Faster Home Networking MoCA 2.0 Spec Ratified

SAN RAMON, CALIF.: The Multimedia over Coax Alliance has ratified its next-generation specification, MoCA 2.0. MoCA defines the technology spec for home entertainment networks.

MoCA says the following about 2.0: It “offers two performance modes, basic and enhanced, with 400 and 800 Mbps net throughputs (MAC), using 700 Mbps and 1.4 Gbps PHY rates, respectively.”

MoCA 2.0 is fully backward compatible with 1.1 and 1.0, and doubles the performance of 1.1.

“For point-to-point WAN applications, performance can be optimized for two-node networks with basic mode delivering 500 Mbps net throughput (MAC) and enhanced mode providing 1 Gbps net throughput,” MoCA said. “The new specification also features an expanded operating frequency range to serve an even broader array of use cases and two-network wide, low power-saving modes.”

MoCA said the 400 Mbps baseline throughput level is achieved via higher modulation and expanding the operating channel from 50 to 100 MHz. The enhanced 800 Mbps performance is achieved through channel bonding. Packet error rate has also been improved to one per 100 million. The PER mode is programmable to accommodate the needs of content.

“On time delivery is assured with an average latency of less than 3.5ms across all received packets and traffic profiles,” MoCA said.

Sleep and stand-by modes for networked devices has also been added to the spec, and its operating frequency range was expanded to between 500 and 1650 MHz.

MoCA has more information on the spec at “Introducing MoCA 2.0.”
-- Deborah D. McAdams