Support grows for MoCA and HomePlug

The number of households in North American using the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard as their home networking technology of choice will exceed 25 million by 2014, with similar numbers for the HomePlug standard in Western Europe, according to ABI Research.

The first significant shipments of the HomePlug AV2 and MoCA 2.0 standards are expected to be seen in 2013, offering higher speeds as well as more robustness under different line conditions. Not all devices shipped using the new standards will support the full set of features however, so many will not offer gigabit speeds.

While “no new wires” home networking solutions have already gained significant traction from pay-TV operators, greater consumer awareness is also emerging thanks to hybrid networking solutions, consumer education, and the retail market – which is increasingly becoming the focus of many companies operating in the market.

Senior analyst Michael Inouye comments, “Entropic leads the market share in unit shipments within the Home Networking market, with a portfolio currently extending from MoCA only solutions to SoCs for client devices based on its acquisition of Trident’s STB business and into Hybrid networking based on partnerships.

“Entropic is working to bring MoCA a stronger retail presence with solutions like its multi-band MoCA adapter, simplifying the shopping experience. Integrated STB solutions will also help expand the footprints of these technologies with companies like Broadcom, Entropic, STMicro, and MStar leading the way.”

TV & Video practice director Sam Rosen added, “The ultimate goal to simplify home networking is to see a wider range of products, like connected CE devices, integrate these wired networking technologies.

“While cost and adoption remain barriers, technology is improving both in terms of HomePlug’s integration with power supplies and multi-band MoCA solutions. Without stronger consumer demand there is little incentive for CE manufacturers to integrate wired networking rather than rely on external adapters.”

While HomePlug remains more popular in Western Europe, service providers in the region are starting to test the MoCA standard, with six trials announced in 2012.