Communications Toolbox

Design and simulate the physical layer of communications systems

Communications Toolbox™ provides algorithms and apps for the analysis, design, end-to-end simulation, and verification of communications systems. Toolbox algorithms including channel coding, modulation, MIMO, and OFDM enable you to compose and simulate a physical layer model of your standard-based or custom-designed wireless communications system.

The toolbox provides a waveform generator app, constellation and eye diagrams, bit-error-rate, and other analysis tools and scopes for validating your designs. These tools enable you to generate and analyze signals, visualize channel characteristics, and obtain performance metrics such as error vector magnitude (EVM). The toolbox includes SISO and MIMO statistical and spatial channel models. Channel profile options include Rayleigh, Rician, and WINNER II models. It also includes RF impairments, including RF nonlinearity and carrier offset and compensation algorithms, including carrier and symbol timing synchronizers. These algorithms enable you to realistically model link-level specifications and compensate for the effects of channel degradations.

Using Communications Toolbox with RF instruments or hardware support packages, you can connect your transmitter and receiver models to radio devices and verify your designs with over-the-air testing.

Get Started

Learn the basics of Communications Toolbox

PHY Components

Physical layer features including waveform generation, modulation, error control coding, filtering, synchronization, equalization, MIMO

RF Component Modeling

Behavioral RF radio modeling

Propagation and Channel Models

Site and terrain visualization, propagation model specification, signal strength, signal coverage maps, and static and fading channel models

Link-Level Simulation

Integrate subcomponents for link-level BER

System-Level Simulation

Data link layer, medium access control (MAC) sublayer, and logical link control sublayer functionality and examples

Standards-Compliant Systems

Functions and examples for developing Bluetooth®, 3GPP/3GPP2 (CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO, and GSM), MIL-STD-188, television, NFC, ZigBee®, FM, P.25, FRS/GMRS, WLAN, WMAN, ADS-B, AIS, AMR models

Test and Measurement

Waveform generation, visualization, and performance analysis

Deep Learning in Wireless Systems

Using deep learning in wireless communications systems

Code Generation and Deployment

Generate standalone applications for desktop computers and embedded targets

Supported Hardware – Software-Defined Radio

Support for third-party software defined radio hardware, such as Xilinx®, RTL-SDR, ADALM-PLUTO, and USRP® radios