Patent ID: 6967966

Claim:
A hybrid fiber/coax network, comprising: a head end; at least one optical distribution node coupled to the head end over at least one fiber optic link; at least one coaxial cable link, coupled to the at least one optical distribution node, that receives upstream, digital data from a plurality of modems; and wherein the at least one optical distribution node has a digital return path that includes: a laser transmitter coupled to the fiber optic link that transmits the upstream, digital data to the head end; a data concentrator coupled to provide the upstream, digital data to the laser; and for the at least one coaxial cable link, a frequency translator that receives and translates the upstream, digital data from the plurality of modems to a different carrier frequency and retransmits the signal to the plurality of modems for collision detection; and a data interface coupled between frequency translator and the data concentrator that determines whether a collision occurred with the upstream, digital data so as to prevent corrupted upstream, digital data from being passed on to the head end.