Kramer Electronics VS-8FW VS-4FW and VS-8FW are high performance bidirectional hub/repeaters for 6-pin FireWire (IEEE 1394) signals. They will increase the number of ports available and/or will extend the distance of FireWire cable runs. Cascading Operation - multiple units can be cascaded to create a Firewire system with up to 63 ports. Range - Doubles Firewire cable range from 14.75feet (4.5m) to 29.5feet (9m). Multiple units can be cascaded to extend the range to up to 236feet (72m). Hot Swapping - Supports plug and play. Transfer Rates - 100, 200, and 400Mbps. ESD Protection - Incorporates Kramerfeets Spark-Guard ProTM signal protection circuitry to help protect against EDS (electrostatic discharge) which can damage digital equipment. Compact Kramer TOOLS - 3 units can be rack mounted side-by-side in a 1U rack space with the optional RK-3T rack.