What Is Software-Defined Radio (SDR)?

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 Wi-Fi and LTE.

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

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

• Learn about wireless transceiver hardware implementation with SDR
• Set up SDR hardware with preconfigured radio functions
• 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 SDR hardware using HDL and C code generation from algorithm models
• Verify implementation with radio-in-the loop tests
• Prototype, verify, and test practical wireless systems using USRP^® E310

MATLAB and Simulink Hardware Support for SDR

MATLAB and Simulink provides support packages for popular SDR hardware. You can communicate with these SDR platforms directly from MATLAB and Simulink to perform radio-in-the-loop testing, prototyping, and hands-on learning.