September 2021
This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-USRP.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Product Security and Critical Updates
Finding Examples, Lessons, and Sample Projects
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
This software installation provides support for customers using software defined radio (USRP) devices, software defined radio reconfigurable (USRP RIO) devices, and software defined radio stand-alone (USRP Stand-Alone) devices, as specified in the Supported Hardware section. To program your USRP, USRP RIO, or USRP Stand-Alone device, use the NI-USRP API or USRP RIO Instrument Design Library (IDL) included in the NI-USRP instrument driver.
The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using a USRP, USRP RIO, or USRP Stand-Alone device.
NI-USRP 21.0 has the following requirements:
| Device | USB 2.0 or Higher | Gigabit Ethernet | PCI/MXI Express |
|---|---|---|---|
| USRP-2900/2901 | √ | ||
| USRP-2920/2921/2922 | √ | ||
| USRP-2930/2932 | √ | ||
| USRP-2940/2942/2943/2944/2945 | √ | √1 | |
| USRP-2950/2952/2953/2954/2955 | √ | √1 | |
| Ettus USRP X410 | √ | √2 |
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for your version of LabVIEW.
NI USRP-294x/295x devices support both 1G Ethernet (1 GbE) and 10G Ethernet (10 GbE) using the connectors on the device back panel. With the default FPGA image, port 0 is designated for 1G, and port 1 is designated for 10G. Users programming with LabVIEW can use Ethernet.
Note The FPGA cannot be modified when the 294x/295x device is connected through Ethernet.
Ethernet Support for the Ettus USRP X410 device depends on the utilized FPGA image.
NI-USRP 21.0 supports the following operating systems:
Note: NI-USRP no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.1, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. NI-USRP 21.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-USRP 21.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-USRP 21.0, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
NI-USRP 21.0 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are using LabVIEW, you should install it before installing NI-USRP. To add support for application software installed after installing NI-USRP, modify your NI-USRP installation or launch the NI-USRP installer again.
| Device | LabVIEW 2018, 2019, 2020, or 2021 | NI Linux RT |
|---|---|---|
| USRP-2900/2901 | √ | |
| USRP-2920/2921/2922 | √ | |
| USRP-2930/2932 | √ | |
| USRP-2940/2942/2943/2944 | √ | |
| USRP-2950/2952/2953/2954 | √ | |
| USRP-2945/2955 | √ | |
| Ettus USRP X410 | √* | √ |
Download the NI-USRP installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
Notes
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.
NI-USRP 21.0 includes the following new features:
NI-USRP 20.5 adds performance and architectural enhancements.
NI-USRP 20.0 includes the following new features:
The following hardware products are supported in all operating systems listed in the Supported Operating Systems section. Refer to the Application Software Support section for information regarding supported application software versions.
*The NI-USRP instrument driver supports TwinRX, UBX, CBX, CBX-120, WBX, WBX-120, SBX, SBX-120, XCVR2450 daughterboards. Other daughterboards may also be compatible, but they have not been tested.
Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI-USRP Help.
The following are the behavior changes in NI-USRP 21.0 from NI-USRP 20.5:
The following are the behavior changes in NI-USRP 18.5 from NI-USRP 18.0:
Documentation for NI-USRP is located at Start»National Instruments»NI-USRP»Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| NI-USRP 21.0 Readme | HTML (this document) | Start»National Instruments»NI-USRP»NI-USRP Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
| NI-USRP Help | HTML/Windows Help | Start»National Instruments»NI-USRP»NI-USRP Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals | The primary document for most USRP products used in LabVIEW. The help is an installed and online version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
|
| NI-USRP Manual | Online Help | Online at ni.com/manuals | The primary document for most USRP products. The help is an installed and online version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
|
| Getting started guide for your device | Printed and PDF | Online at ni.com/manuals | Contains software and hardware installation, configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device. |
| Specifications for your device | Online at ni.com/manuals | Lists technical specifications for your device. | |
| Manual for your device | Online Help | Online at ni.com/manuals | Contains information about supported hardware, including pinouts, block diagrams, and specifications. |
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
Note To view PDFs, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.
NI-USRP examples, lessons, and sample projects are available in the following locations.
| Content Type | Description | LabVIEW |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | NI-USRP includes several example applications that serve as interactive tools, programming models, and building blocks in your own applications. NI-USRP includes examples for getting started and other software-defined radio (SDR) functionality. Note You can access additional examples from the Code Sharing Community at ni.com/usrp. |
|
| Lessons | NI-USRP includes lessons that guide you through the process of identifying and demodulating an FM signal with your device. | N/A |
| Sample Projects | USRP RIO includes several sample projects that serve as starting points to build a USRP RIO streaming application. | From the Create Project dialog, select Sample Projects in the left pane and navigate to the NI-USRP Simple Streaming project. |
| Ettus USRP X410 Reference FPGA Project | NI-USRP includes a LV FPGA reference project that generates default bitfiles designed for the Ettus USRP X410. The reference project also serves as a starting point to customize the FPGA of the Ettus USRP X410. | For detailed information on the Ettus USRP X410 Reference Project, visit ni.com/r/x410refproj. |
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
Copyright
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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Patents
For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
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