Method and apparatus for transceiver noise reduction in a frame-based communications network

1. A method of noise reduction for a received signal in a transceiver communicating frames over a transmission medium in a frame-based communications network comprising:

providing a transceiver transmit path and a transceiver receive path in the transceiver;

locating a blocking switch in the transceiver transmit path, the blocking switch allowing transmit signal propagation when enabled, while preventing both transmit signal propagation and circuit device noise coupling from the transceiver transmit path to the transceiver receive path when the blocking switch is disabled so as to reduce noise in the received signal; and

disabling the blocking switch when the transceiver transmit path is not transmitting frames over the frame-based communications network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit device noise coupling from the transceiver transmit path to the transceiver receive path is through a transformer providing conversion from four wire transmit receive lines to a two wire line.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blocking switch is located proximate to the transmission medium.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transmission medium is a twisted pair wire.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the twisted pair wire is a telephone line.

6. A switch apparatus for providing noise reduction for a received signal in a transceiver communicating frames over a transmission medium in a frame-based communication network, the transceiver having a transceiver transmit path and a transceiver receive path, comprising:

a blocking switch locatable in the transceiver transmit path, the blocking switch having an input port and an output port allowing transmit signal propagation through the blocking switch and along the transceiver transmit path when enabled, the blocking switch further including enable/disable control to disable the blocking switch when the transceiver transmit path is not transmitting frames over the frame-based communications network preventing both transmit signal propagation and circuit device noise coupling from the transceiver transmit path to the transceiver receive path when the blocking switch is disabled so as to reduce noise in the received signal.

7. The switch apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the circuit device noise coupling from the transceiver transmit path to the transceiver receive path is from an output port through a transformer providing conversion from four wire transmit receive lines to a two wire line.

8. The switch apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the output port of the blocking switch is locatable proximate to the transmission medium.

9. The switch apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the transmission medium is twisted pair wire.

10. The switch apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the twisted pair wire is a telephone line.