Efficient Multipath in Sensor Networks using Diffusion and Network Coding

In this paper we propose to employ the use of network coding to achieve an adaptive equivalent solution to the construction of disjoint multipath routes from a source to a destination. It 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 present a simple randomized network coding scheme that can be efficiently employed in sensor networks, solving two of its main problems: knowledge of the underlying network capacity and rate control. Our solution easily adapts to the changing conditions of the network and it can be used by the sinks to increase or decrease capacity and reliability on demand.