Combination of random linear coding and cross-layer opportunistic routing: Performance over bursty wireless channels

In this work we focus on the application of an intra-flow linear random coding scheme over wireless mesh networks. We propose a cross-layer technique to balance the load between relaying nodes, considering the quality of the wireless links. We assess the performance of our proposal by means of an extensive simulation campaign carried out over the ns-3 platform, exploiting a channel model based on a Hidden Markov Process, which accurately mimics the bursty behavior that is observed over real indoor channels. The results show the benefits of the proposed cross-layer technique. In addition, we also discuss the trade-off (between accuracy and overhead) that needs to be considered when obtaining the information that such scheme rely on. Our simulations yield a 10% performance gain when exploiting the link quality information, as it is already obtained by various routing protocols.