diff --git a/src/dsf/connections/base_connection.py b/src/dsf/connections/base_connection.py
index 38ac463..2cf3f19 100644
--- a/src/dsf/connections/base_connection.py
+++ b/src/dsf/connections/base_connection.py
@@ -20,12 +20,16 @@ def __init__(self, debug: bool = False, timeout: int = 3):
         self.id = None
         self.input = ""
 
-    def connect(self, init_message: client_init_messages.ClientInitMessage, socket_file: str):
+    def connect(self, init_message: client_init_messages.ClientInitMessage, socket_file: str, timeout: int = 0):
         """Establishes a connection to the given UNIX socket file"""
 
         self.socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
         self.socket.connect(socket_file)
-        self.socket.setblocking(True)
+        if timeout == 0:
+            self.socket.setblocking(True)
+        else:
+            self.socket.setblocking(False)
+            self.socket.settimeout(timeout)
         server_init_msg = server_init_message.ServerInitMessage.from_json(
             json.loads(self.socket.recv(50).decode("utf8"))
         )
@@ -75,7 +79,10 @@ def send(self, msg):
     def receive(self, cls):
         """Receive a deserialized object from the server"""
         json_string = self.receive_json()
-        return cls.from_json(json.loads(json_string))
+        try:
+            return cls.from_json(json.loads(json_string))
+        except Exception as e:
+            return None
 
     def receive_response(self):
         """Receive a base response from the server"""
@@ -108,7 +115,7 @@ def receive_json(self) -> str:
                         part = self.socket.recv(BUFF_SIZE)
                         data += part
                     except socket.timeout:
-                        pass
+                        return None
                     except Exception as e:
                         raise e
                     # either 0 or end of data
diff --git a/src/dsf/connections/intercept_connection.py b/src/dsf/connections/intercept_connection.py
index 6ef0154..d8db898 100644
--- a/src/dsf/connections/intercept_connection.py
+++ b/src/dsf/connections/intercept_connection.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.auto_evaluate_expression = auto_evaluate_expression
         self.priority_codes = priority_codes
 
-    def connect(self, socket_file: str = SOCKET_FILE):  # noqa
+    def connect(self, timeout: int = 0, socket_file: str = SOCKET_FILE):  # noqa
         """Establishes a connection to the given UNIX socket file"""
         iim = client_init_messages.intercept_init_message(
             self.interception_mode,
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def connect(self, socket_file: str = SOCKET_FILE):  # noqa
             self.auto_flush,
             self.auto_evaluate_expression
         )
-        return super().connect(iim, socket_file)
+        return super().connect(iim, socket_file, timeout)
 
     def receive_code(self) -> commands.code.Code:
         """Wait for a code to be intercepted and read it"""