# LR2021 LoRa Chip Revealed to Have Hidden Software-Defined Radio Capability

> **Key takeaway:** The LR2021 LoRa chip has been found to have a hidden software-defined radio mode, similar to the recently discovered ESP32 capability.

**Published:** 2026-10-16T05:00:10+00:00 
**Source:** Hackaday Hardware 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/lr2021-lora-chip-revealed-to-have-hidden-software-defined-ra.html 

## Summary
A hidden software-defined radio mode has been discovered in the LR2021 LoRa chip, which operates on a frequency range of 150 to 960 MHz and also includes a 2.4 GHz radio. This finding follows the recent revelation of a similar capability in the ESP32 chip. The LR2021 chip's SDR mode is still in its early days, but it already supports receive and transmit functionality with 16-bit resolution. Comprehensive documentation is available for those interested in exploring this feature further.

## LR2021 LoRa Chip's Hidden SDR Capability
- The LR2021 LoRa chip operates on a frequency range of 150 to 960 MHz and includes a 2.4 GHz radio.
- The chip's SDR mode supports receive and transmit functionality with 16-bit resolution.
- Comprehensive documentation is available for those interested in exploring this feature further.

## Why it matters
This discovery has the potential to enable new use cases for the LR2021 LoRa chip, particularly in applications that require flexible and programmable radio capabilities. The availability of comprehensive documentation will likely facilitate further development and experimentation with this feature.