diff --git a/tests/TestBaseClass.php b/tests/TestBaseClass.php
index 3628bc5b0ab..c21cc147a13 100644
--- a/tests/TestBaseClass.php
+++ b/tests/TestBaseClass.php
@@ -11,23 +11,28 @@ class TestBaseClass extends TestCase
      */
     protected static $testHelper = null;
 
-
     /**
      * @var int
      */
     public static $surveyId = null;
 
-    public function setUp()
+    public static function setupBeforeClass()
     {
-        parent::setUp();
         self::$testHelper = new TestHelper();
-
         self::$testHelper->importAll();
-
     }
 
+    public function setUp()
+    {
+        parent::setUp();
+    }
 
-    protected static function importSurvey($fileName){
+    /**
+     * @param string $fileName
+     * @return void
+     */
+    protected static function importSurvey($fileName)
+    {
         \Yii::app()->session['loginID'] = 1;
         $surveyFile = $fileName;
         if (!file_exists($surveyFile)) {
diff --git a/tests/TestBaseClassView.php b/tests/TestBaseClassView.php
index db64d1e3bab..5fc6392a471 100644
--- a/tests/TestBaseClassView.php
+++ b/tests/TestBaseClassView.php
@@ -16,16 +16,34 @@
 use Facebook\WebDriver\WebDriverBy;
 
 /**
- * Class TestBaseClassWeb
- * this is the base class for functional tests that need browser simulation
  * @package ls\tests
  */
 class TestBaseClassView extends TestBaseClassWeb
 {
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     */
+    public static function setupBeforeClass()
+    {
+        parent::setupBeforeClass();
+    }
+
     public function setUp()
     {
         parent::setUp();
-        $this->adminLogin('admin', 'password');
+
+        $username = getenv('USERNAME');
+        if (empty($username)) {
+            $username = 'admin';
+        }
+
+        $password = getenv('PASSWORD');
+        if (empty($password)) {
+            $password = 'password';
+        }
+
+        $this->adminLogin($username, $password);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -34,16 +52,25 @@ public function setUp()
      */
     protected function findViewTag($name, $view)
     {
-        $this->openView($view);
+        $url = $this->getUrl($view);
+        $this->openView($url);
         $element = null;
 
-        $screenshot = $this->webDriver->takeScreenshot();
-        file_put_contents(__DIR__ . '/_output/'.$name.'.png', $screenshot);
         try {
             $element = $this->webDriver->findElement(WebDriverBy::id('action::'.$name));
         } catch (\Exception $e) {
+            $screenshot = $this->webDriver->takeScreenshot();
+            file_put_contents(__DIR__ . '/_output/'.$name.'.png', $screenshot);
             //throw new Exception($e->getMessage());
         }
-        $this->assertNotEmpty($element, sprintf('FAILED viewing %s on route %s', $name, $view['route']));
+        $this->assertNotEmpty(
+            $element,
+            sprintf(
+                'FAILED viewing %s on route %s, full url %s',
+                $name,
+                $view['route'],
+                $url
+            )
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/TestBaseClassWeb.php b/tests/TestBaseClassWeb.php
index 9e9999636bd..0936096f766 100644
--- a/tests/TestBaseClassWeb.php
+++ b/tests/TestBaseClassWeb.php
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 use Facebook\WebDriver\WebDriver;
 use Facebook\WebDriver\WebDriverBy;
 use Facebook\WebDriver\WebDriverExpectedCondition;
+use Facebook\WebDriver\Exception\TimeOutException;
 
 /**
  * Class TestBaseClassWeb
@@ -40,13 +41,14 @@ class TestBaseClassWeb extends TestBaseClass
     public function setUp()
     {
         parent::setUp();
+
         if (empty(getenv('DOMAIN'))) {
             die('Must specify DOMAIN environment variable to run this test, like "DOMAIN=localhost/limesurvey" or "DOMAIN=limesurvey.localhost".');
         }
 
