ADSL Sync Problems

sorry for thie sort of cross post as I have brought this topic up before, and although i have received some good comments I'm not really getting anywhere.
about 4 months ago my dad was syncing at about
6000kbps down and 512 kbps up
then it suddenly dropped to about
300kbps down 64 kbps up
the downstream sometimes went up a bit if I reboot the router a couple of times but upstream pretty much stays at 64kbps.

line stats were
noise margin upstream: 12 db
output power downstream: 14 db
attenuation upstream: 18 db
and
noise margin downstream: 14 db
output power upstream: 10 db
attenuation downstream: 27 db

he has had his line tested and nothing wrong was found, he has also been though all the other checks, although he only has the older style bt master socket so no test connection.
he was on an AOL 8 mbt connection.after asking for his mac he was persuaded to upgrade to a 24mb connection.
the old connection as far as I can tell was BT and the new one LLU

since upgrading the router just reports the ADSL line is down, HOWEVER the router has connected briefly at least 2 times as its updated his dynds which I use for a vpn connection.
it hasn't however stayed connected long enough to actually negotiate the VPN connection or for me to try and connect to the router to check its stats (I live about 100 miles from my dad).

so it looks like the DSL connection is active, but his connection is too week or something for the router to see it.

he has tried with more than 1 router and got the same results.

any thoughts on where he can progress from here, or where his problem could lie?

thanks
Steve

What is his Line/Connection Mode? G.992.x etc?

it was ADSL_G.dmt, with those line stats and teh 8meg connection, however no idea what it is now after the 'upgrade' to 24mb as I haven't been able to catch it while its connected.(which currently looks like a couple of seconds up every 5-6 hours).

althoughI have asked my Dad to try and get me a log

What's his ISP got to say about it?

its AOL need I say more...
My dad has yet to talk to them on the current issue, but from previous calls on the 64kbps issue, just hours spent talking to script monkeys, doing speed tests and being told that 300/64 is normal for that line.
after requesting a mac, he got half an hour with some proper teck support person, went through all the speed tests, plugged in master socket, etc.with no effect so an engineer of some sort was sent around to test the line. he said the line was fine.
My dad was then offered the upgrade and change to LLU and 24mb which they said may fix the problem, but has resulted now in no internet at all.
He probably wont be able to give them a call before Tuesday now, but in the meantime it would be nice to have some clues as to waht the issue could be, assuming he gets to talk to someone in technical support with some sort of technical knowledge.
ta
Steve

Does his router at least sync with the exchange, even if it doesn't connect to Net?

If so, get him to get the router stats and post them here.

Also, chances are it's an authentication issue. Check his connection username and password? Also his other connection settings: Protocol:, Encapsulation, VPI / VCI?

AOL have a habit of changing username/pwd when they change anything to do with connection. Did they send him a new router?

It is also possible that the connection settings are different from IPStream to LLU.

On the face of it, it does sound like a borderline line which has been pushed over the edge by the extra demands of ADSL2+ and now doesn't work at all. Upgrading a line that's only capable of 300kbps to ADSL2+ sounds like idiocy on the part of the ISP given that I read that the line needs to be circa 4Mbps for any benefit to be seen, otherwise, the upgrade can be detrimental if anything.

Question is how the line became borderline in the first place e.g. if it's the same, original issue.

The thing that strikes me is that the slow down and then inability to sync is precisely what I had with Pipex when the exchange was enabled for ADSL Max - your description exactly matches the symptoms which lasted two weeks until I got a MAC code and moved to Zen, which solved it then and there, so I never did find out what the problem was.

Attn. = 27 dB shouldn't be borderline! It once did 6 Meg.

I get 16 Meg from same attn. on ADSL2+.

Since switching to 24mb and I assume LLU, the router just says that DSL is down. HOWEVER it has on at least 2 occasions since then managed to tell dyndns its ip

I therefore assume it hsa managed to login and connect at least a couple of times, however based on other evidence (my router has no evidence if it trying to negotiate a vpn connection, and whenever anyone actually looks at the router it says there is no DSL) it looks like it only manages to stay up a few seconds.

therefore so far no line stats on the 24 meg connection.
also the last time it managed to connect was at 15:30 yesterday (19th).

at ;east hopefully with no connection my dad wont have to put up with endless speed tests when he phones them

Yes O looked at the attenuation etc and couldn't see any reason for the poor connection.
We have checked everything in the house as far as possible, although without a proper master socket I'm not sure its possible to rule out a wiring issue on an extension somewhere, but we get the same results with it plugged in there and all other phones etc unplugged.

We had hoped that if it was at the exchange, that the connection being moved to their LLU etc may fix that issue.. obviously it didn't., so does that rule out the exchange, although as yet we have no actual proof it is now on their LLU.

could it be the line, I'm not sure what was tested when the engineer came around, and the voice side of things definitely sounds ok and we've done a silent line test.