Performance of Best Relay Selection Between AF and DF Methods in 5G Beyond Perspective

Abstract

In wireless cooperative communication, relay selection plays a crucial role in enhancing system performance by improving signal reliability and coverage. This paper presents a comparative analysis of two popular relay selection protocols—Decode-and-Forward (DF) and Amplify-and-Forward (AF)—within the context of best relay selection in wireless communication systems. We investigate the performance of both protocols in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) across varying Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNRs). The simulation results demonstrate that both DF and AF exhibit a decrease in BER as SNR increases, with DF consistently outperforming AF at moderate to high SNR values due to its ability to decode and re-encode the signal, effectively mitigating noise. At low SNRs, the performance of both protocols is comparable, as noise dominates the system's behavior. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the impact of dynamic relay selection in optimizing system performance by choosing the best relay based on the current channel conditions. The study also discusses the trade-offs between DF and AF in terms of complexity, computational demands, and overall performance. The findings offer valuable insights into designing adaptive and efficient relay selection schemes for 5G and beyond wireless networks, where both high reliability and energy efficiency are paramount.