Thanks Dave
I hooked up my gear to telstra modem and technically it worked but was incredibly unstable. Would lose internet connection to the 2 pc's connected via ethernet cables directly to the unit although worked in initially.
I cant believe i am the only person experiencing what should on the face of it is probably a very common problem.
Problem is i am happy to stay with my own router but i dont know whether anything i buy will have compatability issues with the telstra unit.
I'll keep looking and researching