Ettus Research
Ettus Research, an NI brand since 2010, designs and sells the USRP family of software-defined radio platforms — covering DC to 20 GHz with bandwidths up to 1.6 GHz — to research, defense, telecom, and academic customers across 40+ countries via NI's distribution network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersMountain View, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ettus Research does
Ettus Research is a wholly-owned brand of National Instruments (acquired in 2010 and transitioned to a brand name in 2018) that designs and sells the USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) family of software-defined radio platforms, self-described as the world's leading supplier of SDR products. The company sells hardware spanning four series: Bus Series (B200/B200mini/B205mini-i/B206mini-i/B210) for portable/entry-level use from approximately $1,462–$2,387; Embedded Series (E320) at $9,189–$10,210; Networked Series (N300/N310/N320/N321) at $13,702–$26,679; and the high-performance X Series (X300/X310/X410/X440/X420) priced up to $52,920. The portfolio covers DC to 20 GHz with instantaneous bandwidths up to 1.6 GHz and is built primarily on Xilinx/AMD FPGAs (Kintex-7, Zynq-7000, Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC).
Underlying technology centers on two open-source frameworks: UHD (USRP Hardware Driver), the cross-platform C++/Python API that ensures code portability across all USRP devices, dual-licensed under GPLv3 or an alternative proprietary license for volume OEM customers; and RFNoC (RF Network on Chip), an LGPL FPGA development framework that integrates with GNU Radio and allows FPGA acceleration without writing VHDL/Verilog. Both frameworks, together with support for LabVIEW and MATLAB/Simulink, form a software ecosystem that drives adoption across research, defense, telecom, and academic segments. Partnerships with Curtiss-Wright (SOSA/VPX ruggedization), Pixus (rugged enclosures), MathWorks, OpenAirInterface, Safran, NAVSYS, and others extend the platform into GNSS testing, EW/SIGINT, satellite ground stations, and counter-drone applications.
The business model is hardware sales on a one-time/perpetual basis, complemented by an alternative-software-licensing pathway for proprietary use. Distribution runs through ettus.com direct e-commerce, National Instruments' enterprise sales force, and a network of authorized distributors covering 40+ countries with NI acting as importer of record in most jurisdictions. Primary customers are research engineers and scientists (academic, corporate R&D, government labs), defense and government agencies (EW, SIGINT, radar, SATCOM), and commercial wireless/telecom firms developing 5G/6G systems; a long tail of academic institutions, hobbyists, and individual buyers provides additional volume. Headquarters are in Austin, Texas with a secondary office in Mountain View, California, and the company is subject to U.S. EAR export controls.
Ettus Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ettus Research
- Legal name
- Ettus Research
- Website
- https://ettus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ettus Research, an NI brand since 2010, designs and sells the USRP family of software-defined radio platforms — covering DC to 20 GHz with bandwidths up to 1.6 GHz — to research, defense, telecom, and academic customers across 40+ countries via NI's distribution network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Ettus Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mountain View
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ettus Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales - USRP SDR Devices: Primary revenue from selling software-defined radio hardware. Product lines include Bus Series (B200/B210, B200mini), Networked Series (N300/N310/N320/N321), Embedded Series (E310/E320), X Series (X300/X310/X410/X420/X440), and NI USRP (USRP-2974). Prices range from ~$1,500 for entry-level to $52,920 for high-performance X420.
- RF Daughterboards: Modular RF front-end boards including UBX (10-6000 MHz), TwinRX (dual-channel), OBX160 (10-8400 MHz), LFRX, LFTX, BasicRX, BasicTX. Prices from $185 to $5,800.
- Accessories: Enclosures, power supplies, cables, GPS antennas, MIMO cables, GPSDO modules, rack mount kits, GPIO expansion kits. Prices range from $18 (USB cable) to $4,155 (OctoClock-G).
- Alternative Software Licensing: UHD/RFNoC available under alternative proprietary license from National Instruments for customers who cannot use GPLv3. Allows creation of proprietary applications without GPL obligations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | USRP Bus Series (Entry-level/Portable) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | USRP Embedded Series |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | USRP Networked Series (Mid-Range) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | USRP X Series (High-Performance) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RF Daughterboards |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | NI USRP (Integrated) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Ettus Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ettus Research designs, manufactures, and sells the USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) family of software-defined radio hardware platforms, paired with open-source driver and FPGA frameworks (UHD and RFNoC). The platforms are used by researchers, defense organizations, and commercial wireless engineers for wireless research, prototyping, and deployment in 5G/6G, SIGINT, electronic warfare, radar, and satellite communication applications.
