, try booting the MacBook.
Once the MacBook has started & you're logged in, check for the hard drive in Finder. If it doesn't appear, open System Profiler (Applications>Utilities), and click Firewire in the left-hand column. Are any devices showing here?
~Lyssa

How to transfer from one mini to another without messing up either one. I have one monitor and two minis. I do have a firewire cable but don't want a complete transfer, just specific files.

I have done a complete fire wire transfer before but I don't want to do that. I only want to transfer certain files and leave the existing and new minis in tact otherwise. I am sure I can transfer just files. My question mostly is: I only have one monitor but will have two minis that are hooked up. Can this be done without seeing the other computer contents? I hope that makes sense. The existing mini is 10.5.8 and the new one is 10.6.

You can start one mac up in target disk mode, get file sharing set up and then disconnect the monitor. Monitor ports are very tolerant of connecting and disconnecting with the computer on.
Switch the monitor to the other computer. Start up, connect the firewire cable (after the computer has booted) and set up file sharing on that computer. You can see the other computer's contents without controlling the other computer's mouse and/or keyboard.
If the other computer's hard drive does not automatically show up, go to network settings and verify those settings as well. That should not be necessary but ethernet would give you a second option for file transfers.
Ji~m

Maximum firewire cable length?

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