Test transceivers are disclosed for testing optical networks. The test transceivers generate one or more errors on a network in a specific, reproducible way, thereby enabling a tester to easily and readily identify whether network devices are operating properly, or prone to failure. A corrective transceiver is also disclosed. The corrective transceiver is configured to continually detect operating parameters of one or more network devices in a network. The corrective transceiver can identify the operating parameters through out-of-band communication with the one or more network devices. The corrective transceiver is further configured with one or more instructions to adjust its own operating parameters to re-sync with another network device as necessary to continue network communications during a failure of the network device.