Hi, welcome to the community!
The PLUTO+ can be a good option for this, but there are a few important things to know before buying it.
The hardware itself provides two TX and two RX channels, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, MicroSD boot support and an external reference-clock input. However, having 2TX/2RX hardware does not mean that srsRAN will automatically use all four channels. The current official srsRAN examples mainly use UHD-compatible radios such as the USRP B210, while PLUTO+ normally uses the IIO/PlutoSDR driver. Because of this, PLUTO+ support may require additional configuration, community patches or an alternative driver layer, especially for 2x2 MIMO.
For basic 1T1R LTE experiments, it should be a reasonable board if you are comfortable troubleshooting Linux drivers and configuration files. For a stable 5G gNB connected to a real phone, it is not as plug-and-play as a USRP B210. The official 5G setup uses a compatible RF frontend, Open5GS, a programmable SIM and normally recommends an accurate external clock to avoid synchronization problems.
I would start over USB to confirm that the board, firmware and IIO connection are working. Once everything is detected correctly, you can move to Ethernet for a cleaner network-based lab setup. For srsRAN, test both and use whichever gives you the most stable sample stream without underruns or overruns.
For several hours of continuous TX, some airflow is recommended. A small fan or heatsinks inside a ventilated case would be a good idea, especially when using higher sample rates. Also, do not connect TX directly to RX without calculating the attenuation properly. Start with cabled testing, attenuators and a dummy load rather than transmitting cellular signals over the air.
The current Bundle 6 includes:
- 1× PLUTO+ SDR
- 4× 8 dBi 2.4/5/5.8 GHz antennas
- 4× 5 dBi 40–860 MHz antennas
- 4× telescopic 40 MHz–6 GHz antennas
- 4× 12 dBi 700–2700 MHz antennas
- 2× USB cables
An Ethernet cable is not listed as part of the bundle.
Between the standard PlutoSDR and PLUTO+, I would choose the PLUTO+ for this type of experimentation because you get Ethernet, two TX/two RX channels and more expansion options. The standard PlutoSDR has more tutorials and a larger user base, but it will not necessarily make srsRAN 5G easier.
So overall: PLUTO+ is a good learning and experimentation platform, especially for GNU Radio and basic LTE work, but expect some configuration work. For the easiest and most officially supported srsRAN 4G/5G experience, a USRP B210 would still be the safer choice.
