sheepeatingtaz

Well, they have replied back, and it has to be said, the answer is exactly as I expected, although it did come back much faster than I expected:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your recent email.

If you are experiencing connection instability then this needs to be investigated. In order to identify the problem and therefore ensure a speedy resolution, we need your help.

To enable us to assist you please ensure you have performed the checks below as you may find the solution to your problem:

- We do not advise the use of a phone extension cable as this will lead to deterioration of the Broadband signal and may cause connection failure or a dropping connection. If your computer is too far away from a phone socket you must purchase a longer RJ11 data cable, similar to the one provided in the Tesco Broadband pack. This is available from most computer outlets and is available online here.

- If you need to use a phone splitter so that you can usemultiple
devices at one socket it must be fitted into the filter. The filter must always be the first item which fits the socket. The splitter must then be placed into the filter and all other devices must be must be connected into the filter.

- Ensure that all equipment attached to the phone line in your property is connecting through a Broadband filter. If any of the following equipment is connected to your line without a filter it can interfere with the broadband reception of your modem:

- Phone
- Fax
- Answer-Machine
- Cordless Telephone Base Units
- Alarm Systems
- Surge Protectors
- Sky Digital Set Top Boxes
- Dialler Boxes

If you are in doubt as to whether a piece of equipment attached to the telephone line is causing a problem, simply disconnect the item in question and try your broadband connection again.

I do hope this helps to answer your queries.

Kind regards,

It seems to me to be a pretty stock reply. I have tried it plugged into the main socket (with a filter, obviously) with nothing else on the phone line at all, and it was just as bad. If it is no better tonight, I will e-mail them back to tell them this fact, and work hard to make sure they keep up the speedy responses