Cable providers say you can get real Internet speed with MoCA

The cable TV industry and its friends want you to know that the world doesn’t have to be entirely wireless. The Multimedia over Coax Alliance has verified in field tests that it can pump Internet data at a rate of 400 megabits a second in 90 percent of existing cable TV wires in homes, the organization is announcing today.

That makes MoCA 2.0 a viable contender to transfer broadband data throughout the home, the group says. The MoCA group wants to use your existing cable TV wires in your home to transfer broadband data from one part of the house to another. That makes it a direct competitor to Wi-Fi networks, and it’s a technology that could be useful for people with multiple TVs or video game fans.

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The consortium of cable TV companies and equipment makers said that preliminary field tests show that the net throughput (MAC rate, or actual data speed) is 400 megabits a second in 90 percent of all coaxial cable outlets. Net throughputs were greater than 350 megabits a second in 95 percent of tests.

The MoCA group has created a worldwide standard for transferring data over coaxial cable wires, and it has been adopted by cable, telecommunications, Internet Protocol TV, and satellite operators around the world. To use the MoCA technology, you’ll need certified equipment.

MoCA emphasizes MAC rates as indicators of real-world data speeds in contrast to other tests that show results under ideal lab conditions. The tests are based on 108 homes tested in the U.S. The test was run in several states using a laptop with MoCA 2.0-certified devices from chip vendors Broadcom and Entropic. The test measured network traffic between MoCA devices at frequencies from 500 megahertz to 1.6 gigahertz. The homes were not chosen on the basis of best conditions.

“Service providers require validation of a technology’s characteristics and capabilities for them to seriously consider adoption and integration into their network and more importantly, customers’ homes,” said Charles Cerino, MoCA President, in a statement. “My extensive experience testing various technologies always comes down to: does it work in the field? Our rigorous examination of MoCA 2.0 in the lab and in the field proves that our technology standard is fast and reliable.”

Field tests are expected to be finished by March 2015. Previously, MoCA ran field tests in 2005 for MoCA 1.0 connections. In 250 homes, about 97 percent ran data at more than 100 megabits a second.