Multimedia over Coax Alliance explained

Status:	Published
Year Started:	2004^[1]
Version:	2.5
Version Date:	13 April 2016
Preview:	3.0
Related Standards:	Ethernet
Abbreviation:	MoCA
Domain:	Computer networking
License:	Proprietary

The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) is an international standards consortium that publishes specifications for networking over coaxial cable. The technology was originally developed to distribute IP television in homes using existing cabling, but is now used as a general-purpose Ethernet link where it is inconvenient or undesirable to replace existing coaxial cable with optical fiber or twisted pair cabling.^{[2] [3]}

MoCA 1.0 was approved in 2006, MoCA 1.1 in April 2010, MoCA 2.0 in June 2010, and MoCA 2.5 in April 2016. The most recently released version of the standard, MoCA 3.0, supports speeds of up to . This technology is not yet available to customers.^[4]

Membership

The Alliance currently has 45 members including pay TV operators, OEMs, CE manufacturers and IC vendors.^[5]

MoCA's board of directors consists of Arris, Comcast, Cox Communications, DirecTV, Echostar, Intel, InCoax, MaxLinear and Verizon.

Technology

Within the scope of the Internet protocol suite, MoCA is a protocol that provides the link layer. In the 7-layer OSI model, it provides definitions within the data link layer (layer 2) and the physical layer (layer 1). DLNA approved of MoCA as a layer 2 protocol.^[6] A MoCA network can contain up to 16 nodes for MoCA 1.1 and higher, with a maximum of 8 for MoCA 1.0.^[7] The network provides a shared-medium, half-duplex link between all nodes using time-division multiplexing; within each timeslot, any pair of nodes communicates directly with each other using the highest mutually-supported version of the standard.^[8]

Versions

MoCA 1.0: The first version of the standard, MoCA 1.0, was ratified in 2006 and supports transmission speeds of up to 135 Mb/s.^[9]

MoCA 1.1: MoCA 1.1 provides 175 Mbit/s net throughputs (275 Mbit/s PHY rate) and operates in the 500 to 1500 MHz frequency range.^[10]

MoCA 2.0: MoCA 2.0 offers actual throughputs (MAC rate) up to 1 Gbit/s. Operating frequency range is 500 to 1650 MHz. Packet error rate is 1 packet error in 100 million.^[11] MoCA 2.0 also offers lower power modes of sleep and standby and is backward compatible with MoCA 1.1.^[12] In March 2017, SCTE/ISBE society and MoCA consortium began creating a new "standards operational practice" (SCTE 235) to provide MoCA 2.0 with DOCSIS 3.1 interoperability. Interoperability is necessary because both MoCA 2.0 and DOCSIS 3.1 may operate in the frequency range above 1 GHz. The standard "addresses the need to prevent degradation or failure of signals due to a shared frequency range above 1 GHz".^{[13] [14]}

MoCA 2.5: MoCA 2.5 (introduced April 13, 2016^[15]) offers actual data rates up to 2.5 Gbit/s, continues to be backward compatible with MoCA 2.0 and MoCA 1.1, and adds MoCA protected setup (MPS), Management Proxy, Enhanced Privacy, Network wide Beacon Power, and Bridge detection.^[16] MoCA Access is intended for multiple dwelling units (MDUs) such as hotels, resorts, hospitals, or educational facilities. It is based on the current MoCA 2.0 standard which is capable of 1 Gbit/s net throughputs, and MoCA 2.5 which is capable of 2.5 Gbit/s.^[17]

MoCA 3.0: The MoCA 3.0 standard has been released and increases the maximum throughput to 10 Gbit/s. However, this is not yet available to customers.^[18]

Performance profiles

	MoCA 1.0	MoCA 1.1	MoCA 2.0	MoCA 2.0 bonded	MoCA 2.1	MoCA 2.1 bonded	MoCA 2.5	MoCA 3.0
Actual throughput (Mbit/s)	100	175	500	1000	500	1000	2500	10,000
Number of channels bonded				2		2	3~5	≤4
Power save (standby and sleep)
MoCA protected setup; MPS
Management proxy
Enhanced privacy
Network-wide beacon power
Bridge detection

Frequency band plan

Channel	Frequency, center (MHz)^[19]	MoCA 1.1 channel	MoCA 2.0 primary	MoCA 2.0 secondary	Beacon channel
EE1	450
EE2	475
E1	500
E2	525
E3	550
E4	575
E5	600
EE3	625
EE4	650
---	---	---	---	---	---
F1	675
F2	700
F3	725
F4	750
F5	775
F6	800
F7	825
F8	850
---	---	---	---	---	---
A1	875
B1	900
---	---	---	---	---	---
C1	925
C2	950
C3	975
C4	1000
---	---	---	---	---	---
D1	1150
D1a	1175
D2	1200
D2a	1225
D3	1250
D3a	1275
D4	1300
D4a	1325
D5	1350
D5a	1375
D6	1400
D6a	1425
D7	1450
D7a	1475
D8	1500
D8a	1525
D9	1550
D9a	1575
D10	1600
D10a	1625

