Reverse direction transmissions and network coding for energy-efficient Wi-Fi networks

Abstract

This paper proposes a combination of the Reverse Direction Protocol (RDP) defined in the IEEE 802.11n and the Network Coding (NC) technique to improve the energy efficiency of wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.11. The aim of the combined approach, named BidCode, is to allow intermediate nodes to combine several received packets into coded packets and immediately forward them upon successful reception of data. The energy efficiency of BidCode is analyzed in this paper and compared to those of the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) and an important NC protocol based on IEEE 802.11, called COPE. Both analytical and simulation results show the high energy efficiency of BidCode with gains of up to 350% and 130% when compared to DCF and COPE, respectively.