The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) has approved its newest specification, MoCA 2.5, designed for up to 2.5 Gbps data rates, with additional features to address home network management and security. The new spec, available now, is also designed to be backward interoperable with MoCA 2.0 and MoCA 1.1.
Other MoCA 2.5 features 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.
- 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.
MoCA 2.5 offers additional performance profiles intended to enable MoCA 2.0 devices to be upgraded and take advantage of MoCA 2.5 features.
- Profile B: 400 Mbps net data rate up to 16 nodes, and 500 Mbps in turbo mode (two nodes only)
- Profile C: 800 Mbps 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