Notes:

• Channel C4 is commonly used for Verizon FiOS for the "WAN" link from the ONT to the router.^[20]
• Channels D1-D8 are commonly used for "LAN" links, between set-top boxes and the router.
• E band channels are commonly used by DirecTV converter boxes. The DirecTV Ethernet-to-Coax Adapter (DECA) uses MoCA on this "Mid-RF" frequency band.
• D10A 100 MHz wide means it goes up to 1675 MHz, so splitters need to be 5-1675 MHz.

See also

• Ethernet over coax
• G.hn
• Home gateway
• Home network
• HomePlug Powerline Alliance
• HomePNA
• IEEE 802.3
• IEEE 802.11
• IEEE 1905
• Ultra-high-definition television
• Wi-Fi over Coax
• Wireless LAN

Notes and References

1. Monk . Anton . Lee . Ronald . Hebron . Yoav . 2013-07-12 . The Multimedia Over Coax Alliance . Proceedings of the IEEE . 101 . 11 . 2322–2338 . 10.1109/JPROC.2013.2266299 . 2950192 . 0018-9219 . subscription . 2021-01-09.
2. O'Shea . Dan . 2006-11-20 . The IPTV battle enters the home . Telephony . Informa . Chicago, United States . 247 . 19 . 20–21 . 0040-2656 . 2161-8690 . subscription . 2021-01-13 . . ProQuest.
3. Zhou . Shujia . Song . Yingxiong . Lin . Rujian . 2011-09-25 . FTTB multimedia access solution based on MoCA technology . 2011 IEEE 13th International Conference on Communication Technology . 1037–1040 . 10.1109/ICCT.2011.6158037 . subscription . 2021-01-13 .
4. Web site: A Preview of 10G Enabling Technologies. February 20, 2021. Kinney. Bacon. Broadband Library.
5. Web site: MoCA Members . MoCAlliance.org . October 16, 2013 .
6. http://www.mocalliance.org/about/faqs.htm MOCA FAQs
7. http://www.mocalliance.org/technology/Final_Best-Practices-for-Installation-of-MoCA_170516rev01.pdf
8. Web site: GoCoax | Support.
9. Ovadia . Shlomo . Broadband Access Communication Technologies II . 2007-09-09 . Jain . Raj . Dingel . Benjamin B. . Komaki . Shozo . Ovadia . Shlomo . MoCA: ubiquitous multimedia networking in the home . 6776 . http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?doi=10.1117/12.726808 . Boston, MA . 67760C . 10.1117/12.726808 . subscription . 2021-01-09.
10. Web site: MoCA for Installers :: MoCA FAQs.
11. Web site: Introducing MoCA 2.0 . June 15, 2010 . MoCA website . May 25, 2012 .
12. Web site: MoCA FAQs . MoCAlliance.org . October 17, 2013 .
13. Web site: KMCreative . SCTE/ISBE Standards, MoCA Team Up on New Operational Practice for DOCSIS 3.1-MoCA Interoperability . http://web.archive.org/web/20210613132132/https://mocalliance.org/news/prM_170314-SCTE-ISBE-Standards-MoCA-DOCSIS-3-1-Interoperability . 2021-06-13 . 2017-03-21 . www.mocalliance.org . en.
14. Web site: SCTE 235, Operational Practice for the Coexistence of DOCSIS 3.1 Signals and MoCA Signals in the Home Environment . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111717/http://www.scte.org/SCTEDocs/Standards/SCTE%20235%202017.pdf . 2017-03-22 . 2017-03-21 . Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Inc..
15. Web site: Home Networking Gets a New Performance Standard. www.mocalliance.org. 2016-04-13.
16. Web site: MoCA 2.5 News. MoCA web site. May 10, 2016.
17. Web site: MoCA Access™. KMCreative. www.mocalliance.org. en. 2017-10-02.
18. Web site: A Preview of 10G Enabling Technologies. February 20, 2021. Kinney. Bacon. Broadband Library.
19. Web site: MoCA 1.1 Specification for Device RF Characteristics. MoCAlliance.org. Multimedia over Coax Alliance.
20. http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.2_MOCA Verizon Online FiOS FAQ → 3.2 MOCA