LoCo-Link: A Low-Complexity Link Selection Algorithm for Delay Mitigation in Asymmetric Two-Hop Networks

While buffer-aided relaying improves the diversity of a multi-hop network, its deployment introduces time-delays, thus rendering buffering unreliable for delay-intolerant applications. To alleviate excessive delays, various studies propose delayaware protocols, but at the expense of reduced diversity, and consequently, increased outage probability. Attempts to maintain the diversity of the system while trying to reduce delays, however, may lead to even higher delays, especially in asymmetric topologies. In this work, we propose a Low-Complexity (LoCo) link selection algorithm, herein called LoCo - Link, that aims at reducing packet delays and enhancing the performance of practical asymmetric two-hop networks. The complexity of LoCo - Link is derived and compared with other state-of-the-art relay selection policies. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of outage probability, average throughput and average delay, focusing on scenarios with asymmetric links.