Multimedia over Coax Alliance

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.^[4][5]

Multimedia over Coax Alliance

Abbreviation	MoCA
Status	Published
Year started	2004[1]
First published	February 2006 (2006-02)[2]
Latest version	2.5 13 April 2016[3]
Preview version	3.0
Related standards	Ethernet
Domain	Computer networking
License	Proprietary
Website	mocalliance.org

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.^[3] The most recently released version of the standard, MoCA 3.0, supports speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s. This technology is not yet available to customers.^[6]

Membership

The Alliance currently has 45 members including pay TV operators, OEMs, CE manufacturers and IC vendors.^[7]

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.^[8] A MoCA network can contain up to 16 nodes for MoCA 1.1 and higher, with a maximum of 8 for MoCA 1.0.^[9] 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.^[10]

MoCA technology timeline

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.^[2]

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.^[11]

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.^[12] MoCA 2.0 also offers lower power modes of sleep and standby and is backward compatible with MoCA 1.1.^[13] 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".^[14][15]

MoCA 2.5

MoCA 2.5 (introduced April 13, 2016^[3]) 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)			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
MoCA protected setup; MPS					Yes	Yes	Yes
Management proxy					Yes	Yes	Yes
Enhanced privacy					Yes	Yes
Network-wide beacon power					Yes	Yes	Yes
Bridge detection					Yes	Yes	Yes

Frequency band plan

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

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.^[20]
• 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

References

1. Monk, Anton; Lee, Ronald; Hebron, Yoav (2013-07-12). "The Multimedia Over Coax Alliance". Proceedings of the IEEE. 101 (11): 2322–2338. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2013.2266299. ISSN 0018-9219. S2CID 2950192. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
2. Ovadia, Shlomo (2007-09-09). "MoCA: ubiquitous multimedia networking in the home". In Jain, Raj; Dingel, Benjamin B.; Komaki, Shozo; Ovadia, Shlomo (eds.). Broadband Access Communication Technologies II. Vol. 6776. Boston, MA. pp. 67760C. doi:10.1117/12.726808. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
3. "Home Networking Gets a New Performance Standard". www.mocalliance.org. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
4. O'Shea, Dan (2006-11-20). "The IPTV battle enters the home". Telephony. 247 (19). Chicago, United States: Informa: 20–21. eISSN 2161-8690. ISSN 0040-2656. ProQuest 213945879. Retrieved 2021-01-13 – via ProQuest.
5. 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. pp. 1037–1040. doi:10.1109/ICCT.2011.6158037. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
6. Bacon, Kinney (February 20, 2021). "A Preview of 10G Enabling Technologies". Broadband Library.
7. "MoCA Members". MoCAlliance.org. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
8. MOCA FAQs
9. http://www.mocalliance.org/technology/Final_Best-Practices-for-Installation-of-MoCA_170516rev01.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
10. "GoCoax | Support".
11. "MoCA for Installers :: MoCA FAQs".
12. "Introducing MoCA 2.0". MoCA website. June 15, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
13. "MoCA FAQs". MoCAlliance.org. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
14. KMCreative. "SCTE/ISBE Standards, MoCA Team Up on New Operational Practice for DOCSIS 3.1-MoCA Interoperability". www.mocalliance.org. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
15. "SCTE 235, Operational Practice for the Coexistence of DOCSIS 3.1 Signals and MoCA Signals in the Home Environment" (PDF). Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
16. "MoCA 2.5 News". MoCA web site. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
17. KMCreative. "MoCA Access™". www.mocalliance.org. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
18. Bacon, Kinney (February 20, 2021). "A Preview of 10G Enabling Technologies". Broadband Library.
19. "MoCA 1.1 Specification for Device RF Characteristics" (PDF). MoCAlliance.org. Multimedia over Coax Alliance.
20. Verizon Online FiOS FAQ → 3.2 MOCA

External links

• Official website