Wireless network with improved sharing of high power consumption tasks

Protocols for ad-hoc wireless networks ( 200 ) that use mediation devices ( 202-210 ) to facilitate communication between low power, low duty cycle wireless devices ( 212-226 ) are provided. In order to avoid premature battery exhaustion in particular devices, devices operating as mediation devices ( 202-210 ) report their communication load to low duty cycle wireless devices ( 212-226 ) that are positioned to be able to use the mediation devices ( 202-210 ). Based on the information as to communication load received from multiple mediation devices ( 202-210 ), and optionally on a virtual hop count that is a predictor of how rapidly the use of a route through a particular mediation device will lead to battery exhaustion, low duty cycle wireless devices ( 212-226 ) choose a mediation device ( 202-210 ) to use or proportion use of mediation devices ( 202-210 ) in order to delay battery exhaustion in the network.