Product overview
Ettus Research, a National Instruments brand since 2010, offers the USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) family of software-defined radio platforms - the world's leading SDR platform. The product portfolio consists of multiple SDR series: USRP X Series (X420, X440, X410, X310, X300) for high-performance applications with advanced FPGA processing; USRP Networked Series (N320, N321, N310, N300) for large-scale distributed wireless system deployment with remote management; USRP Embedded Series (E320) for field-deployable applications; and USRP Bus Series (B206mini-i, B205mini-i, B200mini-i, B210, B200) for portable, low-cost SDR. Supporting products include RF daughterboards (OBX, TwinRX, UBX, LFRX, LFTX, BasicRX, BasicTX), antennas (VERT and LP series), and accessories (OctoClock-G, OctoClock). The software ecosystem includes UHD (USRP Hardware Driver) API for cross-platform code portability, RFNoC FPGA development framework integrated with GNU Radio, and support for LabVIEW and MATLAB/Simulink. Applications span wireless research, 5G/6G prototyping, radar, satellite communications, electronic warfare, SIGINT, and spectrum monitoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral): The USRP family of software-defined radio products designed for RF applications from DC to 6 GHz and above, including multiple-antenna (MIMO) systems.
- UHD (USRP Hardware Driver)
- RFNoC (RF Network on Chip)
Products and services
- USRP X420 High-performance, multi-channel software-defined radio platform for advanced wireless research and deployment.
- USRP X440 High-performance SDR platform based on Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC, designed for wideband, multi-channel applications.
- USRP X410 Mid-to-high performance SDR with integrated Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC for 5G, radar, and EW prototyping.
- USRP X310 High-performance modular SDR with Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA for demanding research and prototyping.
- USRP X300 Modular, high-performance SDR platform offering configurable FPGA processing and wide frequency coverage.
- USRP N320 / N321 Phase-coherent, dual-channel SDRs designed for distributed and multi-channel wireless systems.
- USRP N310 / N300 Networked, mid-performance SDRs with integrated FPGA processing for synchronized multi-unit deployments.
- USRP E320 Embedded, rugged SDR for field-deployed wireless applications with integrated Zynq SoC.
- USRP B206mini-i Compact, low-cost, bus-powered USB SDR for portable wireless experimentation.
- USRP B205mini-i Compact, single-channel, bus-powered USB SDR for entry-level wireless prototyping.
- USRP B200mini-i Small-form-factor, bus-powered USB SDR for low-cost wireless research.
- USRP B210 / B200 Widely adopted, low-cost USB SDRs for general wireless experimentation and education.
- USRP-2974 Stand-alone, processor-equipped SDR with integrated Intel x86 host for deployment without a separate PC.
- RF Daughterboards (e.g., TwinRX, UBX, CBX, WBX, SBX, LFRX, LFTX, BasicRX, BasicTX, DBSRX2) Modular RF front-end boards that slot into USRP motherboards to extend frequency coverage and channel configurations.
- Antennas and Accessories (e.g., VERT2450, LOGI ANT, OctoClock) Off-the-shelf antennas and accessories (including the OctoClock distribution amplifier) to support multi-channel phase-coherent USRP deployments.
- UHD (USRP Hardware Driver) Open-source, cross-platform device driver and API used to control all USRP devices, available under GPL with an alternative commercial license.
- RFNoC (RF Network on Chip) Open-source FPGA processing framework that enables high-throughput, on-FPGA signal processing blocks for USRP platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Frequency coverage from DC to 20 GHz across product portfolio
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ettus Research
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ettus Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature6 records
Ettus Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Curtiss-Wright Defense SolutionscoreCollaboration to port USRP E320 to SOSA-aligned 3U VPX form factor. Resulted in VPX3-E320 ruggedized SDR for military embedded systems deployment. Development built on USRP E320 can directly run on VPX3-E320. Key for defense services deployment path.
- Geon Technologies, LLCminorUSRP System Integrator offering custom development for RF signal processing and wireless radio components. Expertise includes spectral characterization, cognitive radio, MIMO, beamforming, DF/geolocation, and wideband signal synthesis.
- Allbesmart Lda (OAIBOX)minorEngineering company specialized in software-defined 3GPP implementations. Creators of OAIBOX - world leading open source 5G/6G test network platform that transforms USRP into end-to-end small cell for 3GPP 5G NR training and experimentation.
- Pixus TechnologiesminorOffers ruggedized and commercial enclosure solutions for embedded computing. Builds specialized enclosures for USRP devices (X310, X410, X420, X440, B210, E320, N310) with IP67 weatherproofing, MIL-810 for shock/vibration, MIL-461 for EMI.
- DedroneminorAirspace security and counterdrone solution provider. Built rugged USRP X310 into their CUAS (Counter-Unmanned Aerial System) for detecting, classifying, and mitigating drone-based threats.
- Parsons (Formerly Echo Ridge)minorOffers RF products including WISP (Wireless Instrumented Streaming Platform) combining USRP with embedded computers and power amplification; DYSE spectrum environment emulator; ER310 rugged USRP E310 form factor.
