Hey mark422,
Sorry to hear about your live chess experience :( Can you check out the following link and try some of the suggestions found within? I bet they'll help you out :) http://support.chess.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/167/0/my-internet-connection-is-fine---why-am-i-getting-disconnects
I guess it's not beneficial to play tethering. Is there any way that the live chess could be played by making everything basic so that there's no disconnect? I haven't been able to finish any tourney this past month and I get kicked out of the tourney. I would like to be able to play live chess as I can finish in one sitting. Is the only option to get faster internet?