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A cable box is a metal enclosure (found in the vicinity of a house that has cable service) that connects a house or building to the cable provider. This is traditionally the demarcation point and signifies where the service provider's responsibility ends and the customer's responsibility (for cabling and connections) begins. The box is usually located near the connection points for other service connections (electric or telephone). Other locations of the cable box include centralized locations (apartment buildings), lawns, or telephone poles.
Purpose
Cable boxes direct cable service to the cable wiring inside the house or building being serviced. To control which channels are available to the subscriber, service providers may place analog filters at the transmitting or receiving end, a method once popular in the '90s although now less common. Digital cable providers now use digital methods to control the availability of channels.