A wired communication apparatus includes a receiver, a transmitter and a control circuit. The receiver includes a signal detection circuit. The transmitter includes a number of digital-to-analog converter (DAC) cells. The control circuit can receive an overvoltage signal from the receiver and can disable an output of the transmitter based on the overvoltage signal. The signal detection circuit is operable in a special mode to detect an overvoltage event at an input port of the receiver, and the control circuit can disable the output of the transmitter for a programmable time period.