diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index 338ea95d0..869ff6c43 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ ORIGDIR=`pwd`
 cd $srcdir
 
 . ./data/scripts/add_cl_if_not_present.sh # add --with-cuda-host-compiler=<cl> to current params (Win)
-. ./data/scripts/install_speex.sh
+./data/scripts/install_speex.sh
 
 # install config.guess config.sub install-sh missing
 echo "Running automake..."
diff --git a/data/scripts/fetch_submodule.sh b/data/scripts/fetch_submodule.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2af3af78d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/scripts/fetch_submodule.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+## fetches a submodule
+##
+## @param $1 name
+## @param $2 fallback Gzip URL
+## @param $3 fallback Git URL
+## @retval 1 submodule was updated
+fetch_submodule() {
+        MODULE=$1
+        FALLBACK_URL=$2
+        FALLBACK_GIT_URL=$3
+        SUBMODULE_UPDATED= # assume that submodule have not been updated
+        printf "Downloading ${MODULE}... "
+        if ! command -v git >/dev/null; then
+                if [ ! -d ext-deps/$MODULE ]; then
+                        echo "git not found - trying to download a release"
+                        mkdir -p ext-deps/tmp
+                        curl -L $FALLBACK_URL | tar -C ext-deps/tmp -xz
+                        mv ext-deps/tmp/* ext-deps/$MODULE
+                        rmdir ext-deps/tmp
+                else
+                        echo "skipped (ext-deps/$MODULE is already present)"
+                fi
+        elif ! git branch >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+                # we are not in UltraGrid git repository but can use git to download
+                if [ ! -d ext-deps/$MODULE ]; then
+                        echo "git submodule found - trying to clone"
+                        git clone $FALLBACK_GIT_URL ext-deps/$MODULE
+                else
+                        echo "skipped (ext-deps/$MODULE is already present)"
+                fi
+        else
+                SUBMODULE_UPDATED=`git submodule update --init ext-deps/$module`
+                if [ -z "$SUBMODULE_UPDATED" ]; then
+                        echo "not needed"
+                        return 0
+                fi
+                return 1
+        fi
+        return 0
+}
+
diff --git a/data/scripts/install_speex.sh b/data/scripts/install_speex.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index f109b00d8..c88d21437
--- a/data/scripts/install_speex.sh
+++ b/data/scripts/install_speex.sh
@@ -1,38 +1,20 @@
+#!/bin/sh -eu
 ## Install speex and speexdsp
 ##
 ## Normally try to use git submodules present in the repository. If not possible
 ## it tries to either clone (.git directory stripped) or to download release
 ## (if git not found).
 
+. $(dirname $0)/fetch_submodule.sh
+
 for module in speex speexdsp; do
-        SUBMODULE_UPDATED= # assume that submodule have not been updated
-        printf "Downloading ${module}... "
-        if ! command -v git >/dev/null; then
-                if [ ! -d ext-deps/$module ]; then
-                        echo "git not found - trying to download a release"
-                        mkdir -p ext-deps
-                        curl -L http://downloads.us.xiph.org/releases/speex/${module}-1.2.0.tar.gz | tar -C ext-deps -xz
-                        mv ext-deps/speex*-1.2.0 ext-deps/$module
-                else
-                        echo "skipped (ext-deps/$module is already present)"
-                fi
-        elif ! git branch >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-                # we are not in UltraGrid git repository but can use git to download
-                if [ ! -d ext-deps/$module ]; then
-                        echo "git submodule found - trying to clone"
-                        git clone https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/$module ext-deps/$module
-                else
-                        echo "skipped (ext-deps/$module is already present)"
-                fi
-        else
-                SUBMODULSE_UPDATED=`git submodule update --init ext-deps/$module`
-                if [ -z "$SUBMODULE_UPDATED" ]; then
-                        echo "not needed"
-                fi
-        fi
+        set +e
+        fetch_submodule $module http://downloads.us.xiph.org/releases/speex/${module}-1.2.0.tar.gz https://gitlab.xiph.org/xiph/$module
+        [ $? = 1 ] && SUBMODULE_UPDATED=yes || SUBMODULE_UPDATED=no
+        set -e
 
         printf "Configuring ${module}... "
-        if [ -f ext-deps/$module/include/speex/${module}_config_types.h -a -z "$SUBMODULE_UPDATED" ]; then
+        if [ -f ext-deps/$module/include/speex/${module}_config_types.h -a $SUBMODULE_UPDATED = no ]; then
                 echo "not needed"
         else
                 cd ext-deps/$module