diff --git a/lib/socketserver/GwSocketServer.cpp b/lib/socketserver/GwSocketServer.cpp
index d30e7b2..c53a5ee 100644
--- a/lib/socketserver/GwSocketServer.cpp
+++ b/lib/socketserver/GwSocketServer.cpp
@@ -4,65 +4,6 @@
 #include "GwBuffer.h"
 #include "GwSocketConnection.h"
 
-class GwTcpClient
-{
-    GwSocketConnection *gwClient = NULL;
-    IPAddress remoteAddress;
-    uint16_t port = 0;
-    GwLog *logger;
-
-public:
-    typedef enum
-    {
-        C_DISABLED = 0,
-        C_INITIALIZED = 1,
-        C_CONNECTING = 2,
-        C_CONNECTED = 3
-    } State;
-
-private:
-    State state = C_DISABLED;
-    void stop()
-    {
-        if (gwClient->hasClient())
-        {
-            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::DEBUG, "stopping tcp client");
-            gwClient->stop();
-        }
-        state = C_DISABLED;
-    }
-    void startConnection()
-    {
-        //TODO
-        state = C_CONNECTING;
-    }
-    void checkConnection()
-    {
-    }
-
-public:
-    GwTcpClient(GwLog *logger, GwSocketConnection *gwClient)
-    {
-        this->logger = logger;
-        this->gwClient = gwClient;
-    }
-    void begin(IPAddress address, uint16_t port)
-    {
-        stop();
-        this->remoteAddress = address;
-        this->port = port;
-        state = C_INITIALIZED;
-        startConnection();
-    }
-    void loop()
-    {
-        if (state == C_CONNECTING)
-        {
-            checkConnection();
-        }
-    }
-};
-
 GwSocketServer::GwSocketServer(const GwConfigHandler *config, GwLog *logger, int minId)
 {
     this->config = config;
diff --git a/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.cpp b/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44c2d1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+#include "GwTcpClient.h"
+
+bool GwTcpClient::hasConfig(){
+    return configured;
+}
+bool GwTcpClient::isConnected(){
+    return state == C_CONNECTED;
+}
+void GwTcpClient::stop()
+{
+    if (connection->hasClient())
+    {
+        LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::DEBUG, "stopping tcp client");
+        connection->stop();
+    }
+    state = C_DISABLED;
+}
+void GwTcpClient::startConnection()
+{
+    //TODO
+    state = C_INITIALIZED;
+    connectStart=millis();
+    int sockfd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+    if (sockfd < 0) {
+        LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"unable to create socket: %d", errno);
+        return; 
+    }
+    fcntl( sockfd, F_SETFL, fcntl( sockfd, F_GETFL, 0 ) | O_NONBLOCK );
+
+    uint32_t ip_addr = this->remoteAddress;
+    struct sockaddr_in serveraddr;
+    memset((char *) &serveraddr, 0, sizeof(serveraddr));
+    serveraddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
+    memcpy((void *)&serveraddr.sin_addr.s_addr, (const void *)(&ip_addr), 4);
+    serveraddr.sin_port = htons(port);
+    int res = lwip_connect_r(sockfd, (struct sockaddr*)&serveraddr, sizeof(serveraddr));
+    if (res < 0 ) {
+        if (errno != EINPROGRESS){
+            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"connect on fd %d, errno: %d, \"%s\"", sockfd, errno, strerror(errno));
+            close(sockfd);
+            return;
+        }
+        state=C_CONNECTING;
+        connection->setClient(sockfd);
+    }
+    else{
+        state=C_CONNECTED;
+        connection->setClient(sockfd);
+    }
+}
+void GwTcpClient::checkConnection()
+{
+    unsigned long now=millis();
+    if (! connection->hasClient()){
+        state = hasConfig()?C_INITIALIZED:C_DISABLED;
+    }
+    if (state == C_INITIALIZED){
+        if ((now - connectStart) > CON_TIMEOUT){
+            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::LOG,"retry connect to %s",remoteAddress.toString().c_str());
+            startConnection();
+        }
+        return;
+    }
+    if (state != C_CONNECTING){
+        return;
+    }
+    fd_set fdset;
+    struct timeval tv;
+    FD_ZERO(&fdset);
+    int sockfd=connection->fd;
+    FD_SET(connection->fd, &fdset);
+    tv.tv_sec = 0;
+    tv.tv_usec = 0;
+    int res = select(sockfd + 1, nullptr, &fdset, nullptr, &tv);
+    if (res < 0) {
+        LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"select on fd %d, errno: %d, \"%s\"", sockfd, errno, strerror(errno));
+        connection->stop();
+        return;
+    } else if (res == 0) {
+        //still connecting
+        if ((now - connectStart) >= CON_TIMEOUT){
+            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"connect timeout to %s, retry",remoteAddress.toString().c_str());
+            connection->stop();
+            return;
+        }
+    } else {
+        int sockerr;
+        socklen_t len = (socklen_t)sizeof(int);
+        res = getsockopt(sockfd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_ERROR, &sockerr, &len);
+
+        if (res < 0) {
+            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"getsockopt on fd %d, errno: %d, \"%s\"", sockfd, errno, strerror(errno));
+            connection->stop();
+            return;
+        }
+        if (sockerr != 0) {
+            LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"socket error on fd %d, errno: %d, \"%s\"", sockfd, sockerr, strerror(sockerr));
+            connection->stop();
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+    LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::LOG,"connected to %s",remoteAddress.toString().c_str());
+    state=C_CONNECTED;
+}
+
+GwTcpClient::GwTcpClient(GwLog *logger)
+{
+    this->logger = logger;
+}
+GwTcpClient::~GwTcpClient(){
+    if (connection)
+    delete connection;
+}
+void GwTcpClient::begin(int sourceId,IPAddress address, uint16_t port,bool allowRead)
+{
+    stop();
+    this->sourceId=sourceId;
+    this->remoteAddress = address;
+    this->port = port;
+    configured=true;
+    state = C_INITIALIZED;
+    this->connection = new GwSocketConnection(logger,0,allowRead);
+    startConnection();
+}
+void GwTcpClient::loop(bool handleRead,bool handleWrite)
+{
+    checkConnection();
+    if (state != C_CONNECTED){
+        return;
+    }
+    if (handleRead){
+        if (connection->hasClient()){
+            if (! connection->connected()){
+                LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR,"connection closed on %s",connection->remoteIpAddress.c_str());
+                connection->stop();
+            }
+            else{
+                connection->read();
+            }  
+        }
+    }
+    if (handleWrite){
+        if (connection->hasClient()){
+            GwBuffer::WriteStatus rt = connection->write();
+            if (rt == GwBuffer::ERROR)
+            {
+                LOG_DEBUG(GwLog::ERROR, "write error on %s, closing", connection->remoteIpAddress.c_str());
+                connection->stop();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+void GwTcpClient::sendToClients(const char *buf,int sourceId){
+    if (sourceId == this->sourceId) return;
+    if (state != C_CONNECTED) return;
+    if (! connection->hasClient()) return;
+    connection->enqueue((uint8_t*)buf,strlen(buf));
+}
+bool GwTcpClient::readMessages(GwMessageFetcher *writer){
+    if (state != C_CONNECTED) return false;
+    if (! connection->hasClient()) return false;
+    return connection->messagesFromBuffer(writer);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.h b/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36f017c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/socketserver/GwTcpClient.h
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#pragma once
+#include "GwSocketConnection.h"
+class GwTcpClient
+{
+    static const unsigned long CON_TIMEOUT=10;
+    GwSocketConnection *connection = NULL;
+    IPAddress remoteAddress;
+    uint16_t port = 0;
+    unsigned long connectStart=0;
+    GwLog *logger;
+    int sourceId;
+    bool configured=false;
+
+public:
+    typedef enum
+    {
+        C_DISABLED = 0,
+        C_INITIALIZED = 1,
+        C_CONNECTING = 2,
+        C_CONNECTED = 3
+    } State;
+
+private:
+    State state = C_DISABLED;
+    void stop();
+    void startConnection();
+    void checkConnection();
+    bool hasConfig();
+
+public:
+    GwTcpClient(GwLog *logger);
+    ~GwTcpClient();
+    void begin(int sourceId,IPAddress address, uint16_t port,bool allowRead);
+    void loop(bool handleRead=true,bool handleWrite=true);
+    void sendToClients(const char *buf,int sourceId);
+    bool readMessages(GwMessageFetcher *writer);
+    bool isConnected();
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/web/config.json b/web/config.json
index 3c3cb17..2e087a9 100644
--- a/web/config.json
+++ b/web/config.json
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@
         "type": "number",
         "default": "10110",
