EGAL: Enhancing LoRa Network Lifetime with Load Balancing

LoRa networks have emerged as a promising solution for long-range, low-power communication in IoT applications. However, a significant challenge in LoRa networks is the uneven battery depletion among nodes, due to the varying transmission configurations required to support different distances between the nodes and the gateway. This disparity in battery consumption poses a substantial challenge to the overall network lifetime. This paper introduces EGAL, a relay-based approach designed to address the battery imbalance issue by ensuring balanced energy consumption across all nodes. Unlike purely multi-hop networks, EGAL follows a hybrid approach that selectively uses relays when necessary while maintaining direct connections to the gateway. EGAL employs a reward-based algorithm that dynamically adjusts relay duties and integrates predictive analytics, thereby enhancing network lifespan with minimal overhead. The proposed solution is validated through NS3 simulation and real-world testbed, demonstrating significant improvements in network lifetime. Specifically, in simulations, EGAL exhibits up to a 457% increase in network lifetime over standard LoRaWAN, and in hardware tests, it shows up to a 70% decrease in total energy consumption. The key contributions of this work include the development of the EGAL algorithm, its integration with standard LoRaWan,and extensive validation of its effectiveness.