A method for a first optical transceiver to range in a Passive Optical Network one of a plurality of second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330) comprising: broadcasting a first ranging grant including a delay request to unranged second optical transceivers among said plurality of second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330), said delay request indicating a first delay before said unranged second optical transceivers respond to said first ranging grant such that said unranged second optical transceivers respond after a desired delay, the desired delay being the first delay; determining whether a runt response is received in a quiet window established by said first optical transceiver, said quiet window being a time that is a fraction of the upstream frame size when no responses are expected from ranged second optical transceivers among said plurality of second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330) by not requesting responses from said ranged second optical transceivers with start times that would cause said responses to arrive during said quiet window, and said runt response being a burst sent by a laser of one of said second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330) with a laser power being below the maximum laser power such that said runt response does not substantially interfere with communication with other optical transceivers; changing one of said desired delay or a timing of said quiet window in response to determining that no runt response was received in said quiet window; repeating said broadcasting and said determining (S630, S640) in response to determining that no runt response was received in said quiet window; identifying one of said unranged second optical transceivers in response to determining that a runt response was received; and establishing a ranged state with the identified one of said unranged second optical transceivers. broadcasting a first ranging grant including a delay request to unranged second optical transceivers among said plurality of second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330), said delay request indicating a first delay before said unranged second optical transceivers respond to said first ranging grant such that said unranged second optical transceivers respond after a desired delay, the desired delay being the first delay; determining whether a runt response is received in a quiet window established by said first optical transceiver, said quiet window being a time that is a fraction of the upstream frame size when no responses are expected from ranged second optical transceivers among said plurality of second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330) by not requesting responses from said ranged second optical transceivers with start times that would cause said responses to arrive during said quiet window, and said runt response being a burst sent by a laser of one of said second optical transceivers (310, 320, 330) with a laser power being below the maximum laser power such that said runt response does not substantially interfere with communication with other optical transceivers; changing one of said desired delay or a timing of said quiet window in response to determining that no runt response was received in said quiet window; repeating said broadcasting and said determining (S630, S640) in response to determining that no runt response was received in said quiet window; identifying one of said unranged second optical transceivers in response to determining that a runt response was received; and establishing a ranged state with the identified one of said unranged second optical transceivers.