PlutoSDR

The ADALM-PLUTO (PlutoSDR) is a portable and affordable software-defined radio developed by Analog Devices. It is designed for learning, experimenting, and prototyping in wireless communication. The PlutoSDR is based on the AD9363 transceiver chip, which supports both transmission and reception of signals across a wide frequency range.

Supported Models

Model	Frequency Range	Bandwidth
ADALM-PLUTO (standard)	325 MHz to 3.8 GHz	Up to 20 MHz
Modified ADALM-PLUTO	~70 MHz to 6 GHz (firmware patched)	Up to 56 MHz (modified)

Key Features

Frequency Range: 325 MHz to 3.8 GHz (standard), expandable with modifications
Bandwidth: Up to 20 MHz, up to 56 MHz with firmware modifications
Interface: USB 2.0 with support for power, data, and firmware updates
Software Support: Compatible with GNU Radio, MATLAB, Simulink, and other SDR frameworks
Onboard Processing: Integrated ARM Cortex-A9 processor for custom applications

Hackability

Frequency & Bandwidth: The default range can be expanded to ~70 MHz to 6 GHz and bandwidth increased to 56 MHz via firmware modification (may affect stability)
2×2 MIMO: On Rev C models, 2×2 MIMO can be unlocked by wiring UFL to SMA connectors to the PCB

Limitations

Bandwidth limited to 20 MHz by default (56 MHz with modification, may affect stability)
USB 2.0 connectivity may limit data transfer rates compared to USB 3.0 or Ethernet-based SDRs

Linux Setup Instructions

The PlutoSDR is supported out of the box after installing RIA Toolkit OSS. The required Python package (pyadi-iio) is included in the toolkit’s dependencies.

1. Install libiio

On most Ubuntu installations this is already present. If not:

sudo apt install libiio-dev libiio-utils libiio0

2. Install udev Rules

For most users:

sudo udevadm control --reload
sudo udevadm trigger

For Radioconda users, create a symlink from your conda environment:

sudo ln -s $CONDA_PREFIX/lib/udev/rules.d/90-libiio.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/90-radioconda-libiio.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload
sudo udevadm trigger

3. (Optional) Build libiio or libad9361-iio from Source

Only required if you need a version not available via apt. First install build dependencies:

sudo apt-get install -y build-essential git libxml2-dev bison flex libcdk5-dev cmake \
  libusb-1.0-0-dev libavahi-client-dev libavahi-common-dev libaio-dev

Build libiio from source:

cd ~
git clone --branch v0.23 https://github.com/analogdevicesinc/libiio.git
cd libiio
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake -DPYTHON_BINDINGS=ON ..
make -j"$(nproc)"
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

Build libad9361-iio from source:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/analogdevicesinc/libad9361-iio.git
cd libad9361-iio
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j"$(nproc)"
sudo make install