SDRLAB
Welcome to the SDRLAB corner of the wiki. This section covers the software-defined radio (SDR) hardware we carry — from the legendary little RTL-SDR dongle that launched a million hobby projects, to a serious dual-channel transceiver that could sit in a university lab, plus a handheld HackRF-powered radio that fits in a jacket pocket. We also document the Flipper Zero expansion modules that turn the Flipper into a pocket wireless lab.
What is an SDR, really? A software-defined radio replaces traditional analog radio circuitry (mixers, filters, demodulators) with a wideband digitizer: the hardware captures a chunk of radio spectrum, and a computer — or an FPGA — does the "radio math" in software. Want to listen to a different mode or frequency? Change the software, not the hardware.
How this section is organized
SDR hardware
| Product | What it is | Frequency range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTL-SDR Blog V4 | USB dongle receiver (RTL2832U + R828D tuner) | 500 kHz – 1.766 GHz | The classic first SDR: ADS-B, AIS, POCSAG pager, FM, NOAA satellites |
| SDRLab TRX-duo | Dual-channel 16-bit transceiver (Xilinx Zynq 7010) | 10 kHz – 60 MHz | HF ham radio, lab experiments, Red Pitaya-compatible applications |
| SDRLab H4M | HackRF One + PortaPack handheld transceiver | 1 MHz – 6 GHz | Field signal hunting, spectrum analysis, portable TX/RX experiments |
Flipper Zero expansion modules
| Module | What it does | Radio chip | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5G Expansion Board | 2.4/5 GHz WiFi (Marauder) + GPS | ESP32-C5 | WiFi recon, wardriving, GPS logging |
| NRF24 module | 2.4 GHz packet radio | nRF24L01+ | Channel scanning, sniffing, wireless mouse/keyboard testing |
| WiFi multiboard | 2.4 GHz WiFi tool | ESP8266 | Deauth testing, packet capture, Evil Portal experiments |
| Ethernet test module | 10/100 Ethernet interface | WIZnet W5500 | Cable testing, DHCP checks, LAN diagnostics |
Guides and reference
- Quickstart — your first 30 minutes with any SDRLAB product, step by step.
- SDR software — GQRX, SDR#, SDR++, SDR Console, HDSDR and the command-line tools, and which to pick for which job.
- Firmware & drivers — how to keep your hardware's drivers and firmware current.
- Troubleshooting — a problem-solving hub with a decision tree and symptom tables.
- ALFA Linux guide — chipset-focused ALFA adapter drivers for Ubuntu and Kali (useful when you pair an ALFA adapter with your SDR rig).
Related sections
- Flipper Zero — the base device that most of our expansion modules plug into.
- ALFA Network — high-gain Wi-Fi adapters and antennas, commonly used alongside SDRs for wireless protocol analysis.
- Getting Started — if this is your first visit to the wiki, start there.