This paper presents a five-semester experience regarding the use of a real Internet-scale environment for testing protocols and services under realistic conditions. The paper discusses the convenience of using such real environments over other alternatives, i.e. emulated or simulated environments. Since most currently published work focuses primarily on technical specifications of academic testing environments, the paper also argues for the need to carry out studies which analyse students' opinions, performance, and behaviours while using these environments. Accordingly, an exhaustive survey analysis is included. This first analysis is complemented with a second one regarding the way students interact with the system. From both studies, several conclusions and recommendations are derived.