Have a question? Contact Us.
PRODUCT FLYER
USRP Software Defined Radios
Contents
USRP Software Defined Radios
Detailed View
Key Features
Wide Selection of RF I/O
Scalability for Multichannel Operation
Your Choice of Development Software
Easier FPGA Programming
Best-in-Class Hardware Design
NI-USRP Application Programming Interface for LabVIEW and LabVIEW Communications
NI SDR Hardware
Hardware Services
Page 1 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
USRP Software Defined Radios
USRP-290x, USRP-292x, and USRP 293x; USRP-294x and USRP-295x; and USRP-2974
• Software: Includes API support for LabVIEW and the LabVIEW FPGA Module, shipping
examples, and detailed help files; text-based languages are supported using the USRP
Hardware Driver (UHD)
• Frequency ranges between 10 MHz and 6 GHz
• Up to 160 MHz instantaneous bandwidth
• GPS disciplined oscillator option
• Up to 2x2 transceiver channels or 4 receiver channels
• Reconfigurable FPGA on some models
• Onboard x86 processor option
Software Defined Radios for Any Use Case
NI USRP devices are software defined radios (SDRs) that combine host-based processors, FPGAs, and
RF front ends to help you rapidly design, prototype, and deploy wireless systems. The USRP product line
offers a wide breadth of SDRs ranging from lower-cost options with fixed FPGA personalities to high-end
radios with large, open FPGAs and up to 160 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth.
USRP SDRs are ideal for developing and prototyping complex wireless designs. After you design and
simulate your digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms, you need to prototype in a real-world
environment to ensure you deliver high-quality technology to market on time. The powerful processing
capability of onboard FPGAs is especially beneficial for applications that require processing wide
bandwidths of data in real time. USRP SDRs are also well suited for applications like spectral monitoring
and direction finding because of their wide bandwidths and flexible RF front ends. On select models, an
onboard x86 processor creates a complex yet powerful USRP that you can use as a stand-alone radio.
Page 2 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Table 1. Overview of Features for All NI USRP Models and Their Ettus Research Equivalents
NI Model Frequency Range Bandwidth GPS LabVIEW Ettus Research
Disciplined FPGA Support Equivalent
Oscillator
USRP-2900 70 MHz–6 GHz 56 MHz B200
USRP-2901 70 MHz–6 GHz 56 MHz B210
USRP-2920 50 MHz–2.2 GHz 20 MHz N210 + WBX
USRP-2922 0.4–4.4 GHz 20 MHz N210 + SBX
USRP-2930 50 MHz–2.2 GHz 20 MHz ● N210 + WBX +
GPSDO
USRP-2932 0.4–4.4 GHz 20 MHz ● N210 + SBX + GPSDO
USRP-2940 50 MHz–2.2 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● X310 + WBX
USRP-2942 0.4–4.4 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● X310 + SBX
USRP-2943 1.2–6 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● X310 + CBX
USRP-2944 30 MHz–6 GHz 160 MHz ● X310 + UBX
USRP-2945 10 MHz–6 GHz 80 MHz ● X310 + TwinRX
USRP-2950 50 MHz–2.2 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● ● X310 + WBX + GPSDO
USRP-2952 0.4–4.4 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● ● X310 + SBX + GPSDO
USRP-2953 1.2–6 GHz 40 MHz/120 MHz ● ● X310 + CBX + GPSDO
USRP-2954 30 MHz–6 GHz 160 MHz ● ● X310 + UBX + GPSDO
USRP-2955 10 MHz–6 GHz 80 MHz ● ● X310 + TwinRX +
GPSDO
USRP-2974* 10 MHz–6 GHz 160 MHz ● ● USRP-2974
*The USRP-2974 is a stand-alone device that includes an onboard Intel Core i7 processor.
NI offers a wide range of USRP SDRs. Table 1 provides an overview of the basic features of each
version. The equivalent product from Ettus Research (a National Instruments Brand) is also included. All
NI USRP SDRs are sold as fully assembled, tested, and enclosed units that are ready to run out of the
box. All Ettus Research USRP SDRs are sold as components and require assembly by the end user.
Additional USRP models are available from Ettus Research. For more information, please visit ettus.com.
Page 3 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Detailed View of the USRP-2944 10 MHz–6 GHz SDR
Detailed View of the USRP-2920 50 MHz–2.2 GHz SDR
Page 4 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Key Features
Wide Selection of RF I/O
USRP SDRs offer the broadest selection of RF I/O of any commercial off-the-shelf SDR. With frequency
ranges between 10 MHz and 6 GHz and instantaneous bandwidth up to 160 MHz, NI provides you with
the relevant frequency bands to keep up with the latest industry standards, including the specifications to
support emerging standards like 5G New Radio (NR).
