I don't know if it's an area effect, but I tried it twice without setting AFK, and I got booted off even quicker - once within five minutes, again within ten. I'll try again in the morning with AE, though.
Weird thing is, I don't get kicked off the task - the mission from the TF stays the same - I just get poofed from the server. I still suspect that it's my wonky internet connection, which can sometimes go weeks or even months without issues, and then out of nowhere, it hiccups every 30 minutes. That's why I'll wait and test again in the morning. I played for hours this morning and my connection didn't even blink.