The Multimedia over Coax Alliance said today that it approved its newest specification, MoCA 2.5, capable of up to 2.5 Gbps actual data rates, with additional features that address network management and security. The new spec is backward interoperable with MoCA 2.0 and MoCA 1.1.
“MoCA has once again raised the performance bar for home networking with an increase in throughput that is more than two and half times MoCA 2.0 with additional capabilities operators need and end users want,” Charles Cerino, president of MoCA, says. “In addition, the technology was delivered in one year, from start to finish, further indicating that the Alliance can quickly respond to the market demands of operators.”
According to MoCA, highlights of the 2.5 spec include:
• MoCA protected setup (MPS): Easier setup and addition of new nodes with password sharing via push-button (similar to WiFi WPS).
• Management Proxy: Management of nodes that don’t have upper layer management support by supporting management queries from one node on behalf of other nodes.
• Enhanced Privacy: Secure data communications with additional longer password and using different keys between MoCA 2.5 nodes compared to what MoCA 1.1/MoCA 2.0 nodes use along with the ability to control data forwarding of legacy nodes to and from MoCA 2.5 nodes.
• Networkwide Beacon Power: Provides better control of peak signal power on the coax by configuring the beacon power of nodes to an absolute number (within tolerance of the hardware) and advertise that absolute number to other nodes so that the same value is used after handoff.
• Bridge detection: Ability to distinguish between nodes belonging to different networks and pass proprietary information between nodes before admission, as well as pass that same information to upper layers to prevent neighbors from forming a common network.
Profile B: 400 Mb/s net data rate up to 16 nodes, and 500 Mbps in turbo mode (two nodes only).
Profile C: 800 Mb/s net data rate with channel bonding up to 16 nodes, and 1 Gbps in turbo mode (two nodes only).
Profile D: 1.5 Gbps, 2 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps net data rates up to 16 nodes.
The new specification is available to members now.