- NAVSYSminorGNSS Signal Architect Test Set - turn-key GNSS simulation and testing system using USRP N210 SDR. Provides bandwidth for P(Y), M, and C/A codes for testing GNSS receivers.
- SafranminorGPS/GNSS simulator built on USRP X-Series and N-Series radios. Features 1000 Hz update rate, RTK support, Python scripting, and integrated jammer simulation. Turnkey solutions and software-only packages.
- Sciens InnovationsminorDSP, FPGA, software development, and system integration for SIGINT, EW, and radar communities. Offers helux SDR combining MORA products with NI Ettus USRP X410 as MORA reference platform. Supports SOSA, DIFI, VITA 49.2 standards.
- ANDRO Computational SolutionsminorSoftware-based waveform development, AI/ML wireless applications (modulation/signal classification, RF fingerprinting), dynamic spectrum access (DSA), and 5G spectrum planning using Ettus Research SDRs.
- Tenet TechnetronicsminorAuthorized distributor/reseller serving Ettus Research branded products in India with distribution services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ettus Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FlexRadio Systems: US-based manufacturer of high-performance Software Defined Amateur Radios (e.g., FLEX-6000 series), competing with Ettus in the multi-channel, phase-coherent RF space used by advanced ham radio operators and HF research.
- Per Vices Corporation: Canadian maker of high-performance SDR platforms (e.g., Cyan, Noctar) competing directly with Ettus at the multi-channel, wideband end of the market for wireless research, radar, and EW applications.
- Lime Microsystems: UK-based developer of LimeSDR and associated field-programmable RF transceivers, competing with Ettus's Bus Series in the lower-cost, open-source-friendly SDR segment used by hobbyists, educators, and wireless prototyping.
- Great Scott Gadgets (HackRF): Producer of the HackRF One low-cost SDR, a direct substitute for Ettus's entry-level Bus Series in the hobbyist, security research, and educational markets with a similar open-source community ethos.
- SDRplay: UK-based maker of RSP-series consumer/prosumer SDR receivers, overlapping with Ettus's lower-cost Bus Series and LFRX/LFTX daughterboards for HF through microwave reception use cases.
- Signal Hound: US maker of USB-based spectrum analyzers and SDR test equipment (BB60C, TG124A), comparable to Ettus's lower-tier USRP products for real-time spectrum monitoring, RF test, and SIGINT applications.
Broad incumbents
- Keysight Technologies: Global leader in electronic test and measurement, offering high-end vector signal analyzers, arbitrary waveform generators, and wireless test platforms that overlap with Ettus's high-performance X-Series for commercial wireless and aerospace/defense customers.
- Rohde & Schwarz: German test-and-measurement incumbent offering signal analyzers, generators, and dedicated SDR/waveform solutions for 5G/6G, EW, and spectrum monitoring — overlapping with Ettus's enterprise, defense, and telecom operator customers.
- Tektronix: Major test-and-measurement vendor with real-time spectrum analyzers and RF test equipment that compete with Ettus in commercial wireless R&D, university labs, and regulatory compliance testing.
Others
- AMD (Xilinx): Silicon supplier whose Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC and Kintex-7 FPGAs are the core processing engines inside Ettus's X410, X420, X440, and N320/N321 products — a critical upstream dependency rather than a competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ettus Research social profiles
Digital presenceEttus Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ettus Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ettus Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ettus Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ettus Research
What does Ettus Research do?
Ettus Research designs, manufactures, and sells the USRP (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) family of software-defined radio hardware platforms, paired with open-source driver and FPGA frameworks (UHD and RFNoC). The platforms are used by researchers, defense organizations, and commercial wireless engineers for wireless research, prototyping, and deployment in 5G/6G, SIGINT, electronic warfare, radar, and satellite communication applications.
Is Ettus Research a public or private company?
Ettus Research is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ettus Research founded?
Ettus Research was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ettus Research based?
Ettus Research is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ettus Research make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales - USRP SDR Devices are the primary driver. The others are RF Daughterboards, accessories and alternative Software Licensing.
Who are Ettus Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FlexRadio Systems, Per Vices Corporation, Lime Microsystems, Great Scott Gadgets (HackRF), SDRplay and Signal Hound. Broad incumbents are Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz and Tektronix. AMD (Xilinx) is listed as an others.
Does Ettus Research have an API?
Yes. UHD (USRP Hardware Driver) is the primary software API that supports application development on all USRP SDR products. It provides a common software interface that increases code portability, allowing applications to transition seamlessly to other USRP SDR platforms. UHD is dual-licensed software available under GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3) as well as an alternative, less-restrictive license available only from National Instruments for volume OEM customers. UHD is available on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. Source code is available at https://github.com/EttusResearch/uhd Developer documentation is at kb.ettus.com/UHD.