The present invention aims at providing a control method and a control apparatus for controlling the operation setting of an optical device with high accuracy, so as to reliably obtain characteristics according to a desired relationship to be set corresponding to a signal light, immediately after the control start. To this end, the control apparatus of the present invention comprises an optical coupler that branches a part of a main signal light input to the optical device, a monitoring optical device that operates in accordance with a control parameter same as for the optical device, and processes the monitor light branched by the optical coupler, a light receiver that receives the monitor light processed by the monitoring optical device, a detecting circuit that detects a relationship between the monitor light received by the light receiver, and the wavelength or optical power of the signal light, and a controlling circuit that adjust the control parameter for the optical device to control the operation setting, based on the relationship detected by the detecting circuit, so that characteristics of the optical device become capable of realizing the relationship to be set corresponding to the signal light.