diff --git a/rpc/core_client/ws_client.go b/rpc/core_client/ws_client.go
index 26d7f5ec..5731c7b5 100644
--- a/rpc/core_client/ws_client.go
+++ b/rpc/core_client/ws_client.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package core_client
 import (
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/gorilla/websocket"
 	. "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/common"
@@ -12,8 +13,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/wire"
 )
 
-const wsEventsChannelCapacity = 10
-const wsResultsChannelCapacity = 10
+const (
+	wsEventsChannelCapacity  = 10
+	wsResultsChannelCapacity = 10
+	wsWriteTimeoutSeconds    = 10
+)
 
 type WSClient struct {
 	QuitService
@@ -53,6 +57,14 @@ func (wsc *WSClient) dial() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	// Set the ping/pong handlers
+	con.SetPingHandler(func(m string) error {
+		con.WriteControl(websocket.PongMessage, []byte(m), time.Now().Add(time.Second*wsWriteTimeoutSeconds))
+		return nil
+	})
+	con.SetPongHandler(func(m string) error {
+		return nil
+	})
 	wsc.Conn = con
 	return nil
 }
@@ -65,14 +77,14 @@ func (wsc *WSClient) receiveEventsRoutine() {
 	for {
 		_, data, err := wsc.ReadMessage()
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Info(Fmt("WSClient failed to read message: %v", err))
+			log.Info("WSClient failed to read message", "error", err, "data", string(data))
 			wsc.Stop()
 			break
 		} else {
 			var response ctypes.Response
 			wire.ReadJSON(&response, data, &err)
 			if err != nil {
-				log.Info(Fmt("WSClient failed to parse message: %v", err))
+				log.Info("WSClient failed to parse message", "error", err)
 				wsc.Stop()
 				break
 			}
diff --git a/wire/reflect_test.go b/wire/reflect_test.go
index 751e87a8..b21b8bf2 100644
--- a/wire/reflect_test.go
+++ b/wire/reflect_test.go
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ var _ = RegisterInterface(
 	ConcreteType{&Viper{}, AnimalTypeViper},
 )
 
+// TODO: add assertions here ...
 func TestAnimalInterface(t *testing.T) {
 	var foo Animal
 
@@ -100,7 +101,7 @@ func constructBasic() interface{} {
 		SimpleStruct{
 			String: "String",
 			Bytes:  []byte("Bytes"),
-			Time:   time.Unix(123, 0),
+			Time:   time.Unix(123, 456789999),
 		},
 	}
 	return cat
@@ -118,8 +119,8 @@ func validateBasic(o interface{}, t *testing.T) {
 	if string(cat.Bytes) != "Bytes" {
 		t.Errorf("Expected cat.Bytes == 'Bytes', got %X", cat.Bytes)
 	}
-	if cat.Time.Unix() != 123 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected cat.Time == 'Unix(123)', got %v", cat.Time)
+	if cat.Time.UnixNano() != 123456000000 { // Only milliseconds
+		t.Errorf("Expected cat.Time.UnixNano() == 123456000000, got %v", cat.Time.UnixNano())
 	}
 }