Signal detection for optical transmitters in networks with optical combining. Presented herein is a multi-faceted means for performing electrical to optical conversion such as in an optical transmitter as implemented within a communication system including at least some optical communication links therein. The turning on and turning off of a light source (e.g., a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), and/or other component that performs electrical to optical conversion) is performed in accordance with a number of operational parameters. Some communication systems include multiple optical links (e.g., multiple fiber-optic links) from multiple transmitters that connect to a common receiver. In addition, some optical transmitters include multiple electrical links (e.g., multiple electrical communication links) from multiple communication devices that connect thereto.