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SDRLAB Quickstart — Your First 30 Minutes

Learning goal: by the end of this page you will have picked a product, understood the general "plug in → driver → software → signal" flow, and verified that your SDR hardware actually works. Audience: first-timers ｜ Prerequisites: one SDRLAB product, a computer (Windows/Linux/macOS), and the will to hear radio noise and love it.

Concept: the universal SDR flow​

Every SDRLAB product follows the same three-stage journey, even though the details differ:

Think of it like plugging in a new game controller: hardware first (the thing must be recognized), driver second (the OS must talk to it), software third (the game — actually the radio — must know how to use it). Nine times out of ten, "nothing works" means one of these three stages was skipped.

Step 1: Pick your product and connect it​

ProductHow it connectsNeeds extra power?First step
RTL-SDR Blog V4USB-A to your PCNo (USB powered)Plug in, install driver
SDRLab TRX-duoGigabit Ethernet + USB-C powerYes, power via USB-CFlash SD card, boot, browse to web UI
SDRLab H4MStandalone handheld (USB-C for charging/flashing)Battery or USB-CCharge, insert microSD, install Mayhem firmware
5G Expansion BoardFlipper Zero GPIO headerNo (Flipper/battery)Set GPIO pins, open Marauder app
NRF24 moduleFlipper Zero GPIO headerNoPlug in, open NRF24 sniffer app
WiFi multiboardFlipper Zero GPIO headerNoPlug in, open WiFi deauther app
Ethernet test moduleFlipper Zero GPIO header + RJ45 cableNoWire SPI, open Ethernet app

New to Flipper Zero? Head to the Flipper Zero section first to get your Flipper updated and comfortable.

Step 2: Make the driver/firmware layer happy​

  • RTL-SDR V4 on Linux: you need a current driver — older distro packages don't know about the V4's R828D tuner. Follow the driver update steps on the RTL-SDR V4 page.
  • RTL-SDR V4 on Windows: modern tools (SDR#, SDR++, SDR Console) ship with V4-compatible drivers — just install the software and go.
  • TRX-duo: the SD card is the firmware. Download the official image (see the TRX-duo page), write it to a microSD card, insert, boot.
  • H4M: install the Mayhem firmware — the device ships functional but Mayhem unlocks the full toolkit.
  • Flipper modules: most need a custom Flipper firmware (Momentum, Unleashed, Xtreme) for the extra apps, plus a GPIO pin setting. Each expansion page lists the exact pins.

Step 3: Launch software and verify a signal​

The fastest "it works!" test per device:

ProductTestExpected result
RTL-SDR V4rtl_test in terminal"Supported sample rates", PASS lines scrolling
TRX-duoBrowser → http://192.168.1.100Red Pitaya-style web dashboard loads
H4MSpectrum app on screenWaterfall shows FM broadcast band noise/signals
5G boardMarauder scanapNearby SSIDs appear with RSSI
NRF24 moduleChannel scanner2.4 GHz activity on channels 1–126
WiFi multiboardDeauther scanAP list populates
Ethernet moduleW5500 app → DHCPIP address assigned, ping works

Step 4: Tune something real​

Pick a frequency you know has signals, not a random spot:

  • FM broadcast radio: 88–108 MHz — your first SDR signal, guaranteed.
  • NOAA weather satellites (137 MHz): APT satellite images, a weekend project favorite.
  • Aircraft (ADS-B, 1090 MHz): planes streaming position data.
  • Pager (POCSAG): ~137 MHz and ~466 MHz — classic RTL-SDR curiosity.
  • Aircraft (HF, if you own a TRX-duo): 3–30 MHz shortwave broadcasters at night.

Step 5: Check your checklist​

  • Hardware recognized (led light on / app sees the device)
  • Driver or firmware version is current
  • SDR software sees the device by name/model
  • Waterfall or spectrum shows something — then a real signal
  • Know where your antenna is and what band it suits (this matters more than you think!)

Common first-day mistakes​

MistakeWhy it happensFix
No devices found in rtl_testKernel DVB driver grabbed the dongleBlacklist dvb_usb_rtl28xxu (see RTL-SDR V4 page)
TRX-duo web UI unreachableWrong static IP / no DHCP on the networkCheck the network section
H4M has no appsmicroSD missing or staleCopy the COPY_TO_SDCARD files from the Mayhem release
Flipper app says "no module"GPIO pins not set for the moduleSet pins under Protocol Settings → GPIO Pin Settings (per expansion page)
Everything deadNo antenna attachedScrew on the antenna — an SDR without an antenna is a very quiet paperweight

Next steps​