What Is Software-Defined Radio?

A software-defined radio (SDR) is a wireless device that typically consists of a configurable RF front end with an FPGA or programmable system-on-chip (SoC) to perform digital functions. Commercially available SDR hardware can transmit and receive signals at different frequencies to implement wireless standards from FM radio to 5G, LTE, and WLAN. 

Wireless engineers can use software-defined radio hardware as a cost-effective, real-time platform for a range of wireless engineering tasks, including:

• Over-the-air lab and field testing with live RF signals
• Rapid prototyping of custom radio functions
• Hands-on learning of wireless communications concepts and design skills

Wireless engineers can also work with various wireless standards such as 5G, LTE, WLAN, DVB-S2, and others using SDR and MATLAB^® connectivity

Block diagram of SDR components and connectivity to MATLAB.

Using a software-defined radio together with MATLAB and Simulink^® for wireless design, simulation, and analysis enables engineers and students to:

• Transmit and receive standards-based and custom-generated signals.
• Test designs in the presence of interference and other real-world conditions.
• Perform real-time signal analysis and measurement.
• Deploy, prototype, and verify custom designs on Zynq^® radios using HDL and C code generation from algorithm models.
• Generate HDL code from Simulink models and deploy on supported USRP™ radios.
• Verify implementation with radio-in-the-loop tests.
• Transmit and capture signals to test wideband wireless systems and perform spectrum monitoring.
• Capture wideband signals and use them to train deep learning models for wireless applications.

Deploy, prototype, and verify custom designs on SDR hardware using HDL and C code generation from algorithm models.

How to Get Started with Software-Defined Radios with Communications Toolbox		RF Signal Capture Using MATLAB and SDR

MATLAB and Simulink Hardware Support for SDR

You can use MATLAB and Simulink to communicate with several popular SDR platforms to perform radio-in-the-loop testing, prototyping, and hands-on learning:

Analog Devices ADALM-PLUTO	RTL-SDR	USRP B2xx and N2xx Radios
USRP N3xx, X3xx, and X4xx Radios	AMD SoC and FPGA Devices	USRP E310
AMD and Intel® SoC Devices

Learn more

• AI For Wireless – Discovery page
• AI For Wireless Communication with MATLAB – Ebook
• 5G NR Waveform Generation and Over-the-Air Testing with MATLAB – White Paper

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