When Sensing Meets Communication: Coexistence Analysis of IEEE 802.11bf and IEEE 802.11ax

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) will be a key new feature in the next-generation wireless networks, with IEEE 802.11bf extending Wi-Fi capabilities to support applications like object localization and activity recognition. However, coexistence with legacy Wi-Fi in densely populated networks poses challenges, as contention for channels can impair both sensing and communication quality. This paper develops an analytical framework and a system-level simulation in ns-3 to evaluate the coexistence of IEEE 802.11bf and legacy 802.11ax in terms of sensing delay and communication throughput. We provide the first coexistence analysis between IEEE 802.11bf and IEEE 802.11ax, supported by link-level simulation in ns-3 to assess impacts on sensing delay and network performance. Our findings reveal key trade-offs between sensing intervals and throughput and the need for balanced sensing parameters to ensure effective coexistence in Wi-Fi networks.