diff --git a/protocol.go b/protocol.go
index 8e73afea..4c1364ea 100644
--- a/protocol.go
+++ b/protocol.go
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ const (
 	messageTypeRequest       = 2
 	messageTypeResponse      = 3
 	messageTypePing          = 4
-	messageTypePong          = 5
 	messageTypeIndexUpdate   = 6
 	messageTypeClose         = 7
 )
@@ -71,13 +70,12 @@ const (
 )
 
 var (
-	ErrClusterHash = fmt.Errorf("configuration error: mismatched cluster hash")
-	ErrClosed      = errors.New("connection closed")
+	ErrClosed  = errors.New("connection closed")
+	ErrTimeout = errors.New("read timeout")
 )
 
 // Specific variants of empty messages...
 type pingMessage struct{ EmptyMessage }
-type pongMessage struct{ EmptyMessage }
 
 type Model interface {
 	// An index was received from the peer device
@@ -146,9 +144,11 @@ type isEofer interface {
 	IsEOF() bool
 }
 
-var (
-	PingTimeout  = 30 * time.Second
-	PingIdleTime = 60 * time.Second
+const (
+	// We make sure to send a message at least this often, by triggering pings.
+	PingSendInterval = 90 * time.Second
+	// If we haven't received a message from the other side for this long, close the connection.
+	ReceiveTimeout = 300 * time.Second
 )
 
 func NewConnection(deviceID DeviceID, reader io.Reader, writer io.Writer, receiver Model, name string, compress Compression) Connection {
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@ func NewConnection(deviceID DeviceID, reader io.Reader, writer io.Writer, receiv
 func (c *rawConnection) Start() {
 	go c.readerLoop()
 	go c.writerLoop()
-	go c.pingerLoop()
+	go c.pingSender()
+	go c.pingReceiver()
 	go c.idGenerator()
 }
 
@@ -278,18 +279,7 @@ func (c *rawConnection) ping() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	rc := make(chan asyncResult, 1)
-	c.awaitingMut.Lock()
-	c.awaiting[id] = rc
-	c.awaitingMut.Unlock()
-
-	ok := c.send(id, messageTypePing, nil, nil)
-	if !ok {
-		return false
-	}
-
-	res, ok := <-rc
-	return ok && res.err == nil
+	return c.send(id, messageTypePing, nil, nil)
 }
 
 func (c *rawConnection) readerLoop() (err error) {
@@ -352,13 +342,7 @@ func (c *rawConnection) readerLoop() (err error) {
 			if state != stateReady {
 				return fmt.Errorf("protocol error: ping message in state %d", state)
 			}
-			c.send(hdr.msgID, messageTypePong, pongMessage{}, nil)
-
-		case pongMessage:
-			if state != stateReady {
-				return fmt.Errorf("protocol error: pong message in state %d", state)
-			}
-			c.handlePong(hdr.msgID)
+			// Nothing
 
 		case CloseMessage:
 			return errors.New(msg.Reason)
@@ -467,9 +451,6 @@ func (c *rawConnection) readMessage() (hdr header, msg encodable, err error) {
 	case messageTypePing:
 		msg = pingMessage{}
 
-	case messageTypePong:
-		msg = pongMessage{}
-
 	case messageTypeClusterConfig:
 		var cc ClusterConfigMessage
 		err = cc.UnmarshalXDR(msgBuf)
@@ -729,42 +710,55 @@ func (c *rawConnection) idGenerator() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *rawConnection) pingerLoop() {
-	var rc = make(chan bool, 1)
-	ticker := time.Tick(PingIdleTime / 2)
+// The pingSender makes sure that we've sent a message within the last
+// PingSendInterval. If we already have something sent in the last
+// PingSendInterval/2, we do nothing. Otherwise we send a ping message. This
+// results in an effecting ping interval of somewhere between
+// PingSendInterval/2 and PingSendInterval.
+func (c *rawConnection) pingSender() {
+	ticker := time.Tick(PingSendInterval / 2)
+
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-ticker:
-			if d := time.Since(c.cr.Last()); d < PingIdleTime {
-				if debug {
-					l.Debugln(c.id, "ping skipped after rd", d)
-				}
-				continue
-			}
-			if d := time.Since(c.cw.Last()); d < PingIdleTime {
+			d := time.Since(c.cw.Last())
+			if d < PingSendInterval/2 {
 				if debug {
 					l.Debugln(c.id, "ping skipped after wr", d)
 				}
 				continue
 			}
-			go func() {
+
+			if debug {
+				l.Debugln(c.id, "ping -> after", d)
+			}
+			c.ping()
+
+		case <-c.closed:
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The pingReciever checks that we've received a message (any message will do,
+// but we expect pings in the absence of other messages) within the last
+// ReceiveTimeout. If not, we close the connection with an ErrTimeout.
+func (c *rawConnection) pingReceiver() {
+	ticker := time.Tick(ReceiveTimeout / 2)
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ticker:
+			d := time.Since(c.cr.Last())
+			if d > ReceiveTimeout {
 				if debug {
-					l.Debugln(c.id, "ping ->")
+					l.Debugln(c.id, "ping timeout", d)
 				}
-				rc <- c.ping()
-			}()
-			select {
-			case ok := <-rc:
-				if debug {
-					l.Debugln(c.id, "<- pong")
-				}
-				if !ok {
-					c.close(fmt.Errorf("ping failure"))
-				}
-			case <-time.After(PingTimeout):
-				c.close(fmt.Errorf("ping timeout"))
-			case <-c.closed:
-				return
+				c.close(ErrTimeout)
+			}
+
+			if debug {
+				l.Debugln(c.id, "last read within", d)
 			}
 
