@@ -41,10 +41,11 @@
 @synthesize socketClass = _socketClass;
 @synthesize server = _server, port = _port;
 @synthesize nickname = _nickname, username = _username, realname = _realname;
 @synthesize delegate = _delegate, socket = _socket;
 @synthesize fallbackEncoding = _fallbackEncoding;
+@synthesize pingInterval = _pingInterval, pingTimeout = _pingTimeout;
 
 + (instancetype)connection
 {
 	return [[[self alloc] init] autorelease];
 }
@@ -56,10 +57,12 @@
 	@try {
 		_socketClass = [OFTCPSocket class];
 		_channels = [[OFMutableDictionary alloc] init];
 		_port = 6667;
 		_fallbackEncoding = OF_STRING_ENCODING_ISO_8859_1;
+		_pingInterval = 120;
+		_pingTimeout = 30;
 	} @catch (id e) {
 		[self release];
 		@throw e;
 	}
 
@@ -72,10 +75,12 @@
 	[_server release];
 	[_nickname release];
 	[_username release];
 	[_realname release];
 	[_channels release];
+	[_pingData release];
+	[_pingTimer release];
 
 	[super dealloc];
 }
 
 - (void)connect
@@ -246,18 +251,36 @@
 				 withString: @"PONG"];
 		[self sendLine: s];
 
 		return;
 	}
+
+	/* PONG */
+	if ([components count] == 4 &&
+	    [[components objectAtIndex: 1] isEqual: @"PONG"] &&
+	    [[components objectAtIndex: 3] isEqual: _pingData]) {
+		[_pingTimer invalidate];
+
+		[_pingData release];
+		[_pingTimer release];
+
+		_pingData = nil;
+		_pingTimer = nil;
+	}
 
 	action = [[components objectAtIndex: 1] uppercaseString];
 
 	/* Connected */
 	if ([action isEqual: @"001"] && [components count] >= 4) {
 		if ([_delegate respondsToSelector:
 		    @selector(connectionWasEstablished:)])
 			[_delegate connectionWasEstablished: self];
+
+		[OFTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval: _pingInterval
+						 target: self
+					       selector: @selector(IRC_sendPing)
+						repeats: true];
 
 		return;
 	}
 
 	/* JOIN */
@@ -524,10 +547,35 @@
 		}
 
 		return;
 	}
 }
+
+- (void)IRC_sendPing
+{
+	[_pingData release];
+	[_pingTimer release];
+
+	_pingData = [[OFString alloc] initWithFormat: @":%d", rand()];
+	[_socket writeFormat: @"PING %@\r\n", _pingData];
+
+	_pingTimer = [[OFTimer
+	    scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval: _pingTimeout
+				    target: self
+				  selector: @selector(IRC_pingTimeout)
+				   repeats: false] retain];
+}
+
+- (void)IRC_pingTimeout
+{
+	if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(connectionWasClosed:)])
+		[_delegate connectionWasClosed: self];
+
+	[_socket cancelAsyncRequests];
+	[_socket release];
+	_socket = nil;
+}
 
 - (void)processLine: (OFString*)line
 {
 	void *pool = objc_autoreleasePoolPush();
 
@@ -568,15 +616,18 @@
 						   didReceiveWronglyEncodedLine:
 						   exception:)];
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(connectionWasClosed:)]) {
+	if ([_delegate respondsToSelector: @selector(connectionWasClosed:)])
 		[_delegate connectionWasClosed: self];
-		[_socket release];
-		_socket = nil;
-	}
+
+	[_pingTimer invalidate];
+
+	[_socket cancelAsyncRequests];
+	[_socket release];
+	_socket = nil;
 
 	return false;
 }
 
 - (void)handleConnection