diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d9d235a..a3db197 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@uci/socket",
-  "version": "0.2.14",
+  "version": "0.2.16",
   "description": "JSON packet intra(named)/inter(TCP) host communication over socket",
   "main": "src",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/consumer.js b/src/consumer.js
index 2189da7..3154ce9 100644
--- a/src/consumer.js
+++ b/src/consumer.js
@@ -49,94 +49,88 @@ class SocketConsumer extends Socket {
     // if keepAlive is true then consumer will also be reconnecting consumer
     this.keepAlive = 'keepAlive' in opts ? opts.keepAlive : true
     this._ready = false
-    this.timeout = opts.timeout || process.env.UCI_CONNECT_TIMEOUT || 120  // initial connect timeout in secs and then rejects
-    this.wait = opts.wait || 2
     this.stream = new JsonStream()
     // bind to class for other class functions
     this.connect = this.connect.bind(this)
     this.close = promisify(this.end).bind(this)
     this.__ready = this.__ready.bind(this)
+    this._conAttempt = 0
+    this._reconnect = false
     // this._write = this._write.bind(this)
   }
 
   async connect() {
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
 
-      let initial = true
+      let initTimeout = {}
+      // let endlessAttempts = {}
 
-      // this is only for initial connection
-      const initTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
-        log.fatal({method:'connect', line:69, opts: this.opts, msg:`unable to connect in ${this.timeout}s`})
-        reject({ opts: this.opts },`unable to connect to socket server in ${this.timeout}secs`)
-      }, this.timeout * 1000)
+      if (this.opts.host === '127.0.0.1'|| this.opts.host ==='localhost')
+        log.warn({method:'connect', line:107, msg:'tcp consumer on same machine as host, use named Pipe(Unix) Socket Instead'})
 
+      console.log('first connnect attempt for', this.opts.name)
 
-      this.once('connect', async () => {
-        clearTimeout(initTimeout)
-        this._listen()
-        log.debug({method:'connect', line:80, opts: this.opts, msg:'initial connect waiting for socket ready handshake'})
-        this.setKeepAlive(this.keepAlive, 3000)
-        let [err, res] = await btc(isReady).bind(this)(this.__ready,this.wait,this.timeout)
-        if (err) reject(err)
-        initial = false
-        log.debug({method:'connect', line:85, msg:'handshake to socket done, TODO authenticating'})
-        // TODO authenticate here by encrypting a payload with private key and sending that.
-        // await btc(authenticate)
-        this.emit('connected')  // for end users to take action
-        resolve(res)
-      })
-
-      let reconTimeout
-      // function that sets a reconnect timeout
-      const reconnect = () => {
-        reconTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
-          this.removeAllListeners()
-          this.stream.removeAllListeners()
-          this.destroy()
-          connect()
-        }, this.wait * 1000)
+      // this is only for initial drop dead connection failure
+      if (this.opts.initTimeout) {
+        initTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+          log.fatal({method:'connect', line:69, opts: this.opts, msg:`unable to initially connect to ${this.opts.name} in ${this.opts.initTimeout}s no more attempts!`})
+          reject({ opts: this.opts, msg: `unable to connect initially to socket server in ${this.timeout}secs, giving up no more attempts`})
+        }
+          , this.opts.initTimeout * 1000)
       }
 
-
       // connection function  that sets listeners and deals with reconnect
-      const connect = () => {
-        if (this.opts.host === '127.0.0.1'|| this.opts.host ==='localhost')
-          log.warn({method:'connect', line:107, msg:'tcp consumer on same machine as host, use named Pipe(Unix) Socket Instead'})
+      const _connect = () => {
 
