Reduced power dissipation optical interface using remote lasers

An optical interface device comprising:

• an optical fiber input;
• an optical fiber output;
• an optical demultiplexing device operable to demultiplex a modulated optical signal and an unmodulated optical signal from an input optical signal received over the optical fiber input;
• a modulator device operable to modulate the unmodulated optical signal based on a data signal to generate an output signal;
• and
• a transmitter device operable to transmit the output signal over the optical fiber output.

An optical interface system comprising an optical interface device operatively coupled to an optical multiplexing device;

• the optical multiplexing device comprising:
• an optical fiber output of the optical multiplexing device;
• a network connection operable to receive a modulated optical signal from an optical network;
• a generator device operable to generate an unmodulated optical signal;
• an optical multiplexer operable to multiplex the unmodulated optical signal and a signal comprising the modulated optical signal, to generate a multiplexed signal;
• and
• a transmitter device of the optical multiplexing device operable to transmit the multiplexed signal over the optical fiber output of the optical multiplexing device;
• the optical interface device comprising:
• an optical fiber input operatively coupled to the optical fiber output of the optical multiplexing device;
• an optical fiber output of the optical interface device;
• an optical demultiplexing device operable to demultiplex the modulated optical signal and the unmodulated optical signal from an the multiplexed signal received over the optical fiber input;
• a modulator device operable to modulate the unmodulated optical signal based on a data signal to generate an output signal;
• and
• a transmitter device of the optical interface device operable to transmit the output signal over the optical fiber output of the optical interface device.