Compare NI USRP-2920 and NI USRP-2930

[daniel8x]

Hi everyone.

Can you help me to compare between NI USRP-2920 and NI USRP-2930 ?

I would like to pruchase one of them but not very sure about the different between them.

THanks much.

[Sarah_Y]

Hey daniel8x,

The NI USRP-2920 and NI USRP-2930 consist of the same basic RF but the 2930 integrates a GPS Disciplined Clock. Spectrum monitoring, record and playback, and other wireless prototyping applications benefit from the NI USRP-2930 (50 MHz–2.2 GHz) and NI USRP-2932 (400 MHz–4.4 GHz) devices that integrate a GPS-disciplined clock. Even when GPS capabilities are disabled, frequency accuracy improves by replacing the standard TCXO (2.5 ppm) with a precision OCXO 10 MHz crystal (25 ppb). The OCXO facilitates ease of use in a system prototype because frequency offset correction and synchronization are less cumbersome. This is because the two communicating USRP devices can largely be considered frequency synchronized.

The integrated GPS provides many additional benefits when an antenna is connected with a clear view of the sky, such as GPS position, a globally synchronized time, and improved clock precision through disciplining. Using the disciplining technique, the GPS signals make minor corrections to the OCXO, pushing the USRP frequency accuracy error toward zero (0.01 ppb). Then distributed USRP systems can effectively act as time- synchronized, phase-coherent devices even when separated by great distances.

[daniel8x]

There are two project that i want to work on. 1. I want to creat a stations based on USRP such as T-Mobile or AT&T which is to make a call between to phone devices. 

2. I would like to build an application which is to send video and audio stream , such as online conference room.

I still need some more idea to take advantage of USRP. If you have any suggestion, can we share. 

anyway, i need your help to pick one of USRP device above. 

Thanks

[ErikL]

From the basic perspective, either hardware will work.  But hte hardware is the "easy" part.  The 2930 will reduce frequency offset in a link.

The more challenging part will be the base-station software.  Your project description implies:

1. Cellular compliant Physical Layer

2. Cellular compliant Mac Layer

3. Full call processing Stack

This is a lot of heavy lifting as far as algorithm design goes.  When used with open source systems we have seen both  GSM and a LTE eNodeB implmentation by third parties.  The GSM is called OpenBTS and is open source.  The LTE eNodeB is newer but closed source.  I'm not sure that either would support video as you describe.

[daniel8x]

Thanks much

[mustermann_1415]

hi everybody,

I am thinking about using NI USRP 2932 instead of NI USRP 2920. Does the 2x2 MIMO VI, for example, also work? When it works, which Image and fpga update do I need for this. Has anyone here got some experience with this?

It would be important to know prior to buying new USRPs.

Thank you,

Paul

[psisterhen]

Should work as well as it does for the 2920.

With the 2932, you also have the option to use the GPSDO for synchronization and timing purposes.

See these examples:

<LabVIEW dir>\examples\instr\niUSRP\niUSRP EX Rx with GPS.vi

<LabVIEW dir>\examples\instr\niUSRP\niUSRP EX Tx with GPS.vi

<LabVIEW dir>\examples\instr\niUSRP\niUSRP EX Tx MIMO with GPS.vi

The right images and firmware to use are the ones that ship with must up-to-date NI-USRP driver.  Currently, 

https://www.ni.com/en/support/downloads/drivers/download.ni-usrp.html

The firmware and images can up updated using the NI-USRP Configuration Utility

("C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\NI-USRP\utilities\USRP-utils.exe")

[James-B]

As far as I've seen, this example should work with the 2932s and NI USRP 14.0.

[mustermann_1415]

Thank you very much for your feedbacks.

I already thought it would work, but wasn't sure with the 293x. For the 292x every VI (for example the 6x6 MIMO or 2x2 MIMO) works as long as I use the ni292x_fpga.bin and the ni292x_fw.bin, am I right?

If I buy 293x USRPs I will get images for them (on CD or something), or should I still use the same images as with the 292x USRPs?

Thank you

[psisterhen]

Good question.  Yes, the ni292x_fpga.bin and ni292x_fw.bin work with the NI USRP-293x devices.  They're just named poorly.

These images are installed to disk by the NI-USRP driver, and you can update them on the device using the NI-USRP Config Utility mentioned above.