"PPP server down" error on Thomson Livebox

I'm caught in the Orange Customer Services circle of line tests (which don't show up any problem) being unable to authenticate, and Orange don't ring back as promised to check on the position. (The authentication details are correct).

1. Has anyone got out of this viscious circle successfully and how? The Router shows the usual SNR of 10.1 and synch with the exchange successful at around 5.2 meg on 49dB attenuation (I'm about 3.4km from Boreham exchange (East) ). I've done the factory reset and power off reboot (many times).
2. Is this as I read, an inherent fault with the Livebox - though I have the same problem using an old Voyager router.Orange say there's no problem but the rententions unit say its "escalated" to BT - if it's LLU why (see next point)? Phone service is OK.
3. Though my line is allegedly LLU (I pay orange rental, and get the whole lot for £15pm, which is consistent) I'm told that Orange LLU is in fact a normal BT phone line, with Orange only handling billing and internet, which means I can use a MAC to move the broadband and phone say to Sky (as the free 2nd line calls and line rental are useful), without the bother of moving the phone line back first. Is this right and would it or a move to any other ISP sort out the problem as presumably I would not have to authenticate with Orange servers if that's where the problem lies? Would a move to AAISP (who I think used to have a problem line offer) with or without a new dedicated broadband line sort this out? Cost is secondary to reliability.
Pity is that Orange have been OKish apart from pings for 2 years, and the package with Unique phone on the mobile suits me fine; but not if its unreliable because of some intermittent but common hardware fault which takes several weeks or months to fix as I've heard on some forums.

How long has this "PPP server down" error been happening? It usually means that Orange's authentication server is playing up and should come back shortly, say no more than a day. I haven't seen it for ages. It should have nothing to do with your router, which just reports it (tho' I don't have the Livebox), particularly as you have the same error from another router.

You are on LLU; your exchange is enabled for Orange.

What Orange Package are you on? It includes 'phone line and calls? If so, that's Full LLU. I'm not sure you can use a MAC in that case; you might need to move your 'phone back to BT 1st.

Thanks. That issue got sorted (well sort of) with Orange work at the exchange but they said they had difficulty and "had to" reduce my speed from 5.5Meg to 4 Meg to get the broadband working. (SNR 11.5 and attenuation 50 on ADSL2+ LLU so Kitz says I should get around 5 Meg).

However over last fortnight, for the first week the PPP Server down re-occurred (roughly 12 hours off then back normal for 12 hours with a couple of hour breaks over several days), after 5 different stories Orange apparently replaced/reset the line card, and the Livebox went at the same time from PPP Server Down to Link Down, and for the last week no broadband signal and no response from escalations to whom the problem was sent on a complaint to their Executive Office. (I know when it all happened as I run Routerstats, and know the line was stable for 12 hours previously).

As I seem to be caught in an Alcatel/OR loop (yes I know Orange have the whole responsibility but they are just salesmen and others do the actual work at the exchange and on the line) I've given up and ordered fixed wireless broadband from a local firm, (see my post on the wireless forum). One company responsible for hardware and backhaul and a local engineer, it's the only solution as far as I can see, and avoids the risk of a transfer (which I can make to TalkTalk LLU or Sky LLU with a MAC) and having the same issue, if it's the line, and locked in an 18m contract. It's a hopeless underground line from the exchange, I know, there must be hundreds of joints from the amount of OR digging that goes on. I don't want to get locked into an 18m BT phone contract otherwise I'd try AAISP; and at £15pm I can just about bear Orange as a landline only service (with a bit of accidental broadband if they can manage it) provided I've an alternative. Mobile is OKish up to 2.5Meg on a 3 dongle, but 3GB pm is a bit restrictive and allows only homeworking with no significant social use which is a pity.

Orange seem like the hopeless teacher faced by the naughty schoolchildren: me (but I've tried with a second router set to Orange, and with both Livebox or 2nd router both at the master socket, with faceplate removed - no signal); Alcatel who are responsible for the DSLAM; and OR who "maintain" the local loop, and no-one will "own up".

Just a couple of further comments: escalations said the broadband status according to their records was that the system is "rebuilding the connection", apparently for a week since last Monday (16th Nov)???!!! They didn't know what that meant. Can anyone help them, perhaps? And yes I've done a daily quiet line test which I can still do on 17070 and they're all perfect as far as I can tell.

Edited by deleted (Mon 23-Nov-09 15:27:02)

Another day, another Orange rep, another magic solution - reducing my speed again. But guess what: it's made no difference and it's still "Link Down" connected behind the faceplate of the master socket to either the Livebox after reboot or a second router.

Just one thing occurs to me: as on the last occasion an engineer allegely spent a whole day in the exchange, and couldn't get a connection anyhow until finally he "manually" restricted the speed, is it possible for the DSLAM to always become "stuck" trying to negotiate too a high a speed, and if so why would it happen, and what has to be done about it? Surely it would always reduce the speed until a sucessful negotiation? In such a case, if it can happen would the engineer have to attend the exchange?

And as Orange say they did sucessfully establish a connection by reducing the speed (at a time I was not at home) and when I returned a couple of hours later the fault was still present, could the DSLAM still have then tried (and again become stuck) trying to negotiate a higher speed? Could this be anything to do with the "new" Orange DLM?

The latest router config shows the following:
BOOT !
INVENTEL version : v5.10.7-uk
001 00:01:04 --- ADSLD ON ---
001 00:01:33 VOIP : Start
001 00:03:07 ERROR : Timeout waiting for adsl synchronisation
001 00:08:09 DHCP 192.168.1.30 00:22:15:3e:69:b7 HPDesktop
001 00:10:26 ERROR : End of precedent error
001 00:11:22 ERROR : Timeout waiting for adsl synchronisation
BOOT !
INVENTEL version : v5.10.7-uk
001 00:00:22 --- ADSLD ON ---
001 00:00:50 DHCP 192.168.1.30 00:22:15:3e:69:b7 HPDesktop
001 00:00:51 VOIP : Start
001 00:02:26 ERROR : Timeout waiting for adsl synchronisation
--------------
001 00:30:50 (current time)
Does this seem to indicate the DSLAM/router tries once to negotiate then "gives up", and one would expect it to keep on trying?

Edited by deleted (Tue 24-Nov-09 23:23:37)