The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution demands scalable, energy-efficient
communication protocols supporting widespread device deployments. The LoRa
technology, coupled with the LoRaWAN protocol, has emerged as a leading Low
Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) solution, traditionally leveraging sub-GHz
frequency bands for reliable long-range communication. However, these bands
face constraints such as limited data rates and strict duty cycle regulations.
Recent advancements have introduced the 2.4 GHz spectrum, offering superior
data rates and unrestricted transmission opportunities at the cost of reduced
coverage and severe interference. To solve this trade-off, this paper proposes
a novel hybrid approach integrating multi-band (i.e., sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz) and
multi-hop communication into LoRaWAN, while preserving compatibility with the
existing standard. The proposed network architecture retains Gateways (GWs) and
End Devices (EDs) operating within the sub-GHz frequency while introducing
multi-band Relays (RLs) that act as forwarding nodes for 2.4 GHz EDs. Utilizing
our previously developed open-source and standards-compliant simulation
framework, we evaluate the network performance of our solution under realistic
deployment scenarios. The results demonstrate substantial improvements compared
to standard single-band and single-hop LoRaWAN networks, demonstrating the
potential of this approach to redefine LPWAN capabilities and bridge the gap
between current solutions and next-generation IoT applications.