Apparatus for transmitting optical signals from an unprotected environment to a protected environment are disclosed. The apparatus may take the form of a lightpipe which has a light transmitting core and a cladding material surrounding the core having an index of refraction lower than the core. The lightpipe is aligned with a photodetector by means of a retaining collar. An omnidirectional optical signal collector is also disclosed for receiving optical signals from any direction and relaying them to a secure photodetector.