Performance Bounds of Multi-Relay Decode-and-Forward Cooperative Networks over Nakagami-m Fading Channels

In this paper, we derive the performance bounds of a cooperative relay network that comprises several relay stations working on decode-and-forward (DF) algorithm over non-identical independent Nakagami-m fading channels. In particular, we derive the upper and lower bounds on the outage probabilities for such a DF based cooperative wireless network based on MRC diversity combining algorithm with the help of probability and order statistics theorem. These bounds also provide the basis to calculate generalized diversity order of a DF relay network, and we show that they are equal to the minimum of the sums of diversity orders on different end-to-end routes between the source and destination nodes.