Scalable for Multichannel Operation
USRP SDRs feature a variety of synchronization options so you can easily expand your RF channel
count for Massive MIMO applications. Choose between hardware synchronization using a shared
reference clock and trigger or GPS synchronization using the GPS Disciplined Oscillator (GPSDO).
Through the Ettus Research catalog, you also have the option for Ethernet-based synchronization using
the White Rabbit standard for select models.
For tight, multidevice synchronization, you can share up to eight clocks using the 8-Channel Clock
Distribution Accessory, or CDA-2990. This device accepts both an external 10 MHz clock and a pulse per
second (PPS) input signal and then amplifies and distributes each to eight output ports, so you can
synchronize multiple modules to a common timing source. For systems with even higher channel counts,
you can cascade multiple CDA-2990 devices. Using this method, USRP users have built phase-coherent
systems up to 128 channels.
Figure 1. Synchronizing Multiple USRP Devices with the CDA-2990
Your Choice of Development Software
No matter what your preferences are for development tools, USRP SDRs work with the broadest range of
software workflows on the market. You can choose between two drivers, NI-USRP or UHD, based on
your preferred development tools.
With NI-USRP, you can program your USRP SDR with LabVIEW, NI’s flagship intuitive development
environment, to rapidly develop measurement systems. Using the LabVIEW dataflow programming style,
you can program both the host and FPGA in a single development environment. The abstracted design
environment helps accelerate the design of wireless systems and makes FPGA programming accessible
to those without HDL design expertise. If you have third-party IP that you want to incorporate, such as
MathWorks MATLAB® or VHDL code, you can import this IP directly from LabVIEW. For a higher-level
starting point, NI also offers LabVIEW Communications application frameworks for LTE, 802.11, and
MIMO to accelerate application design.
Page 5 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
UHD works with all USRP SDRs, and it is published by NI’s R&D organization under open-source
licenses. It facilitates application development on USRP SDRs in C/C++ and offers cross-platform support
for several industry-standard development environments and frameworks, such as RFNoC, GNU Radio,
Python, and MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink®. As an active leader in the open-source SDR
communities such as the GNU Radio Foundation, NI consistently works to further wireless
communications research through the open-source ecosystem.
Table 2. Overview of the Ettus Research USRP Hardware Driver (UHD) and NI-USRP Driver
UHD NI-USRP
Windows Windows
OS Linux NI Linux Real-Time
Mac OS
GNU Radio LabVIEW 20XX
C/C++ LabVIEW NXG
Host
MATLAB®/Simulink®
Python
VHDL LabVIEW FPGA Module
Verilog LabVIEW NXG Module
FPGA HDL Coder
RFNoC (Open-Source FPGA
Framework)
Easier FPGA Programming
As bandwidths widen and latency requirements grow more stringent, the ability to implement high-speed
digital signal processing in real time is essential. The powerful processing capability of onboard FPGAs
helps you meet these requirements, but the tools needed to design FPGA-based systems are notoriously
complex for even the most competent scientists and engineers. USRP SDRs make FPGA programming
easier by abstracting many of the low-level design tasks associated with custom hardware design.
You can program FPGAs more intuitively without HDL expertise using LabVIEW, which offers a graphical
programming language that mirrors the parallelism of hardware. LabVIEW is a single development
environment that can target multicore general-purpose processors, NI Linux Real-Time, and FPGAs while
tightly integrating with SDR hardware.
Page 6 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Figure 2. LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite
If you prefer traditional FPGA design languages, UHD includes free and open-source FPGA code for all
USRP devices. An optional part of UHD is an FPGA framework called RF Network-on-Chip (RFNoC) that
provides a consistent approach to implementing FPGA DSP code in an open-source environment.
Figure 3. RFNoC Software Stack
Best-in-Class Hardware Design
USRP SDRs have been trusted by more than 8,000 companies for industrial and commercial use for over
a decade. More than 50,000 devices have been incorporated in labs, testbeds, and OEM deployments
worldwide. USRP is considered the gold standard in SDRs because of the excellence of our hardware
design practices. The assembled devices arrive precertified with CE and KC EMC certifications for
conformity, so you can be confident that your devices meet EMC emissions requirements.
Page 7 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
NI-USRP Application Programming Interface for LabVIEW
and LabVIEW Communications
The NI-USRP driver includes a best-in-class application programming interface (API) that works with
LabVIEW, the LabVIEW FPGA Module, and the LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite. To
ensure the long-term interoperability of USRP SDRs, the NI-USRP driver API is the same API used for all
past and current NI USRP SDRs.* The driver also provides access to help files, documentation, and
dozens of ready-to-run shipping examples you can use as a starting point for your application.
*NI USRP SDRs only. Not all Ettus Research USRP SDRs are supported by the NI-USRP driver. Please check the driver readme
file for a complete list of supported devices.
Figure 4. Graphical programming in the LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite.
