The FOI-1394b provides complete electrical isolation for IEEE 1394b-2002, also trademarked by Apple as FireWire and Sony as i.Link. The bilingual connector on the unit offers backward compatibility with 1394a devices when used with a 9-pin to 6-pin or 9-pin to 4-pin bilingual cable. 1394b devices must use a 9-pin to 9-pin beta cable. Depending on the cable, the unit will automatically determine the correct interface and speed. 1394a devices operate at either S100, S200, or S400 rates, while 1394b devices operate at S400B or S800 rates. Unlike other FireWire devices, the FOI-1394b does not require a device driver to be installed on the operating system because it passes data transparently in the network.