Windows XP 1394 connection

The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus interface standard for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer, frequently used by personal computers, as well as in digital audio, digital video, automotive, and aeronautics applications. The interface is also known by the brand names of FireWire (Apple), i.LINK (Sony), and Lynx (Texas Instruments). IEEE 1394 replaced parallel SCSI in many applications, because of lower implementation costs and a simplified, more adaptable cabling system.

It is very common to see 4-circuit firewire connector shipped with digital camera, camera recorder, smartphone, external hard driver and so on.

The history and more info regarding to 1394 interface can be found from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FireWire

However, recently my laptop lost wireless connection I open "Network Connections" from Start -> Settings, and found there is a "Connected" status connection called 1394 connection. After some research, it has nothing to do with network connection, because 1394 interface is designed for real-time data transfer explained above. However, Windows XP labeled 1394 adapter as a new network device.

The details are explain by Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307736
New Windows XP users might notice a new network device labeled 1394 Connection on their system. This network device is actually your FireWire card. Although most users use FireWire to connect video and storage peripherals, Microsoft chose to list FireWire as a network device, which might confuse some users. Either you can ignore this connection, or you can disable it by right-clicking the connection from within Network Connections (from the Start menu, go to Settings, Network Connections) and selecting Disable.

Therefore, "1394 adapter" is for your "firewire" port -- a port you can use to hook up your video camera (or some external hard drives) -- as in many instances it (FireWire 800) can be faster than USB 2.0. This port will have absolutely NOTHING to do with your internet.