Patent ID: 7016308

Claim:
A hybrid fiber/coax network comprising: an optical distribution node including a transmitter the transmitter including, an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert a first analog signal into a baseband digital signal, a status monitoring unit configured to generate status data representing an operational status of the optical distribution node, a multiplexer configured to convert the baseband digital signal into a serial data stream, and configured to multiplex the serial data stream and the status data to create a combined digital signal, and an optical transmitter configured to transmit the combined digital signal via a fiber optic link; and a head end configured to be coupled to the optical distribution node via the fiber optic link, configured to control or monitor an operation of the optical distribution node based on the status data, and including a receiver, the receiver including, an optical receiver configured to receive the combined digital signal via the fiber optic link, a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the combined digital signal into the baseband digital signal and the status data, and a node status monitoring unit configured to receive the status data from the demultiplexer, and a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the baseband digital signal into a second analog signal, the second analog signal being a reconstructed signal corresponding to the first analog signal.