A Network Coding Approach to Energy Efficient Broadcasting: from Theory to Practice

We show that network coding allows to realize significant energy savings in a wireless ad-hoc network, when each node of the network is a source that wants to transmit information to all other nodes. Energy efficiency directly affects battery life and thus is a critical design parameter for wireless ad-hoc networks. We propose an implementable method for performing network coding in such a setting. We analyze theoretical cases in detail, and use the insights gained to propose a practical, fully distributed method for realistic wireless adhoc scenarios. We address practical issues such as setting the forwarding factor, managing generations, impact of transmission range and mobility. We use theoretical analysis and packet level simulation.