Power allocation and scheduling in practical implementations of wireless network coding

This paper investigates the performance of wireless network coding (NC) schemes for two-way relay channels with periodic transmissions. In particular, we consider a network with two source nodes and a single relay, with the latter broadcasting the XOR-ed version of the received data. Synchronization of transmissions to maximize the power saving periods in sleep mode and the assignment of transmit power values to minimize the total transmit power are examined considering practical constraints in the system. To test the ideas developed in real world environments, a communication protocol is implemented on CrossBow IRIS motes in TinyOS and its performance is characterized using power consumption and packet loss rates.