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What accuracy should a laser rangefinder have at 10 km, and is 2 m enough?

At 10 km the dominant error is usually not the constant term but the proportional term and the beam geometry. A module quoting ±2 m may additionally quote a scale error per kilometre — at 10 km a 0.7 ‰ scale term is another 7 m. Ask for both numbers plus the beam divergence and the target angle before deciding whether 2 m is enough.

Matching modules from the catalogue

Model	Wavelength	Published range	Accuracy	Mass	Interface
LRF1829C	1535 nm	23 km	±2 m	400 g	RS-422
LRF1830C	1.54 µm	23 km	±2 m	400 g	UART + RS-422
LRF1525C	1.54 µm	15 km	±2 m	400 g	RS-422
LRF1221C	1.54 µm	12 km	±2 m	275 g	RS-422
LRF1222C	1.54 µm	12 km	±2 m	335 g	RS-422
LRF1831C	1535 nm	12 km	±2 m	410 g	RS-422

The conditions behind those numbers

LRF1829C — a) Under line-of-sight conditions, with visibility not less than 26 km and humidity not greater than 50% (at 30 °C), the ranging distance for a vehicle target (3 m × 3 m) is ≥ 18,000 m. b) Under line-of-sight conditions, with visibility not less than 30 km and humidity not greater than 50% (at 30 °C), the ranging distance for a target with diffuse reflectance not less than 30% (6 m × 6 m) is ≥ 23,000 m.
LRF1830C — ≥23,000 m to a 6 × 6 m diffuse target, reflectance ≥30%; line of sight; visibility ≥30 km; relative humidity ≤50% at 30 °C
LRF1525C — 4m × 6m Objective ≥15 km
LRF1221C — 4m × 6m Objective ≥12 km
LRF1222C — Reference target(2.3m × 2.3m) ≥12 km
LRF1831C — a) Under line-of-sight conditions, with visibility not less than 15 km and humidity not greater than 80% (at 30 °C), the ranging distance for Target 1 (5 m × 15 m) is ≥ 6,500 m. b) Under line-of-sight conditions, with visibility not less than 15 km and humidity not greater than 80% (at 30 °C), the ranging distance for a target with diffuse reflectance not less than 30% (20 m × 20 m) is ≥ 12,000 m.

Full detail and the manufacturer's original wording: accuracy and error budget · all 59 range conditions · filter the catalogue yourself

Questions people ask about this

Why is ±2 m not the whole error at 10 km?

Because most modules publish accuracy as a constant plus a per-kilometre term. The constant dominates at 1 km and disappears against the scale term at 10 km.

What else adds error?

Beam divergence and target geometry: a slanted target returns from a spread of distances, so the reported range depends on which return the detector accepts first or last.

How do I compare two modules fairly?

Ask each for constant term, scale term, divergence, repetition rate and the target the test used. Any of the four missing makes the comparison meaningless.

Send the requirement, not a part number Target size, reflectance, required range, mass budget, interface, quantity. Two candidates and their limiting factor come back. Email tommy@erdimail.com All answers

Figures transcribed from manufacturer pages on 2026-10-24. Conditions are quoted verbatim; nothing here extrapolates a range to a target the manufacturer did not test.