Age of Information Based Optimal Network Coding in Multi-Source Multi-Hop IoT Networks

In this paper, we explore the optimal use of network coding in multi-source multi-hop Internet of things (IoT) networks, focusing on minimizing the average age of information (AoI) under various system parameters. Specifically, we determine the optimal number of packets for performing network coding at intermediate nodes (servers) to optimize the average AoI performance. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate how frequency of network coding impacts data freshness across a range of scenarios, including different numbers of sources, transmission success probabilities, and computational capacities. Simulation results provide practical insights into the deployment of network coding in real-world IoT applications, shedding light on the design process of how to implement network coding and highlighting its potential to significantly improve timeliness in data delivery.