diff --git a/src/client/ServerConnection.c b/src/client/ServerConnection.c
index 42039c4..b540996 100644
--- a/src/client/ServerConnection.c
+++ b/src/client/ServerConnection.c
@@ -63,16 +63,16 @@ Result(ServerConnection*) ServerConnection_open(ClientCredentials* client_creden
 
     // connect to server address
     try(Socket _s, i, socket_open_TCP());
-    // TODO: set socket timeout to 5 seconds
+    try_void(socket_setTimeout(_s, SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS_DEFAULT));
     try_void(socket_connect(_s, conn->server_end));
     EncryptedSocketTCP_construct(&conn->sock, _s, NETWORK_BUFFER_SIZE, conn->session_key);
     
     // send PacketHeader and ClientHandshake
     // encryption by server public key
-    PacketHeader packet_header;
+    PacketHeader packet_header = {0};
     PacketHeader_construct(&packet_header,
         PROTOCOL_VERSION, PacketType_ClientHandshake, sizeof(ClientHandshake));
-    ClientHandshake client_handshake;
+    ClientHandshake client_handshake = {0};
     ClientHandshake_construct(&client_handshake,
         conn->session_key);
     try_void(EncryptedSocketTCP_sendStructRSA(&conn->sock, &conn->rsa_enc, &packet_header));
diff --git a/src/client/client.c b/src/client/client.c
index f295540..9f16814 100644
--- a/src/client/client.c
+++ b/src/client/client.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "client.h"
 #include "term.h"
+#include "tlibc/time.h"
 
 static const str greeting_art = STR(
     "   ^,,^                           ╱|\n"
diff --git a/src/network/internal.h b/src/network/internal.h
index 0b51dba..f2feea1 100644
--- a/src/network/internal.h
+++ b/src/network/internal.h
@@ -10,20 +10,28 @@
     #endif
 #endif
 
+// include OS-dependent socket headers
 #if KN_USE_WINSOCK
     #include <winsock2.h>
     // There you can see what error codes mean.
     #include <winerror.h>
-    #define RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET() RESULT_ERROR(sprintf_malloc(64, "Winsock error %i", WSAGetLastError()), true)
 #else
     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <sys/socket.h>
+    #include <sys/time.h>
     #include <netinet/in.h>
     #include <arpa/inet.h>
     #include <netdb.h>
     #include <unistd.h>
 
-    #define RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET() RESULT_ERROR(strerror(errno), false)
+#endif
+
+#if KN_USE_WINSOCK
+    #define RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET()\
+        RESULT_ERROR(sprintf_malloc(64, "Winsock error %i (look in <winerror.h>)", WSAGetLastError()), true);
+#else
+    #define RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET()\
+        RESULT_ERROR(strerror(errno), false);
 #endif
 
 struct sockaddr_in EndpointIPv4_toSockaddr(EndpointIPv4 end);
diff --git a/src/network/socket.c b/src/network/socket.c
index 9541361..c0546b3 100755
--- a/src/network/socket.c
+++ b/src/network/socket.c
@@ -20,7 +20,30 @@ void socket_close(Socket s){
 }
 
 Result(void) socket_shutdown(Socket s, SocketShutdownType direction){
-    if(shutdown(s, (int)direction) == -1)
+    if(shutdown(s, (int)direction) != 0)
+        return RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET();
+    return RESULT_VOID;
+}
+
+Result(void) socket_setTimeout(Socket s, u32 ms){
+    void* opt;
+    u32 optlen;
+
+#if KN_USE_WINSOCK
+    opt = &ms;
+    optlen = sizeof(ms);
+#else
+    struct timeval tv = {
+        .tv_sec = ms/1000,
+        .tv_usec = (ms%1000)*1000
+    };
+    opt = &tv;
+    optlen = sizeof(tv);
+#endif
+
+    if(setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_SNDTIMEO, opt, optlen) != 0)
+        return RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET();
+    if(setsockopt(s, SOL_SOCKET, SO_RCVTIMEO, opt, optlen) != 0)
         return RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET();
     return RESULT_VOID;
 }
@@ -38,18 +61,18 @@ Result(void) socket_listen(Socket s, i32 backlog){
     return RESULT_VOID;
 }
 
-Result(Socket) socket_accept(Socket main_socket, NULLABLE(EndpointIPv4*) remote_end) {
+Result(Socket) socket_accept(Socket listening_sock, NULLABLE(EndpointIPv4*) remote_end) {
     struct sockaddr_in remote_addr = {0};
     i32 sockaddr_size = sizeof(remote_addr);
-    Socket user_connection = accept(main_socket, (void*)&remote_addr, (void*)&sockaddr_size);
-    if(user_connection == -1)
+    Socket accepted_sock = accept(listening_sock, (void*)&remote_addr, (void*)&sockaddr_size);
+    if(accepted_sock == -1)
         return RESULT_ERROR_SOCKET();
     
