AbstractA fiber‐optic microwave link with a monolithic integrated optoelectronic upconverter has been characterized experimentally using the impulse response identification system (IRIS). It is shown that a low‐cost optical system performs signal transmission, detection, and conversion, while introducing minimal signal distortion over that of standard radio modulation devices. This offers potential for a low‐cost solution to the problem of distribution of future microwave and millimeter‐wave signals in building for PCN and wireless LAN applications. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.