Effective Use of Network Coding in Multi-hop Wireless Networks
Yang Chi · OhioLink ETD Center (Ohio Library and Information Network) · 2013
Multi-hop network has been envisioned to be a key technology in the next generation wireless networks.It offers the most flexible characteristic of the networks, requires no centralized or very small control, and very little configuration, thereby enjoying the quick deployment property.Yet, it has been named as the "next generation" for so many times that its usefulness is being questioned.The difficulty mainly comes from the inferiority in the performance being poor enough to make such networks overshadowed by other type of networks, unless quick deployment is a requirement, or performance is not a major concern.In this dissertation, we investigate the performance issues in multi-hop wireless networks.Some new architectures of multi-hop wireless networks with network coding are thoroughly explored.We first revisit network coding briefly.Being the latest revolution in the wireless world, network coding has evolved into a more practical shape, and has matured to a level so as to be adopted.A general introduction of network coding (network information theory) is covered for better understanding of how this technology would change the computer networks, and why we pick this topic for our research.The first work this dissertation covers is Murco, an opportunistic framework that brings the benefits of both multi-radio multi-channel technology and network coding to the multi-hop wireless networks.This combination, though it seems natural, faces many challenges.We address them with a loose collaboration between network coding and multiradio technology coordinated by our framework.Our framework requires few changes or compromises on either side, and the simulation results demonstrate enhanced throughput.