A case study demonstrates how MoCA member Translite Global solves gigabit networking MDU challenges for broadband service providers using existing coaxial cabling.

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Broadband networking for multiple dwelling units (MDUs)is still a greenfield opportunity for service providers and landlords who wantto offer tenants premium, PON-based, fiber broadband services. According to theForbes “Multi-Family Real Estate Forecast: 2014–2020,” more than35 percent ofall U.S. homes are in MDUs.

The challenge for MDUs andservice operators is keeping PON fiber installation costs under control, eliminatingfiber ducting issues, and minimizing tenant unit disruptions.

The good news: A vastmajority of MDUs built between 1960 and 1990 are wired with reusable coaxialcabling. Coaxial cabling can be the ideal, shielded conduit for PON fibergigabit and multigigabit networking to each unit.

Translite Global, a member ofthe Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA), is an example of using an industrystandard to repurpose existing RG6 and RG59 coaxial cabling for PON fiber multigigabitnetworking in MDUs. Using the MoCA Access 2.5 technology standard, TransliteGlobal developed a fiber broadband network solution for a telco and fiber ISPcustomer in the southern U.S.

TRANSITION TO GIGABIT

The ISP customer was ready totransition from analog and end-of-life QAM infrastructure to gigabit speedsusing fiber broadband internet, IPTV and VoIP services. Encompassing 38buildings with more than 1,500 units, the MDU consists of townhouses and four-,three-, two- and one-bedroom apartment homes, all wired with gigabit broadband–capableRG6 coaxial cabling. The MDU attracts a tech-savvy clientele that includesstudents from Rice University and the University of Houston as well as professionalsand families. When stay-at-home orders changed these residents from commuters toremote workers, learners and streamers, they not only wanted but also needed agigabit broadband solution. Delivery of fiber broadband from the street to the1,500-plus customers at the MDU entailed a review of every installation aspectand challenge prior to the three-month installation process in late 2020/early2021. The coax was in excellent condition, confirmed through testing thecoaxial cabling already installed in each building.

FOCUS ON SELF-INSTALLATION

To maintain COVID-19 safetyprotocols, all 1,500-plus units had to feature self-install customer premisesequipment (CPE). Through a network-management loop-back feature built into theCPEs, common self-install issues of incorrect connections and bandwidth outageswere eliminated. The CPEs were pre-provisioned using the same customizednetwork management software, Pickle NMS, for plug and play.

The ISP’s tests of TransliteGlobal’s TL-MCA-72-M MoCA Access 2.5 network controller, and TL-MCA-64-M MoCAAccess 2.5 4-port CPE, met requirements with a bit of customization:

• MAC address filtering

• DHCP wireless filter setupfor individual client CPE diagnostics

• Loop-back detection

• Bandwidth control(customized upload/download speed per end user)

• 4-port CPEs with VLANtagging enabled

• Customized operatingfrequency range 400–1675 MHz, enabling use of existing CATV splitters

• Network controller debugport for technician applications

• Network-management software(Pickle NMS) for remote management of all CPEs from one platform

• Maintaining COVID-19 safetyprotocols through self-install CPEs.

OVERCOMING WEATHER ISSUES

Weather considerations alsoplayed a role. Translite Global modified new commercial exterior cabinets withcustom temperature detection devices that eliminated most fluctuating weatherpatterns at the MDU location. These cabinets are mounted on the side of eachbuilding (exposed to the heat). Each cabinet includes a thermostat-controlled12W fan.

The high-airflow, low-noisefan allows pushing or pulling air through the enclosure. The fan turns on whenthe internal temperature rises to 85° F ±5° and shuts off at 67° F ±10°. Thisthermostat lets the custom temperature detectors maintain the interiortemperature specifications of the hardware placed inside it. Housed in eachcabinet is the PON to optical network terminals (ONTs) to the coax-basedTL-MCA-72-M MoCA Access 2.5 network controller and ONTs.

Fiber going to the buildingterminates at an ONT. The ONT converts fiber to Ethernet to feed the devicewith MoCA Access 2.5. The MoCA Access 2.5 device then distributes the signalover coax to each apartment unit in the building. The splitting ratio is 1:32max. For every TL-MCA-72-M network controller, there can be a maximum of 32TL-MCA-64-M CPEs connected.

In addition, the broadbandnetwork infrastructure is future-proof. The TL-MCA-72-M MoCA Access 2.5 networkcontroller’s built-in second Ethernet port allows for a second uplink to usefor backup or link aggregation, resulting in twice as much bandwidth capabilityto end users. The Translite Global NMS allows the ISP to enable/disable CPEsfor customers remotely.

Best of all, MDU tenants canwork, learn and stream with up to 1 Gbps symmetrical broadband using the ISP’sfiber-first network.

Early on, Translite Globalrecognized the end-to-end fiber broadband network advantages of MoCA Access 2.5are mutually beneficial for its service provider customers and MDUs, including

• multigigabit networks

• security built into eachCPE through a loop-back feature that eliminates incorrect connections andbandwidth outages

• cost-effective installationwith minimal MDU building and tenant unit disruption through self-installationand repurposed coaxial cabling.

The ISP wanted a solutionthat offered fiber PON gigabit-plus benefits to the MDU with minimal physicaldisruption, providing tenants with self-install CPEs that enable gigabitnetworking. Translite Global had been using the MoCA Access 2.5 standard as wellas MoCA Home standards and knew MoCA Access 2.5 was a good match for the ISPand the MDU.

Coax is inherently a big,shielded pipe (medium) perfect for multigigabit networking minus the issuesinherent with Wi-Fi, such as cost, wireless networking interference frommultiple routers/gateways in close proximity, and customer install challenges (ensuringthe right location for the router, dealing with Wi-Fi proximity issues,building structural issues, etc.) – issues that exist even with Wi-Fi 6 out nowand Wi-Fi 6E out soon.

If there is existing coax ingood run condition (e.g., no nail holes, no splitters causing issues, etc.), anMDU and ISP can use existing coax cabling and products featuring the MoCAAccess 2.5 technology standard. It’s a win-win for the ISP and the MDU.

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