Q-Series comparison questions
Compare the four platforms by the engineering evidence, deployment and measurement density you need.
What is the main difference between QMini and Q1S?
QMini is a modular single-beam laser Doppler vibrometer for focused velocity traces, spectra and synchronized point measurements. Q1S is a fixed 128-beam Laser RADAR for repeatable structural monitoring, deflection curves and long-term displacement. Choose between them by deciding whether the deliverable is a high-dynamic-range point channel or a persistent spatial record across an infrastructure asset.
How do Q1 and Q2 differ?
Q1 is a portable 128-beam platform for field campaigns that combine stand-off vibrometry and micron-level metrology on large assets. Q2 uses 65 simultaneous channels with micro-scanning for dense dynamic analysis, 3D shape recovery, modal maps, multi-view velocity reconstruction and strain-oriented outputs. Q1 prioritizes field portability and broad parallel capture; Q2 prioritizes integrated full-field analysis.
Which platform supports the longest single-point range and highest bandwidth?
QMini with the appropriate SpeedSync head supports stand-off measurement from under 1 metre to 300 metres and a 62 MHz bandwidth. Q2 can also use SpeedSync for single-point operation, while its array workflow is specified separately. Treat these figures as configuration limits, not guaranteed project performance: target return, incidence, atmosphere, motion and validation still govern the usable result.
How should a team choose among QMini, Q1S, Q1 and Q2?
Start from the required output and test setting. Define point velocity, deflection, displacement, mode shape, geometry, 3D velocity or strain-ready data; then specify distance, field of view, surface, motion bandwidth, maximum velocity, environment, acquisition time, reference sensors and uncertainty. Map those requirements to the comparison table and confirm the proposed setup with an applications engineer.

