Patent ID: 8708578

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: at least one interface configured to establish a connection between a node and at least one other node of a copper network; a receptacle configured to receive a conventional small form-factor pluggable (SFP) module and a compact SFP module and to direct either SFP module to a first connector; the first connector configured to connect the conventional SFP module and the compact SFP module to the node when either SFP module is received by the receptacle; a first pin of the first connector configured to transmit data to the conventional SFP module and the compact SFP module when either SFP module is received by the receptacle; a second pin of the first connector coupled to a first line of the node and a second line of the node, the second pin configured, when the compact SFP module is received by the receptacle, to: receive, from the compact SFP module, a module detection signal and a data signal; transmit the module detection signal to a low pass filter disposed between the second pin and the first line, the low pass filter configured to pass the module detection signal to the first line of the node and to not pass the data signal to the first line; and transmit the data signal from the compact SFP module to the second line of the node; and the node configured to: establish two duplex connections with an optical fiber network if the compact SFP module is connected to the node, a first connection of the two duplex connections configured to transmit data through the first pin and a second connection of the two duplex connections configured to transmit data through the second pin; and establish one duplex connection with the optical fiber network if the conventional SFP module is connected to the node, the one duplex connection configured to transmit data through the first pin.