News and Reviews....
MoCA Saves The Day March 2011
By Bob Lieto
For all our customers that want Multiple Zone Audio-Video and Data retro fit into their existing home, we have the MoCA solution. MoCA stands for the "Multimedia over Coax Alliance" technology. It is a global standard that allows IP (Ethernet) connectivity from outlet to outlet over existing coaxial wiring. It was developed to transport bandwidth-intensive content from a single room or device, and enable consumers to access entertainment content (video, audio and data) in any room that has a coaxial outlet.
MoCA occupies the unused frequency spectrum adjacent to cable television carriers. using multiplexing method, called adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation with forward-error correction, MoCA achieves the following key performance specifications: (1) High reliability: works at virtually any coax outlet in the home regardless of type of coax (RG-59 or RG-6) (2) It has a 175 Mbps throughput (270 Mbps PhyRate) which boils down to mean that it will support real time streaming of multiple HD and SD video programs (3) Will have minimal signal degradation through long distances in the home. (4) Low error rates and Low jitter (PL rates <1e-5, low latency <10 and jitter < 1ms) which assures a superior viewing experience. (5) Frequency will coexist with established cable operator services.
MoCA will transport digital HD in real world environments on RG-59 (older cable, smaller) and RG-6, it is extremely easy to install and can be injected anywhere within the cable structure. Its video rides on top of the IP (data) information and is important to remember that the video is an application riding on top of the IP network and a MoCA adapter bridges Ethernet and coax, not HDMI and coax.. It allows whole home DVR, where customers can watch, record and share HDTV programming simultaneously throughout the home, from a single set-top box.. It can connect all Ethernet-ready devices to the Home Network / Internet. It allows multi-room, multi-player gaming from any room in the home. It allow computer / media server-to-TV sharing. It can be used to extend the home WLAN network and coverage of the home wireless network.
MoCA is not new technology. MoCA 1.0 was ratified in February 2006. There are currently 70 certified MoCA products, including Set-Top Boxes, Home Routers and Ethernet-Coax bridges. Millions of MoCA products are deployed in North American homes at this time.
Limitations are: Ethernet-coax bridges will pass through ATSC (digital HDTV) broadcast and cable TV signals, but do NOT allow satellite frequencies. For homes with satellite broadband, consider other distribution technologies. And last but not least, MoCA signals cannot pass through in-line amplifiers.
Comment ..... Cable is probably the most commonly used material for signal in most homes. You may have RG-59 in your home which can be plagued with signal loss over long runs, or you may be more current with RG-6 which is much better at long runs, but the occasional staple which could have compressed their core will reduce bandwidth regardless of cable type and can always be a probability. Having the greater emphasis placed on cable, now that we can take move advantage of its qualities does not always allow us to go back to the time when they were put in place and may not have been treated when installed with the care they need today to be effective.
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Past Articles on Subject:
Cable Biz November 2007
Digital Cable, See It Now or Not May 2007
Cable in Reverse April 2004
