Efficient multipath in wireless networks using network coding over braided meshes

In wireless networks, the trade-off between reliability and efficiency is often obtained through multipath routing schemes. In multipath environments, such as those found in sensor networks, traditional internet routing solutions cannot be employed. Moreover, because multipath construction and maintenance is costly, a common alternative is using braided meshes, where it is difficult to calculate the underlying capacity, or to efficiently adapt to the existing network conditions. In this paper we propose the use of network coding over a multipath braided mesh topology that exploits both the low-cost mesh-topology construction, such as those obtained by diffusion algorithms, and the capacity-achieving capability of linear network coding. We implement our proposed algorithm using the ns-2 network simulator, and demonstrate that it achieves the best energy efficiency of existing methods. Moreover, our solution easily adapts to changing conditions in the network and it can be used to adjust reliability on demand.