An Open-Source Framework for IEEE 802.11bf Evaluation under Lossy and Jittery Conditions

Published

May 1, 2026

Author(s)

Tanguy Ropitault, Steve Blandino, Nada Golmie

Abstract

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is emerging as a key enabler for future wireless systems, offering dual communication and sensing capabilities using the same hardware. One of the most promising realizations of this paradigm is Wi-Fi sensing, currently being standardized under the IEEE 802.11bf amendment, which extends Wi-Fi's role beyond connectivity into environmental awareness. Wi-Fi sensing has the potential to support a wide range of applications, from smart homes to healthcare services. It also holds significant promise for military and security scenarios, enabling capabilities such as intrusion detection, silent perimeter monitoring, and situational awareness, without the need for dedicated radar infrastructure. However, just as conventional IEEE 802.11 networks suffer from delays and losses caused by contention-based access, interference, collisions, and congestion, 802.11bf sensing deployments will be subject to the same impairments. These non-idealities can significantly degrade sensing performance, which traditionally relies on consistently timed and complete measurements. This paper presents enhancements to the open-source ISACPhysical Layer Model (PLM) framework, enabling systematic evaluation of Wi-Fi sensing under lossy and irregular timing conditions. Specifically, we extend the simulation environment to incorporate configurable sensing timing jitter and sensing packet loss, allowing accurate assessment of 802.11bf protocol performance. Using a representative indoor military surveillance scenario for presence detection, our results show that the velocity accuracy needed for such scenario is not guaranteed beyond a 40 % packet loss rate. These findings highlight the importance of developing resilient sensing algorithms and the need for rigorous, reproducible testing environments, both of which are facilitated by our proposed open-source evaluation platform.

Proceedings Title

IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM)

Conference Dates

October 6-10, 2025

Conference Location

Los Angeles, CA, US

Conference Title

MILCOM

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

ISAC, IEEE 802.11bf, Open-Source

Citation

Ropitault, T. , Blandino, S. and Golmie, N. (2026), An Open-Source Framework for IEEE 802.11bf Evaluation under Lossy and Jittery Conditions, IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM), Los Angeles, CA, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959928 (Accessed May 12, 2026)

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