_______________________________________________Hello to all,
We're excited to announce the release of the LibreQoS Bufferbloat Test – an open-source bufferbloat testing solution designed specifically for ISPs and network operators to deploy for their customers.
Link
https://test.libreqos.com
What Makes This Different
While there are several bufferbloat testing tools available, this platform addresses a critical gap: ISP-deployable infrastructure that provides both traditional testing and realistic household simulation.
As Dave Täht highlighted in his influential article "What's Wrong with Speed Tests", traditional speed tests fail to measure what users actually experience. We tried to address Dave's points to make a better speed test that focuses on the metric that matters: latency under load in realistic usage scenarios.
Two Complementary Test Modes
Single User Test Mode
- Traditional sequential load testing (baseline → download → upload → bidirectional)
- Measures working latency and jitter during each phase
- Familiar A+ to F grading based on latency under load increases
- Comparable to existing tools like DSLReports Speed Test and Waveform Bufferbloat Test
Virtual Household Mode (The Innovation)
Process-isolated simulation of 4 concurrent users with authentic traffic patterns:
- Alex (Gaming): 1.5 Mbps constant, jitter-sensitive for competitive gaming
- Sarah (Video Conference): 2.5 Mbps bidirectional, Teams simulation with working latency monitoring
- Jake (Netflix HD): 25 Mbps bursts (1s on, 4s off), realistic streaming patterns
- Computer (Background): Up to 200 Mbps continuous download, system updates
Real-world relevance: Tests latency under load when multiple family members are online simultaneously
Advanced grading: Network fairness, jitter measurement, and per-user working latency analysis
Why (not only) ISPs Need This
The traditional approach of sending customers to third-party speed test sites has limitations:This platform enables (not only) ISPs to:
- No control over test methodology or server placement
- Limited correlation with customer support tickets
- Generic results that don't reflect real-world usage patterns
- No integration with ISP operational systems
- Host their own testing infrastructure with full control
- Integrate with support systems via telemetry APIs
- Provide customers with realistic household testing scenarios
- Correlate test results with network performance and customer complaints
Open Source & Community
The entire platform is open source and available here: https://github.com/LibreQoE/bufferbloat_test
We've designed this to be:
- Easy to deploy for (not only) ISPs of any size
- Scientifically meaningful in its measurement methodology
- Realistic in its simulation of actual household usage
- Integrable with existing ISP operational workflows
Community Feedback Requested
We'd love feedback from the bufferbloat.net community on:
- Test methodology: Are we measuring the right metrics?
- Grading thresholds: Do our A+ to F grades align with real-world impact?
- Virtual household scenarios: What other realistic usage patterns should we simulate?
- ISP adoption: What barriers exist for ISP deployment?
Technical Discussion
We'd welcome discussion about:
- Measurement accuracy for working latency and jitter in virtual household mode
- Traffic pattern authenticity (gaming, video conferencing, streaming)
- Grading methodology for latency under load in complex multi-user scenarios
- Integration approaches for ISP operational systems
The platform represents our attempt to bridge the gap between academic bufferbloat research and practical ISP operations, building on the foundational work of researchers like Dave Täht and the broader bufferbloat community. We believe that widespread ISP deployment of proper bufferbloat testing infrastructure will ultimately benefit the entire internet ecosystem.
Looking forward to the community's thoughts and feedback!
Best regards,
The LibreQoS Team
In loving memory of Dave Täht: 1965-2025
https://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik
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