What Is Software-Defined Radio (SDR)?

Design and prototype SDR systems with MATLAB and Simulink

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 Wi-Fi^®. Figure 1 shows a typical SDR block diagram and its connectivity to MATLAB^®.

Figure 1. Block diagram of SDR components and connectivity to MATLAB.

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, DVB-S2, and others using SDR and MATLAB connectivity.

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 as shown in Figure 2
Verify implementation with radio-in-the-loop tests
Test wideband wireless systems and perform spectrum monitoring
Prototype, verify, and test practical wireless systems

Figure 2. Deploy, prototype, and verify custom designs on SDR hardware using HDL and C code generation from algorithm models.

MATLAB and Simulink Hardware Support for SDR

With MATLAB and Simulink support for popular SDR hardware, you can communicate with SDR platforms to perform radio-in-the-loop testing, prototyping, and hands-on learning. The images below show the supported SDR hardware and solutions offered by MathWorks to design and prototype software-defined radio systems.