         $capabilities = DesiredCapabilities::phantomjs();
         $this->webDriver = RemoteWebDriver::create("http://localhost:{$this->webPort}/", $capabilities);
-
+        $this->webDriver->manage()->window()->maximize();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -62,28 +64,75 @@ public function tearDown()
      * @param array $view
      * @return WebDriver
      */
-    public function openView($view)
+    public function openView($url)
+    {
+        if (!is_string($url)) {
+            throw new \Exception('$url must be a string, is ' . json_encode($url));
+        }
+        return $this->webDriver->get($url);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param array $view
+     */
+    public function getUrl(array $view)
     {
         $domain = getenv('DOMAIN');
         if (empty($domain)) {
             $domain = '';
         }
-        $url = "http://{$domain}/index.php/admin/".$view['route'];
-        return $this->webDriver->get($url);
+        return "http://{$domain}/index.php/admin/".$view['route'];
     }
 
-    public function adminLogin($userName, $passWord)
+    /**
+     * @param string $userName
+     * @param string $password
+     * @return void
+     */
+    public function adminLogin($userName, $password)
     {
-        $this->openView(['route'=>'authentication/sa/login']);
+        $url = $this->getUrl(['route'=>'authentication/sa/login']);
+        $this->openView($url);
+
+        try {
+            $this->webDriver->wait(2)->until(
+                WebDriverExpectedCondition::presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(
+                    WebDriverBy::id('user')
+                )
+            );
+        } catch (TimeOutException $ex) {
+            //$name =__DIR__ . '/_output/loginfailed.png';
+            $screenshot = $this->webDriver->takeScreenshot();
+            file_put_contents(__DIR__ .'/tmp.png', $screenshot);
+            $this->assertTrue(
+                false,
+                sprintf(
+                    'Could not login on url %s: Could not find element with id "user".',
+                    $url
+                )
+            );
+        }
+
         $userNameField = $this->webDriver->findElement(WebDriverBy::id("user"));
         $userNameField->clear()->sendKeys($userName);
         $passWordField = $this->webDriver->findElement(WebDriverBy::id("password"));
-        $passWordField->clear()->sendKeys($passWord);
+        $passWordField->clear()->sendKeys($password);
 
         $submit = $this->webDriver->findElement(WebDriverBy::name('login_submit'));
         $submit->click();
-        return $this->webDriver->wait(10, 1000)->until(
-            WebDriverExpectedCondition::visibilityOfElementLocated(WebDriverBy::id('welcome-jumbotron'))
-        );
+        try {
+            $this->webDriver->wait(2)->until(
+                WebDriverExpectedCondition::presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(
+                    WebDriverBy::id('welcome-jumbotron')
+                )
+            );
+        } catch (TimeOutException $ex) {
+            $screenshot = $this->webDriver->takeScreenshot();
+            file_put_contents(__DIR__ .'/tmp.png', $screenshot);
+            $this->assertTrue(
+                false,
+                'Found no welcome jumbotron after login.'
+            );
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/questions/DateTimeValidationTest.php b/tests/questions/DateTimeValidationTest.php
index 81406a2da13..dad44739270 100644
--- a/tests/questions/DateTimeValidationTest.php
+++ b/tests/questions/DateTimeValidationTest.php
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ class DateTimeValidationTest extends TestBaseClassWeb
      */
     public static function setupBeforeClass()
     {
+        parent::setupBeforeClass();
+
         \Yii::app()->session['loginID'] = 1;
 
         $surveyFile = __DIR__ . '/../data/surveys/limesurvey_survey_834477.lss';
@@ -31,7 +33,7 @@ public static function setupBeforeClass()
 
         $translateLinksFields = false;
         $newSurveyName = null;
-        $result = importSurveyFile(
+        $result = \importSurveyFile(
             $surveyFile,
             $translateLinksFields,
             $newSurveyName,