 		case <-c.closed:
diff --git a/protocol_test.go b/protocol_test.go
index 2c64a9b3..8a470884 100644
--- a/protocol_test.go
+++ b/protocol_test.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"encoding/json"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
@@ -82,94 +81,6 @@ func TestPing(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestPingErr(t *testing.T) {
-	e := errors.New("something broke")
-
-	for i := 0; i < 32; i++ {
-		for j := 0; j < 32; j++ {
-			m0 := newTestModel()
-			m1 := newTestModel()
-
-			ar, aw := io.Pipe()
-			br, bw := io.Pipe()
-			eaw := &ErrPipe{PipeWriter: *aw, max: i, err: e}
-			ebw := &ErrPipe{PipeWriter: *bw, max: j, err: e}
-
-			c0 := NewConnection(c0ID, ar, ebw, m0, "name", CompressAlways).(wireFormatConnection).next.(*rawConnection)
-			c0.Start()
-			c1 := NewConnection(c1ID, br, eaw, m1, "name", CompressAlways)
-			c1.Start()
-			c0.ClusterConfig(ClusterConfigMessage{})
-			c1.ClusterConfig(ClusterConfigMessage{})
-
-			res := c0.ping()
-			if (i < 8 || j < 8) && res {
-				// This should have resulted in failure, as there is no way an empty ClusterConfig plus a Ping message fits in eight bytes.
-				t.Errorf("Unexpected ping success; i=%d, j=%d", i, j)
-			} else if (i >= 28 && j >= 28) && !res {
-				// This should have worked though, as 28 bytes is plenty for both.
-				t.Errorf("Unexpected ping fail; i=%d, j=%d", i, j)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// func TestRequestResponseErr(t *testing.T) {
-// 	e := errors.New("something broke")
-
-// 	var pass bool
-// 	for i := 0; i < 48; i++ {
-// 		for j := 0; j < 38; j++ {
-// 			m0 := newTestModel()
-// 			m0.data = []byte("response data")
-// 			m1 := newTestModel()
-
-// 			ar, aw := io.Pipe()
-// 			br, bw := io.Pipe()
-// 			eaw := &ErrPipe{PipeWriter: *aw, max: i, err: e}
-// 			ebw := &ErrPipe{PipeWriter: *bw, max: j, err: e}
-
-// 			NewConnection(c0ID, ar, ebw, m0, nil)
-// 			c1 := NewConnection(c1ID, br, eaw, m1, nil).(wireFormatConnection).next.(*rawConnection)
-
-// 			d, err := c1.Request("default", "tn", 1234, 5678)
-// 			if err == e || err == ErrClosed {
-// 				t.Logf("Error at %d+%d bytes", i, j)
-// 				if !m1.isClosed() {
-// 					t.Fatal("c1 not closed")
-// 				}
-// 				if !m0.isClosed() {
-// 					t.Fatal("c0 not closed")
-// 				}
-// 				continue
-// 			}
-// 			if err != nil {
-// 				t.Fatal(err)
-// 			}
-// 			if string(d) != "response data" {
-// 				t.Fatalf("Incorrect response data %q", string(d))
-// 			}
-// 			if m0.folder != "default" {
-// 				t.Fatalf("Incorrect folder %q", m0.folder)
-// 			}
-// 			if m0.name != "tn" {
-// 				t.Fatalf("Incorrect name %q", m0.name)
-// 			}
-// 			if m0.offset != 1234 {
-// 				t.Fatalf("Incorrect offset %d", m0.offset)
-// 			}
-// 			if m0.size != 5678 {
-// 				t.Fatalf("Incorrect size %d", m0.size)
-// 			}
-// 			t.Logf("Pass at %d+%d bytes", i, j)
-// 			pass = true
-// 		}
-// 	}
-// 	if !pass {
-// 		t.Fatal("Never passed")
-// 	}
-// }
-
 func TestVersionErr(t *testing.T) {
 	m0 := newTestModel()
 	m1 := newTestModel()