Where do I get a free NTRIP Client?

See also: this knowledge base article for more NTRIP Client sources.

From many sources, as seen in the list below.  Unlike deploying reference stations (so called NTRIP Servers) which can be very costly, (and NTRIP Casters other than SNIP often cost thousands), as a rule NTRIP Clients are typically provided for free and can be readily downloaded over the web.

Also, be sure to ask you GNSS dealer or device vendor.  Many, if not most, GNSS vendors can provide or can recommend an NTRIP Client to use.  And also keep in mind that both the precision Ag market and the survey market have many specialized tools that provide a built-in NTRIP Client to use.  There are hundreds of different NTRIP Client tools to chose from.

RTK – NTRIP – RTCM, in One Minute

If Client, Caster, and Server are still strange terms,
read about them here.

Here is a short list to start your search. Note that many of these products use very similar names.

NTRIP Client  a very simple easy to use and free PC based product offered by Lefebure Design, LLC 
see the site at:  http://lefebure.com/software/ntripclient/

Lefebure NTRIP Client for Android a free android product offered by Lefebure Design, LLC 
see the Google Apps store site here and you will notice there are several derivative apps as well.

Lefebure is Highly recommend as a preferred NTRIP Client for Android.

RTKLIB the open source RTK tool (several tools contain clients) developed by Tomoji Takasu   see the site at:  http://rtklib.com/  

A even better way to use RTKLIB is the download a copy from https://rtkexplorer.com/  where some the critical problems with the RTKLIB connection logic have been solved. Get the current release here.

If you are trying to home brew RTK with an L1-only Ublox device (such as  the T6), or with the newer L1/L2 units – it is often best to start with one of these RTKLIB tools.

BKG Ntrip Client (BNC)  the free product offered by BKG, this is a comprehensive tool with many features. See the site at: http://igs.bkg.bund.de/ntrip/download  This tool is the first entry in the list; just pick your preferred OS.

NtripClient the free product offered by Dirk Stoecker Alberding GmbH
see the site at: https://www.dstoecker.eu/

Ntrip Version 2.0 Command Line Client  the free product offered by Dirk Stoecker Alberding GmbH
download or the PC here,  or get the C source code here  or here.

GnssSurfer  the free PC product offered by Juergen Siebert, SAPOS
see the site at: http://217.9.43.196/Download/GnssSurferV1.10.zip

SXBlue RTN is a free client for WinCE offered by Geneq Inc. 
see the site at:  http://www.sxbluegps.com/download/

GNSS Internet Radio, is an older (free) Window GUI product offered by BKG  it is sort of a grandfather in all this (before the term NTRIP was coined) and no longer updated these days, but the source code makes a good starting point and we include it for completeness. Here is a read me page that describes it. The tool is no longer distributed by BKG (as other tools have overcome it) but you can find some mirror links.  And here is a great history lesson from The American Surveyor that mentions it as well.

NOTE:
If you know of a client you feel should be listed here, please drop us a note.

In the above and the BNC list you can find client software for all the major operating systems, and a number of these products / firms also provide their code as open source.

Need to write your own client for an embedded project?  The above products cover C, C++, VB, Java, PHP and a few other languages.  If you have prior experience in developing sockets and/or serial port, you will find the process fairly easy.  Here is the BKG FTP site with a huge pile of useful client source code to browse and consider.

Connectivity

Most of the above products presume that there is a TCP/IP connection which can be used to connect to the NTRIP Caster, and then a local serial port or Bluetooth which connects to your rover GNSS.

Radios

There are many other products that handle the wireless “last mile” to make a wireless connection to your rover.  Historically that last mile link has been a separate industry within GNSS where point to point or broadcast radio devices have been used.  Even today, the typical RTK survey crew often comes to the site with sets of private radios to overcome this issue.

Now that cellular coverage is available in much of the world, this is less of an issue.  However, some applications still require a local radio link.  Many people use WiFi or WiMax or this, others use 900MHz, 2.4GHz, or 5.8GHz radio links in the unlicensed ISM bands. The precise regulations and rules vary depending on what part of the world you live in.  The rapid growth in RTK applications for aerial drone use has changed the landscape in this respect.  Short range radio transmitter circuit boards can be obtained by hobbyists for tens of dollars, allowing them to connect reliability over small coverage regions.

At this time, SNIP provides TCP/IP connectivity, but it does not link directly to proprietary radios interfaces.  Most radios suitable for this type of use allow TCP/IP connections, and a few others require the use of a serial port (both supported in SNIP today).  This is rarely an issue in practice.  Please contact us if you require some form of direct push support for a unique radio link.  It is likely we can add it as a future product feature.

See also: this knowledge base article for more NTRIP Client sources.

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles