diff --git a/util/src/network/host.rs b/util/src/network/host.rs
index b2be68a32..78fb274fa 100644
--- a/util/src/network/host.rs
+++ b/util/src/network/host.rs
@@ -209,6 +209,12 @@ impl<'s, Message> NetworkContext<'s, Message> where Message: Send + Sync + Clone
 		}
 	}
 
+	/// Send an IO message
+	pub fn message(&self, msg: Message) {
+		self.io.message(NetworkIoMessage::User(msg));
+	}
+
+
 	/// Disable current protocol capability for given peer. If no capabilities left peer gets disconnected.
 	pub fn disable_peer(&self, peer: PeerId) {
 		//TODO: remove capability, disconnect if no capabilities left
@@ -754,6 +760,7 @@ impl<Message> IoHandler<NetworkIoMessage<Message>> for Host<Message> where Messa
 			io.register_timer(DISCOVERY_REFRESH, 7200).expect("Error registering discovery timer");
 			io.register_timer(DISCOVERY_ROUND, 300).expect("Error registering discovery timer");
 		}
+		self.maintain_network(io)
 	}
 
 	fn stream_hup(&self, io: &IoContext<NetworkIoMessage<Message>>, stream: StreamToken) {
diff --git a/util/src/network/node_table.rs b/util/src/network/node_table.rs
index f528f7134..7ca060f75 100644
--- a/util/src/network/node_table.rs
+++ b/util/src/network/node_table.rs
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ impl Drop for NodeTable {
 	}
 }
 
+/// Check if node url is valid
 pub fn is_valid_node_url(url: &str) -> bool {
 	use std::str::FromStr;
 	Node::from_str(url).is_ok()
diff --git a/util/src/network/tests.rs b/util/src/network/tests.rs
index dc80936d2..44d53bdbe 100644
--- a/util/src/network/tests.rs
+++ b/util/src/network/tests.rs
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ impl NetworkProtocolHandler<TestProtocolMessage> for TestProtocol {
 	}
 
 	fn connected(&self, io: &NetworkContext<TestProtocolMessage>, peer: &PeerId) {
+		assert!(io.peer_info(*peer).contains("parity"));
 		if self.drop_session {
 			io.disconnect_peer(*peer)
 		} else {
@@ -86,7 +87,8 @@ impl NetworkProtocolHandler<TestProtocolMessage> for TestProtocol {
 	}
 
 	/// Timer function called after a timeout created with `NetworkContext::timeout`.
-	fn timeout(&self, _io: &NetworkContext<TestProtocolMessage>, timer: TimerToken) {
+	fn timeout(&self, io: &NetworkContext<TestProtocolMessage>, timer: TimerToken) {
+		io.message(TestProtocolMessage { payload: 22 });
 		assert_eq!(timer, 0);
 		self.got_timeout.store(true, AtomicOrdering::Relaxed);
 	}