PowerNetMax

A DRL-GNN framework for IRS-Assisted IOT network optimization

Authored by

Muhammad Farhan, Lei Wang, Nadir Shah, Gabriel Miro Muntean, Awais Bin Asif, Houbing Herbert Song

Abstract

Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) have recently emerged as a cutting-edge technology in 6G Internet of Things (IoT) communications, offering substantial connectivity enhancements, particularly in remote, high-mobility, or obstacle-prone environments. This paper proposes PowerNetMax, an innovative framework designed to improve overall network connectivity, reliability, and energy efficiency in IRS-assisted IoT communication systems. PowerNetMax leverages a comprehensive set of network parameters and integrates the strengths of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) and Graph Neural Networks (GNN) to enable intelligent and adaptive optimization. Through extensive experimentation, PowerNetMax demonstrates up to 5–20 % higher received power, 50 % faster convergence, and 20 % higher throughput under mobility conditions compared to state-of-the-art GNN-based and heuristic solutions. Extensive simulation results confirm that PowerNetMax achieves superior adaptability and robustness, highlighting its effectiveness for future IRS-assisted IoT networks.

Details

Organisation(s)
Communications Systems Section
External Organisation(s)
Dalian University of Technology
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
Dublin City University
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Type
Article
Journal
Computer networks
Volume
273
ISSN
1389-1286
Publication date
12.2025
Publication status
Published
Peer reviewed
Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Computer Networks and Communications
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
Electronic version(s)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111760 (Access: Closed )