If you search for a "2 km laser rangefinder module" you quickly find that the name covers very different products. Some are 100 m altimeters. Some are 180 m sensors in an aluminium housing. A few are small bare modules that claim a kilometre or more. This post puts four of them side by side using only the manufacturers' own published numbers, and says plainly where each one wins.
All competitor figures were read from the manufacturers' public pages on 2026-11-06. ERDI figures come from the LR2000E2 manual and the product page. Manufacturers state their ranges under different target and weather conditions, so treat the table as a shortlist tool, not a benchmark.
The four modules
- Benewake TF03 (https://en.benewake.com/TF03/index.html): IP67 industrial sensor in an aluminium housing.
- LightWare SF11/C, 100 m (https://lightwarelidar.com/shop/sf11-c-100-m2/): the long-running drone altimeter. The vendor's page now states "End of life, October 31 2024" and "Out of stock".
- Benewake TFA1500-L (https://en.benewake.com/tfa1500-kilometer-level-lidar): a small bare module with a 1,500 m maximum range.
- ERDI LR2000E2 (https://erdilrf.com/models/lr2000e2/): a 905 nm UART module with a 2,000 m standard range.
Side-by-side table
| TF03 | SF11/C (100 m) | TFA1500-L | LR2000E2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range (maker's figure) | 0.1–180 m | 0.2–100 m (70 % target) | 0.5–1,500 m | 4–2,000 m (standard range) |
| Update rate | up to 7 kHz (product page) | 20 readings/s | 800 Hz near, 60 Hz far (adaptive) | 2–10 Hz (adaptive) |
| Accuracy | see datasheet | not stated on page | ±0.5 m (≤80 m), ±1.0 m (>80 m) | ±1 m (≤400 m); 0.4 % of distance (400–2,000 m) |
| Interface | UART, CAN, RS-232, RS-485 | USB, UART, I2C | UART 3.3 V TTL, 500,000 bps | UART-TTL, 115,200 bps |
| Supply | datasheet | datasheet | datasheet | 3.3–5 V |
| Power | ≤ 1 W | datasheet | ≤ 1.8 W | about 1.2 W |
| Weight | 86 ± 3 g | 30 g | 11 ± 0.5 g | about 10 g |
| Size (mm) | 44 × 43 × 32 | 30 × 56 × 50 | ≤ 25 × 26 × 13 | 25.65 × 13.05 × 24.6 |
| Enclosure | IP67 | not stated | no enclosure | IP67 (inside lens cavity) |
| Status / price shown | catalogue item | end of life; last price USD 199 | catalogue item | USD 120 per unit (1–30), shipping included |
A blank-looking cell such as "datasheet" means the number was not on the public product page I read and I did not want to guess. Pull the PDF before you design.
Reading the table honestly
Range versus update rate is the real trade. The TFA1500-L and the LR2000E2 are both bare, roughly 10 g modules with serial output. The Benewake part gives you 60 to 800 Hz depending on distance and a 1,500 m maximum. The ERDI part gives you 2 to 10 Hz and a 2,000 m standard range. If your loop needs to track a moving platform at tens of hertz, the faster sensor is the better answer. If you are measuring slowly changing distances to a building, a tower, a slope or a ridge, a 5 Hz reading is plenty and the extra 500 m of reach matters more.
The 0.4 % figure is bigger than it looks. The LR2000E2 accuracy is ±1 m up to 400 m, then 0.4 % of distance. At 2,000 m that is ±8 m. That is a fine number for "is the target there, roughly how far", and a poor one for survey-grade work. The TFA1500-L page quotes ±1.0 m beyond 80 m. Different sensors, different targets; compare the footnotes before you compare the numbers.
Check what range is measured against. Whether a range was measured on a 70 % reflective building, a 90 % white board or an unspecified "standard" target changes the answer by a factor of two or more. The LR2000E2 table does not give reflectivity and size for its accuracy figures and states that actual reach depends on target and environment. Treat 2,000 m as the upper bound on a good target, not a typical figure on grass or dark rock.
SF11/C is now a reference point, not a purchase. It is useful to include because countless ArduPilot and PX4 tutorials use it. The vendor lists it as end of life. If a tutorial tells you to buy one, you will need a current LightWare model or another sensor instead.
IP67 on the TF03 buys you a lot. The TF03 is a finished sensor with an aluminium body and a band-pass window. The two bare modules are meant to go inside your own housing. If you are fitting the sensor to a vehicle or a pole outdoors without a custom enclosure, the TF03 saves you real engineering time. The LR2000E2 lists IP67 for the inside of the lens cavity, which describes the optical cavity, not a sealed external housing.
Integration effort
Every module here speaks UART with a binary frame, but the frames differ.
- The TF-series frames use their own header and checksum, and ArduPilot and PX4 have native drivers for the common Benewake serial protocols. For TFA1500-L, the vendor page states native PX4 and ArduPilot support.
- The LR2000E2 uses an 8-byte command and reply frame starting
55 AA, with the distance returned in tenths of a metre. There is no built-in flight-controller driver, so you either read it on a companion computer or microcontroller and forward it, or write a small scripting driver. A tested Python reader for the frame format is in a companion post, and an open-source driver set (Python, Arduino, ROS 2) is at https://github.com/ErdiTech/erdi-lrf-drivers. - The SF11/C offers USB, UART and I2C, and has long been supported by ArduPilot and PX4.
If "plugs straight into the flight controller with a stock driver" is a hard requirement, count that as a point for the Benewake and LightWare parts. If you are building a payload with its own microcontroller anyway, the integration gap shrinks to an afternoon.
A simple decision guide
- Need to track fast motion, 100–300 m? Look at the TF03 class first.
- Need 1 km+ at low weight and high rate? TFA1500-L is a strong candidate.
- Need 1.5–2 km reach at low cost, and a few readings per second is enough? LR2000E2 fits: USD 120 per unit with shipping included, tiers down to USD 50 at 501+ units, 3.3–5 V supply.
- Need ready-made flight-controller support and a sealed body? TF03, or a current LightWare model.
- Need 100 m or less? Do not pay for kilometre-class optics. A short-range sensor will have better accuracy and rate.
What I would test before committing
Whatever you shortlist, test on a target you will actually see in the field.
- Log 200 readings on a dark, a mid and a bright target at the working distance. Count the dropouts.
- Run it in direct sun and in light haze. Ambient light immunity and visibility specs are where datasheets and field results part ways.
- Verify power: inrush at power-on and peak draw while ranging, on your real supply.
- Verify the signal logic level against your host before you connect.
FAQ
Which is the best laser rangefinder module for a drone? It depends on mass, rate and range. For landing and terrain following at tens of metres, a small fast sensor is better. For ranging far targets from a slow payload, a long-range module with a low update rate is acceptable.
Is there a laser rangefinder module with 2 km range under USD 150? The ERDI LR2000E2 lists a 2,000 m standard range at USD 120 per unit for 1 to 30 pieces, shipping included, as of 2026-11-06. Accuracy beyond 400 m is 0.4 % of distance.
What is the difference between 905 nm and 1535 nm modules? 905 nm modules use inexpensive silicon detectors and are common in small modules. 1535 nm modules are available at higher price points and are listed separately in ERDI's catalogue.
Do these modules need a flight-controller driver? Benewake and LightWare parts have native support in ArduPilot and PX4. The LR2000E2 needs a bridge or a scripting driver.
Data checked 2026-11-06. Tommy Yu, ERDI TECH LTD, erdilrf.com
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