[Bloat] [Cake] Announcing the LibreQoS Bufferbloat Test Platform

[David P. Reed]

I plan to test this out as "being my own ISP" using one of my personal cloud servers that is in one of Vultur's hosting sites as the server. (and from various mobile devices as I travel around among WiFi sites, if I can).
 
The thing I immediately want to know, though, is: has anybody done a serious security review of the system? I'm a "trust but verify" kind of personality. I don't have the energy or time to do the detailed review. I trust that the folks who built this are not black hats - you're my "friends" after all - we care about similar things. But I'd like to verify that trust.
 
Also, any suggestions people might have with regard to making it work?
 
I'll send feedback as I explore, promise! Great work!
 
David
 
 
On Sunday, June 15, 2025 08:00, "Frantisek Borsik via Cake" <cake at lists.bufferbloat.net> said:




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 ]( 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" ]( https://blog.cerowrt.org/post/speedtests/ ), 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:

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 systemsThis platform enables (not only) ISPs to:

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 ]( 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 ]( http://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://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/ )
 
[ https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik ]( https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik )
Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp: +421919416714 
iMessage, mobile: +420775230885
Skype: casioa5302ca
[ frantisek.borsik at gmail.com ]( mailto:frantisek.borsik at gmail.com )
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