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Choosing an SDR for Your GSM Network

There are many, MANY SDRs on the market, each designed for specific use-cases. Not all SDRs are suitable for hosting a GSM network, and the ones that are capable may utilize drivers that are not supported by your BTS software. This guide will help you pick the correct SDR for your self-hosted GSM network.

Types of SDR:

There are multiple subtypes of SDR to choose from, including receivers, half-duplex transceivers, and full-duplex transceivers. Each type of SDR has its own specific purpose. Below is a brief explanation of the various SDRs on the market:

The main types of SDR:

• Receivers - This type of SDR can only receive signals, and is incapable of transmitting. One common example is the humble RTL-SDR.

• Transceivers - This category of SDR can both transmit and receive signals. There are two forms of SDR transceivers:

  • Half-Duplex - This type of transceiver cannot receive signals while actively transmitting, and vice versa. One example of a half-duplex SDR is the Airspy HackRF series.

  • Full-Duplex - This type of transceiver is capable of transmitting and receiving signals at the same time. Some examples of full-duplex SDRs are the LimeSDR, USRP, and BladeRF devices. These SDRs are often used for networking and communication.

In order to host a DIY GSM network, you must use a full duplex SDR due to its simultaneous Tx/Rx capability.

Driver Compatibility:

Now that we have narrowed our search down to full-duplex SDRs, which one should you get?

SDRs require specific drivers to function. Unlike other USB devices, these drivers are non-standard, and not all software will support your specific SDR. There are 3 popular full-duplex SDR families commonly used for DIY cellular: BladeRF, LimeSDR, and USRP devices. These SDRs perform well for high-data-rate communication workloads, and have good driver support for BTS software.

Due to its superior compatibility and feature set, we will be focusing on USRP-class devices that utilize UHD (USRP Hardware Driver). UHD is supported by almost all cellular base station software, including the three major GSM projects. UHD also offers the most community support due to its popularity in the DIY cellular community.

Choosing Your SDR:

Now we are getting to the most important part: choosing your SDR! Even after narrowing down our search to USRP-class SDRs, there are many options, and many places to search. We have chosen to simplify the process by highlighting the most popular SDRs in the DIY cellular community. There are many great options that we did not list for the sake of simplicity, and we encourage you to purchase the hardware that suits your needs.

While you could go out and buy an actual USRP device, these are highly expensive for a hobbyist project such as running your own GSM network. For this reason, we recommend two highly popular USRP clones: the LibreSDR B210 (USRP B210 clone), and the URAN-1 (USRP1 clone). These SDRs are both highly recommended, but they offer different features at different price points. Below are some deciding details to help you choose the SDR that is right for you.

LibreSDR or URAN-1?:

• LibreSDR B210 - This is the more premium SDR of the two, featuring 2T2R (2x2 MIMO), a wider tuning range, a more robust transceiver, and support for more complex operations, enabling it to be used for more complex projects, such as hosting LTE or 5G via Open5GS for example. Additionally, the LibreSDR B210 is more useable as a general-purpose SDR, being fairly easy to use with other software, such as SDR++ for spectrum monitoring. With these improvements comes one major drawback; the LibreSDR comes at a significantly higher price, being around $300 USD.

• URAN-1 - This is the more affordable, and the more popular option of the two, coming in at around $130-$150 USD. Being less expensive, this SDR does come with some drawbacks. The URAN-1 has a far more narrow tuning range, being specifically built for hosting GSM. There are two models, tuned for the 850/900 and 1800/1900 bands respectively. Also worth noting: the URAN-1 does require an external power supply, while the LibreSDR runs entirely off USB power.

Our verdict: Both of these options are great for running your DIY GSM network. It comes down to your preferences and needs when deciding which one is right for you. The URAN-1 is the more popular, bang-for-your-buck option, while the LibreSDR is the more premium SDR with its improved feature set. Both of these SDRs are great for use with OpenBTS, and Osmocom GSM.

While we only detailed two popular SDRs, there are many other great SDRs on the market that may offer slightly different features at different prices. We encourage you to research, and shop around for more great deals!

Purchasing Your SDR:

Our two most recommended SDRs, the LibreSDR B210 and the URAN-1 kit, are both USRP clones that ship from China, and they can be found on eBay and Aliexpress. Shipping may take a long time, but the value of these SDRs is worth the wait, in our opinion. These SDRs, being clones, are at highly competitive prices for the features they offer, and they have been trusted in the DIY cellular community for years. Below are listings showing our recommended SDRs. Feel free to shop around for better prices, as we are not affiliated with these listings.

LibreSDR B210:

Note: The LibreSDR has 2 variants, the AD9361 and AD9363 transceiver variants. Aim for the AD9361, since it is a more robust transceiver.

eBay listing: LibreSDR B210 AD9361 | eBay - $281.00 USD as of April 2026

Can also be found on Aliexpress.

URAN-1:

Note: The URAN-1 has 2 variants, the ~750-1050 MHz (850/900 band), and the ~1500-2100 MHz (1800/1900 band) variant. Choose the correct unit for the frequency you would like to broadcast.

eBay listing: URAN-1 Kit | eBay - $129.99 USD as of April 2026