-        if(!initial) {
-          this.once('connect', async () => {
-            clearTimeout(reconTimeout)
-            this._listen()
-            log.debug({method:'connect', line:113, msg:'reconnected waiting for socket ready handshake'})
-            this.setKeepAlive(this.keepAlive, 3000)
-            let [err, res] = await btc(isReady).bind(this)(this.__ready,this.wait,this.timeout)
-            if (err) reject(err)
-            log.debug({method:'connect', line:69, msg:'rehandshake done, reauthenticating'})
-            // TODO authenticate here by encrypting a payload with private key and sending that.
-            // await btc(authenticate)
-            this.emit('connected')
+        this.once('connect', async () => {
+          console.log(`${this.opts.name} - has ${this._reconnect ? 're':''}CONNECTED after ${this._conAttempt} attempts`)
+          if (!this._reconnect) clearTimeout(initTimeout)
+          // clearInterval(endlessAttempts)
+          this._listen()
+          log.debug({method:'connect', line:113, msg:'connected waiting for socket ready handshake'})
+          this.setKeepAlive(this.keepAlive, 3000)
+          let [err, res] = await btc(isReady).bind(this)(this.__ready,this.hsInterval,this.hsTimeout)
+          if (err) {
+            log.error(`${this.opts.name} - could not complete handshake after ${this._reconnect ? 're':''}connect attempt ${this._conAttempt}`)
+            if (!this._reconnect) reject(err)
+            this.emit('error', new Error('HANDSHAKE'))
+          } else {
+            log.debug({method:'connect', line:69, msg:'handshake done, authenticating'})
+            this.send({cmd:'auth', id:this.opts.clientID, name:this.opts.clientNamem, key:'somebigsecret'})
+            // TODO authenticate here by encrypting private key.
+            if (!this._reconnect) {
+              resolve(res)
+              this.emit('connected')
+            }
             this.emit('reconnected')  // emit also reconnected for special end user action
-            resolve(res)
-          })
-        }
+            this._ready = true
+            this._conAttempts = 0
+            this._reconnect = true
+          }
+        })
 
         this.on('error', async err => {
+          console.log('error emitted', this.opts.name, err.code)
           if (err.code !== 'EISCONN') {
             this._ready = false
             this.emit('ready', false)
             log.debug({ method:'connect', line:130, error: err.code, msg:`connect error ${err.code}, attempting reconnect`})
-            reconnect()
-          }
-          else {
+            this.removeAllListeners()
+            this.stream.removeAllListeners()
+            this.destroy()
+            this._conAttempt += 1
+            console.log(`${this.opts.name} - ${this._reconnect ? 're':''}connection attempt ${this._conAttempt}`)
+            _connect()
+          }  else {
             this._ready = true
             this.emit('ready', true)
             log.error({method:'connect', line:69, msg:'reconnected to socket, ready to go again'})
           }
         })
 
-        if (this.keepAlive) { // only attempt reconnect is keepAlive is set which it is by default
+        if (this.keepAlive) { // only attempt reconnect if keepAlive is set which it is by default
           this.on('end', async () => {
-            log.error({method:'connect', line:142, msg:'socket (server) terminated unexpectantly, keepalive set, wait for server to come online'})
+            console.log({method:'connect', line:142, msg:'socket (server) terminated unexpectantly, keepalive set, wait for server to come online'})
             this._ready = false
             this.emit('error', { code: 'DISCONNECTED' })
           })
@@ -144,11 +138,11 @@ class SocketConsumer extends Socket {
 
         // attempt connection
         log.debug({method:'connect', line:149, opts: this.opts, msg:`attempting to connect ${this.id} to socket`})
-        super.connect(this.opts)
+        super.connect(this.opts)  // ###call nodejs net connect here###
 
       }  // end connect function
 
-      connect() // initial connect request
+      _connect() // initial connect request to start the ball rolling
     }) //end promise
   }
 
@@ -245,7 +239,7 @@ export default SocketConsumer
 
 // Helper Functions
 // wait until a passed ready function returns true
-function isReady(ready, wait = 30, timeout = 1000) {
+function isReady(ready, wait = 100, timeout = 2000) {
   let time = 0
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     (function waitReady() {