The invention relates to a photoelectric data transmission system and method implemented through a single network card. The system comprises an electrical port, an optical port, a central processing unit, a PHY chip, an internal memory and a flash memory, wherein the central processing unit is used for inquiring, generating a control code according to a medium insertion state value and a data transmission state value, sending the control code to the PHY chip, receiving and storing data packets sent by the electrical port or the optical port into the internal memory and storing the data packetsinto the flash memory when data transmission is abnormal; the PHY chip is used for receiving an electric signal and an optical signal, modifying the medium insertion state value and the data transmission state value according to the electric signal and the optical signal, and receiving the control code to achieve soft handoff communication with the electrical port or the optical port. By means ofthe system and method, resources are saved, the data packets of the optical port and the electrical port can be recognized in time, and the integrity of the transmitted data can be ensured.