Routing in wireless networks using rateless codes

Achieving zero error rate in wireless transmission requires exact channel state information, which is very hard due to fading channel conditions. Therefore outage probability, an important performance parameter in fading wireless channels, is considered. Minimizing the outage probability subject to certain resource constraints, or achieving a certain target outage probability with minimal resources are usually aimed. Diversity is a concept that is often exploited in order to combat with fading and decrease the outage probability. In order to achieve time diversity, rateless codes can be used. This work is a preliminary study that considers a small network of source, relay and destination. Using simulations, we studied the effects of transmission power, number of coded packet transmissions at the source and relay and their relations with end to end outage probability.