         "description": "the TCP port we listen on",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "maxClients",
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@
         "min": 0,
         "max": 6,
         "description": "the number of clients we allow to connect to us",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "sendTCP",
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@
         "type": "boolean",
         "default": "true",
         "description": "send out NMEA data to connected TCP clients",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "readTCP",
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@
         "type": "boolean",
         "default": "true",
         "description": "receive NMEA data from connected TCP clients",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "tcpToN2k",
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@
         "type": "boolean",
         "default": "true",
         "description": "convert NMEA0183 from TCP clients to NMEA2000",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "tcpReadFilter",
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@
         "type": "filter",
         "default": "",
         "description": "filter for NMEA0183 data when reading from TCP\nselect aison|aisoff, set a whitelist or a blacklist with NMEA sentences like RMC,RMB",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "tcpWriteFilter",
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@
         "type": "filter",
         "default": "",
         "description": "filter for NMEA0183 data when writing to TCP\nselect aison|aisoff, set a whitelist or a blacklist with NMEA sentences like RMC,RMB",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
     },
     {
         "name": "sendSeasmart",
@@ -435,7 +435,80 @@
         "type": "boolean",
         "default": "false",
         "description": "send NMEA2000 as seasmart to connected TCP clients",
-        "category": "TCP port"
+        "category": "TCP server"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "tclEnabled",
+        "label": "enable TCP client",
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": "false",
+        "description":"enable the TCP client",
+        "category":"TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "remotePort",
+        "label": "remote port",
+        "type": "number",
+        "default": "10110",
+        "description": "the TCP port we connect to",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "remoteAddress",
+        "label": "remote address",
+        "type": "string",
+        "default": "",
+        "check": "checkIpAddress",
+        "description": "the IP address we connect to",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "sendTCL",
+        "label": "NMEA to TCP client",
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": "true",
+        "description": "send out NMEA data to remote TCP server",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "readTCL",
+        "label": "NMEA from TCP client",
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": "true",
+        "description": "receive NMEA data from remote TCP server",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "tclToN2k",
+        "label": "TCP client to NMEA2000",
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": "true",
+        "description": "convert NMEA0183 from remote TCP server to NMEA2000",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "tclReadFilter",
+        "label": "TCP client read Filter",
+        "type": "filter",
+        "default": "",
+        "description": "filter for NMEA0183 data when reading from remote TCP server\nselect aison|aisoff, set a whitelist or a blacklist with NMEA sentences like RMC,RMB",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "tclWriteFilter",
+        "label": "TCP client write Filter",
+        "type": "filter",
+        "default": "",
+        "description": "filter for NMEA0183 data when writing to remote TCP server\nselect aison|aisoff, set a whitelist or a blacklist with NMEA sentences like RMC,RMB",
+        "category": "TCP client"
+    },
+    {
+        "name": "tclSeasmart",
+        "label": "Seasmart to TCP client",
+        "type": "boolean",
+        "default": "false",
+        "description": "send NMEA2000 as seasmart to remote TCP server",
+        "category": "TCP client"
     },
     {
         "name": "wifiClient",