Network users know much less than ISPs, Internet exchanges and content providers about what happens inside the network. Consequently users cannot either easily detect network neutrality violations or readily exercise their market power by knowledgeably switching ISPs.

This paper contributes to the ongoing efforts to empower users by proposing two models to estimate – via application-level measurements – a key network indicator, i.e., the packet loss rate (PLR) experienced by FTP-like TCP downloads.

The Neubot project is based on an open-source computer program, the Neubot, that, downloaded and installed by Internet users, performs quality of service measurements and collects data at a central server. The raw results are published on the web under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Zero license. This paper is the guide for researchers and individuals that aims to study, build on and analyze Neubot methodology and results. We provide an exhaustive documentation of Neubot’s HTTP test behavior, along with a discussion of the methodology.

The “network neutrality bot” (Neubot) is an evolving software architecture for distributed Internet access quality and network neutrality measurements. The core of this architecture is an open-source agent that ordinary users may install on their computers to gain a deeper understanding of their Internet connections. The agent periodically monitors the quality of service provided to the user, running background active transmission tests that emulate different application-level protocols.

The “Network Neutrality Bot” (Neubot) is a software application that measures, in a distributed way, Internet access quality of service with a specific emphasis on detection of potential network neutrality violations (such as peer-to-peer traffic discrimination). It is based on a lightweight, open-source computer program that can be downloaded and installed by ordinary Internet users.