The first significant shipments of the HomePlug AV2 and MoCA 2.0 standards will 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, so many will not offer gigabit speeds.

ABI Research expects North American MoCA households to exceed 25 million by 2014 with similar numbers in Western Europe for Homeplug. While no new wires home networking solutions have gained significant traction from pay-TV operators, the pathway to stronger consumer mindshare will come through hybrid networking solutions, consumer education, and the retail market -- which is increasingly becoming the focus of many companies operating in the market, according to the research group.

"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," says Senior Analyst Michael Inouye. "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 adds: "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."

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Home Networking Research Service (http://tinyurl.com/atymccl).