Page 8 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Unparalleled Solutions for SDR
NI SDR hardware and software solutions drive productivity, shorten time to results, and empower
engineers, scientists, and researchers to design next-generation wireless technologies.
The breadth and depth of NI’s SDR offering are unrivaled. Scaling from small to massive, NI SDR tools,
including those from Ettus Research, an NI company, can be used for a wide variety of applications
including signals intelligence, military communications, radar, and communications research.
Across applications and industries like these, wireless researchers can leverage NI tools that scale from
cost-effective single-user experimentation systems to densely packed Massive MIMO systems capable of
accommodating hundreds of radios and antennas. And when it comes to software, NI provides
unmatched flexibility and choice from the simplified FPGA programming of the LabVIEW Communications
System Design Suite to a wide, vibrant community of open-source software contributors through GNU
Radio.
Figure 5. NI portfolio of software defined instruments
Page 9 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
NI SDR Hardware
NI offers the most comprehensive range of SDR hardware in the world. With banded frequency options
from DC to 71 GHz, up to 2 GHz of real-time bandwidth, powerful DSP-focused FPGAs, and form factors
ranging from handheld devices to high-channel-count systems, NI SDRs can meet your needs from
design to deployment.
B Series/USRP-290x N Series/USRP-292x
Cost-effective USB SDRs with a High-value Ethernet-connected E Series
wide frequency range, a USRP SDRs featuring superior Portable and stand-alone
compact form factor, and up to RF performance, MIMO wideband SDRs containing a
15 MHz of streaming bandwidth capability, and up to 100 MHz of Zynq SoC, a 2x2 MIMO
bandwidth transceiver, and 56 MHz of
bandwidth
X Series/USRP RIO mmWave Transceiver
High-performance PCI Express, ATCA-3671
10 Gigabit Ethernet devices that System Four Virtex-7 690T FPGAs in an
include a powerful Kintex-7 Advanced multi-FPGA solution ATCA form factor, dedicated
FPGA, a 2x2 MIMO transceiver, for real-time 5G prototyping that internal serial links between
and up to 160 MHz of bandwidth features 2 GHz of bandwidth at each FPGA, and up to 160 GB/s
the 28, 39, and 73 GHz bands of external digital connection
Stand-Alone SDR
High-performing SDRs with an Ettus Research, an NI company, provides detailed
onboard processor and FPGA
for stand-alone applications, up
product information for B Series, N Series, E Series,
to 160 MHz of bandwidth, and and X Series devices at ettus.com.
MIMO capability
Page 10 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
Hardware Services
All NI hardware features a one-year warranty for basic repair coverage in adherence to NI specifications
prior to shipment. NI offers additional entitlements to improve uptime and lower maintenance costs with
service programs for hardware. Learn more at ni.com/services/hardware.
Standard Premium Description
1, 3, or 5 1, 3, or 5
Program Duration Length of service program
years years
Extended Repair NI restores your device’s functionality and includes firmware updates and
● ●
Coverage factory calibration.
System
NI technicians assemble, install software in, and test your system per your
Configuration, ● ●
custom configuration prior to shipment.
Assembly, and Test1
Advanced NI stocks replacement hardware that can be shipped immediately if a repair
●
Replacement2 is needed.
System Return
NI accepts the delivery of fully assembled systems when performing repair
Material ●
services.
Authorization (RMA)1
Calibration Plan NI performs the requested level of calibration at the specified calibration
Standard Expedited3
(Optional) interval for the duration of the service program.
1
This option is available only for PXI, CompactRIO, and CompactDAQ systems.
2
This option is not available for all products in all countries. Contact your local NI sales engineer to confirm availability.
3
Expedited calibration includes only traceable levels.
PremiumPlus Service Program
NI can customize the offerings listed above or offer additional entitlements such as on-site calibration,
custom sparing, and life-cycle services through a PremiumPlus Service Program. Contact your NI sales
engineer to learn more.
Technical Support
Every NI system includes a 30-day trial for phone and email support from NI engineers that you can
extend through a Standard Service Program (SSP) membership. NI has more than 400 engineers around
the globe to provide local support in more than 30 languages. Additionally, you can take advantage of
NI’s award-winning online resources and communities.
©2019 National Instruments. All rights reserved. CompactRIO, Ettus Research, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, NI
CompactDAQ, USRP, and USRP Hardware Driver are trademarks of National Instruments. MATLAB® and Simulink® are registered
trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. The registered trademark Linux® is used pursuant to a sublicense from LMI, the exclusive
licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a worldwide basis. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or
trade names of their respective companies. The contents of this Site could contain technical inaccuracies, typographical errors or
out-of-date information. Information may be updated or changed at any time, without notice. Visit ni.com/manuals for the latest
information.
29 August 2019
Page 11 | ni.com | USRP Software Defined Radios
