diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 88e0971..56449f2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@uci/mqtt",
-  "version": "0.1.9",
+  "version": "0.1.10",
   "description": "mqtt client with json payloads and mqtt custom broker",
   "main": "src",
   "scripts": {
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@
   },
   "homepage": "https://github.com/uCOMmandIt/uci-changeme#readme",
   "dependencies": {
-    "@uci-utils/logger": "0.0.13",
-    "async-mqtt": "^1.0",
-    "better-try-catch": "^0.6.2",
+    "@uci-utils/logger": "^0.0.14",
+    "async-mqtt": "1.0.1",
+    "better-try-catch": "0.6.2",
     "is-plain-object": "^2.0.4",
     "lodash.merge": "^4.6.1",
     "lodash.union": "^4.6.0",
diff --git a/src/client.js b/src/client.js
index 4c4fbd1..fc9b478 100644
--- a/src/client.js
+++ b/src/client.js
@@ -25,12 +25,13 @@ class MQTTClient {
     this.id = opts.id || opts.name || 'mqtt:' + new Date().getTime()
     log = logger({
       file: 'src/client.js',
-      class: 'Client',
+      package:'@uci/mqttjs',
+      class: 'MQTTClient',
       name: 'mqtt',
       id: this.id
     })
     this.url = opts.url || null
-    // subscription topics can be string of commna delimited or array of strings see object see mqtt.js docs
+    // subscription topics can be string of commna delimited or array of strings.  If none they by default topic is id
     this.topics = Array.isArray(opts.topics)
       ? opts.topics
       : opts.topics
@@ -67,26 +68,17 @@ class MQTTClient {
         this._listen()
 
         this.on('reconnect', () => {
-          log.info('mqtt client reconnected to broker')
+          log.debug({method:'connect', line:71, msg:'mqtt client reconnected to broker'})
           this.subscribe(this.topics)
         })
 
         this.on('error', err => {
-          log.fatal({ err: err }, 'connection error to broker')
+          log.fatal({method:'connect', line:76, err: err, msg:'connection error to broker'})
         })
 
         this.subscribe(this.topics)
-        log.info(
-          { options: this._client.options },
-          `mqtt client connected to broker at ${
-            this._client.options.hostname
-          }:${this._client.options.port}`
-        )
-        resolve(
-          `mqtt client connected to broker at ${
-            this._client.options.hostname
-          }:${this._client.options.port}`
-        )
+        log.debug({method:'connect', line:80, options: this._client.options, msg:`mqtt client connected to broker at ${this._client.options.hostname}:${this._client.options.port}`})
+        resolve(`mqtt client connected to broker at ${this._client.options.hostname}:${this._client.options.port}`)
       })
     }) //end promise
   }
@@ -96,7 +88,7 @@ class MQTTClient {
       if (typeof topic === 'string') topic = topic.split(',')
       this.topics = union(this.topics, topic)
     }
-    log.info(`subscription for topic ${topic} added`)
+    log.debug({method:'subscribe', line:91, msg:`subscription for topic ${topic} added`})
     this._subscribe(topic, options)
   }
 
@@ -110,7 +102,7 @@ class MQTTClient {
 
   async send(packet, topics, options) {
     if (!this.hasOwnProperty('publish')) {
-      log.warn({url:this.url, opts:this.opts, msg:'connect method never called, initialization needed, aborting send'})
+      log.error({method:'send', line:105, url:this.url, opts:this.opts, msg:'connect method never called, initialization needed, aborting send'})
       return
     }
     if (typeof topics !== 'string' && !Array.isArray(topics)) {
@@ -119,16 +111,20 @@ class MQTTClient {
     } else {
       if (typeof topics === 'string') topics = topics.split(',')
     }
-    let payload = {}
+
+    let payload
     if (typeof packet !== 'string') {
-      payload = this._serialize(packet)
-      if (!payload)
-        payload = this._serialize({ err: 'could not serialze packet' })
-      topics = [packet.cmd] || topics // if payload has a cmd use that as topic
-    } else payload = this._serialize({ data: packet })
+      if (packet.payload) payload = packet.payload.toString()
+      else {
+        payload = this._serialize(packet)
+        if (!payload) payload = this._serialize({ err: 'could not serialze packet' })
+      }
+      topics = packet.cmd ? [packet.cmd.replace(/\./gi,'/') ] : topics // if payload has a cmd use that as topic, convert any  . to slash
+    } else payload = packet  // packet was just a string
+
     let pubs = []
     topics.forEach(async topic => {
-      log.info(`sending ${payload} to topic ${topic} with options ${options}`)
+      log.debug({method:'send', line:127, msg:'mqtt publishing', payload:payload, topic:topic})
       pubs.push(this.publish(topic, payload, options))
     })
     return await Promise.all(pubs)
@@ -141,35 +137,33 @@ class MQTTClient {
   _serialize(json) {
     let [err, payload] = btc(JSON.stringify)(json)
     if (err) {
-      log.warn(`error unable to stringify json:${json}`)
+      log.warn({method:'_serialize', line:140, msg:`unable to stringify json for payload:${json}`})
       return null
     }
     return payload
   }
 
   _listen() {
-    log.info(
-      `listening for incoming packets from broker on topics ${this.topics}`
-    )
+    log.info({method:'_listen', line:147, msg:`listening for incoming mqtt packets from broker on topics ${this.topics}`})
     this.on('message', messageProcess.bind(this))
 
     async function messageProcess(topic, payload) {
-      log.info('incoming message on topic', topic)
+      log.debug({method:'_listen', line:153 ,msg:'incoming mqtt message to process', topic:topic, payload:payload})
       let packet = this._handlePayload(payload)
       if (packet) packet.cmd = packet.cmd || topic
       // payload had no command that use topic as cmd
       else packet = { cmd: topic }
       let res = (await this._packetProcess(packet, topic)) || {}
+      log.debug({method:'_listen', line:159, msg:'processed packet back to broker - cmd: should NOT be a subscribed topic or infinite loop!', res:res, topics:this.topics})
+      // TODO!!!!!!!!!! make sure cmd/topic is not the same as subscribed topics or can make an infinite loop
       this.send(res)
     }
   }
 
   _handlePayload(payload) {
     let [err, packet] = btc(JSON.parse)(payload.toString())
-    if (err) {
-      log.info('payload not json returning as prop data:<payload>')
-    }
-    if (!isPlainObject(packet)) packet = { data: payload.toString() }
+    if (err) log.debug({method:'_handlePayload', line:201, msg:'payload is not json returning as prop data:<payload>'})
+    if (!isPlainObject(packet)) return { data: payload.toString() }
     return packet
   }
 
@@ -194,19 +188,19 @@ class MQTTClient {
     })
 
     this.on('close', () => {
-      log.info('connection to broker was closed')
+      log.debug({method:'_log', line:193, msg:'connection to broker was closed'})
     })
 
     this.on('offline', () => {
-      log.info('this client has gone offline from broker')
+      log.warn({method:'_log', line:197, msg:'this client has gone offline from broker'})
     })
 
     this.on('packetsend', packet => {
-      log.info({ packet: packet }, 'outgoing packet to mqtt broker')
+      log.debug({method:'_log', line:201, packet: packet, msg:'outgoing packet to mqtt broker'})
     })
 
     this.on('packetreceive', packet => {
-      log.info({ packet: packet }, 'incoming packet from mqtt broker')
+      log.debug({method:'_log', line:205, packet: packet, msg:'incoming packet from mqtt broker'})
     })
   }