The photon counting experiment based on the InGaAs single photon avalanche diode in daylight is introduced. The dead time of the InGaAs single photon detector is reduced by ultra-fast active quenching circuits, and thus the photon counting experiment based on the InGaAs single photon detector in daylight is successfully conducted via the compression of field of view, the usage of ultra-narrow band filters and the reduction of dead time. The acquired experimental data are analyzed. The InGaAs-based system parameters such as detection sensitivity and ranging accuracy are also analyzed and compared with the parameters for the system based on Si-based single photon detectors. The experimental results show that the InGaAs detector after optimization by the high-speed active quenching circuit has a dead time comparable to that of the Si-based detector. In the case of a certain background light noise, the InGaAs detector can be used to increase the detection sensitivity and the maximum detection range of the system. Thanks to the low jitter time of InGaAs detectors, the ranging accuracy of the system is not affected while increasing its maximum detection range.