home phone wiring question- network interface capacitor?

[1 FMF]

been rewiring my house with new phone line. I found a couple phone junction boxes mounted up above the ceiling in the finished basement. One of which had a sticker on it saying network interface. Inside it had a small circuit board, about the size of your thumbnail. Does anybody know the purpose of this, is it good or bad?

The circuit was this:

red phone wire --- diode (current this way -> ) -- resistor -- capacitor --- green phone wire

resistor = 15k
capacitor says: AT&T .464 uF +/- 10% 575E
circuit board has: AM-1 843749409

 

[chas3]

well there seems to be only one reference on the internet:

http://www.diybanter.com/showthread.php?t=55691

i would go with the last posters guess. it does not seem like this device could be much of a filter. i wouldnt expect to see a diode in a filter. most likely, its a dummy/test load. the low value cap should block a dc current flowing through this path, but a test ac signal would be rectified and passed.

 

[tom slick]

who old do they appear to be? how old is the wiring?

 

[kanling]

I'm thinking surge protector, but not a very good one.

 

[1 FMF]

house was built 1987 i think.
I came across that link shortly after I posted. If it is a filter of some sort, I won't need it now because I've run cat5e shielded cable for all the phone. The previous owner probably had that installed because the original phone line was the cheap, not twisted pair, and was run up the outside of the house alongside the AC power conduit. And also in the basement along with a bunch of romex a foot from a fluorescent light.