An Analytical Approach for Throughput Evaluation of Wireless Network Coding

In this paper, we propose a new analytical model for stable throughput evaluation of wireless network coding. In this new approach we consider the arrival and departure rates in and from the wireless nodes, respectively, in steady state. Our analytical model is founded on a multi-class open queueing network. In this model, we include two basic processes of network coding, i.e., packets combination and packets multicasting, in a suitable manner considering the constraints of the queueing networks. In this respect, we consider the coded packets as new classes of customers. By solving the related traffic equations and applying the stability condition, we compute the maximum stable throughput, i.e., the maximum packet generation rate at which the packets reach their destinations with finite delays. We apply our approach to a symmetric WLAN with unicast flows and a slotted random access MAC scheme, and compute the maximum stable throughputs for the cases of simple routing and network coding, distinctly. Finally, we confirm our analytical results by simulation.