Network Coding with Link Layer Cooperation in Wireless Mesh Networks

Abstract: In recent years, network coding has emerged as an innovative method that helps wireless network approaches its maximum capacity, by combining multiple unicasts in one broadcast. However, the majority of research conducted in this area is yet to fully utilize the broadcasting nature of wireless networks, and still assumes fixed route between the source and destination that every packet should travel through. This assumption not only limits coding opportunities, but can also cause buffer overflow in some specific intermediate nodes. Although some studies considered scattering of the flows dynamically in the network, they still face some limitations. This paper explains pros and cons of some prominent research in network coding and proposes FlexONC (Flexible and Opportunistic Network Coding) as a solution to such issues. The performance results show that FlexONC outperforms previous methods especially in worse quality networks, by better utilizing redundant packets spread in the network.