     //TODO: add IPV6 support (struct sockaddr_in6)
     assert(sockaddr_size == sizeof(remote_addr));
     if(remote_end)
         *remote_end = EndpointIPv4_fromSockaddr(remote_addr);
-    return RESULT_VALUE(i, user_connection);
+    return RESULT_VALUE(i, accepted_sock);
 }
 
 Result(void) socket_connect(Socket s, EndpointIPv4 remote_end){
diff --git a/src/network/socket.h b/src/network/socket.h
index 72ff845..7e8dadb 100755
--- a/src/network/socket.h
+++ b/src/network/socket.h
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 #include "endpoint.h"
 #include "tlibc/errors.h"
 #include "tlibc/collections/Array.h"
-#include "tlibc/time.h"
 
 typedef enum SocketShutdownType {
     SocketShutdownType_Receive = 0,
@@ -18,13 +17,19 @@ typedef enum SocketRecvFlag {
 
 typedef i64 Socket;
 
+#define SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS_DEFAULT 5000
+#define SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS_INFINITE 0
+
 Result(Socket)  socket_open_TCP();
 void            socket_close(Socket s);
 Result(void)    socket_shutdown(Socket s, SocketShutdownType direction);
+Result(void)    socket_setTimeout(Socket s, u32 ms);
+
 Result(void)    socket_bind(Socket s, EndpointIPv4 local_end);
 Result(void)    socket_listen(Socket s, i32 backlog);
-Result(Socket)  socket_accept(Socket s, NULLABLE(EndpointIPv4*) remote_end);
+Result(Socket)  socket_accept(Socket listening_sock, NULLABLE(EndpointIPv4*) remote_end);
 Result(void)    socket_connect(Socket s, EndpointIPv4 remote_end);
+
 Result(void)    socket_send(Socket s, Array(u8) buffer);
 Result(void)    socket_sendto(Socket s, Array(u8) buffer, EndpointIPv4 dst);
 Result(i32)     socket_recv(Socket s, Array(u8) buffer, SocketRecvFlag flags);
diff --git a/src/server/ClientConnection.c b/src/server/ClientConnection.c
index 0e690d5..f7949e8 100644
--- a/src/server/ClientConnection.c
+++ b/src/server/ClientConnection.c
@@ -28,14 +28,14 @@ Result(ClientConnection*) ClientConnection_accept(ServerCredentials* server_cred
     // correct session key will be received from client later
     Array_memset(conn->session_key, 0);
     EncryptedSocketTCP_construct(&conn->sock, sock_tcp, NETWORK_BUFFER_SIZE, conn->session_key);
-    // TODO: set socket timeout to 5 seconds
+    try_void(socket_setTimeout(sock_tcp, SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS_DEFAULT));
     
     // decrypt the rsa messages using server private key
     RSADecryptor rsa_dec;
     RSADecryptor_construct(&rsa_dec, &server_credentials->rsa_sk);
 
     // receive PacketHeader
-    PacketHeader packet_header;
+    PacketHeader packet_header = {0};
     try_void(EncryptedSocketTCP_recvStructRSA(&conn->sock, &rsa_dec, &packet_header));
     try_void(PacketHeader_validateMagic(&packet_header));
     if(packet_header.type != PacketType_ClientHandshake){
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Result(ClientConnection*) ClientConnection_accept(ServerCredentials* server_cred
     }
 
     // receive ClientHandshake
-    ClientHandshake client_handshake;
+    ClientHandshake client_handshake = {0};
     try_void(EncryptedSocketTCP_recvStructRSA(&conn->sock, &rsa_dec, &client_handshake));
 
     // use received session key
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ Result(ClientConnection*) ClientConnection_accept(ServerCredentials* server_cred
     // send PacketHeader and ServerHandshake over encrypted TCP socket
     PacketHeader_construct(&packet_header, 
         PROTOCOL_VERSION, PacketType_ServerHandshake, sizeof(ServerHandshake));
-    ServerHandshake server_handshake;
+    ServerHandshake server_handshake = {0};
     ServerHandshake_construct(&server_handshake,
         session_id);
     try_void(EncryptedSocketTCP_sendStruct(&conn->sock, &packet_header));
diff --git a/src/server/server.c b/src/server/server.c
index dc73526..5922d51 100644
--- a/src/server/server.c
+++ b/src/server/server.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include "tlibc/filesystem.h"
+#include "tlibc/time.h"
 #include "db/idb.h"
 #include "server.h"
 #include "config.h"