diff --git a/connection.go b/connection.go
index 8afb3f9e9..e61608896 100644
--- a/connection.go
+++ b/connection.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	cmn "github.com/tendermint/go-common"
-	cfg "github.com/tendermint/go-config"
 	flow "github.com/tendermint/go-flowrate/flowrate"
 	wire "github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
 )
@@ -25,8 +24,10 @@ const (
 	flushThrottle      = 100 * time.Millisecond
 
 	defaultSendQueueCapacity   = 1
+	defaultSendRate            = int64(512000) // 500KB/s
 	defaultRecvBufferCapacity  = 4096
-	defaultRecvMessageCapacity = 22020096 // 21MB
+	defaultRecvMessageCapacity = 22020096      // 21MB
+	defaultRecvRate            = int64(512000) // 500KB/s
 	defaultSendTimeout         = 10 * time.Second
 )
 
@@ -66,8 +67,6 @@ type MConnection struct {
 	bufWriter   *bufio.Writer
 	sendMonitor *flow.Monitor
 	recvMonitor *flow.Monitor
-	sendRate    int64
-	recvRate    int64
 	send        chan struct{}
 	pong        chan struct{}
 	channels    []*Channel
@@ -75,6 +74,7 @@ type MConnection struct {
 	onReceive   receiveCbFunc
 	onError     errorCbFunc
 	errored     uint32
+	config      *MConnectionConfig
 
 	quit         chan struct{}
 	flushTimer   *cmn.ThrottleTimer // flush writes as necessary but throttled.
@@ -85,25 +85,38 @@ type MConnection struct {
 	RemoteAddress *NetAddress
 }
 
-func NewMConnection(config cfg.Config, conn net.Conn, chDescs []*ChannelDescriptor, onReceive receiveCbFunc, onError errorCbFunc) *MConnection {
+// MConnectionConfig is a MConnection configuration
+type MConnectionConfig struct {
+	SendRate int64
+	RecvRate int64
+}
+
+// NewMConnection wraps net.Conn and creates multiplex connection
+func NewMConnection(conn net.Conn, chDescs []*ChannelDescriptor, onReceive receiveCbFunc, onError errorCbFunc) *MConnection {
+	return NewMConnectionWithConfig(
+		conn,
+		chDescs,
+		onReceive,
+		onError,
+		&MConnectionConfig{
+			SendRate: defaultSendRate,
+			RecvRate: defaultRecvRate,
+		})
+}
+
+// NewMConnectionWithConfig wraps net.Conn and creates multiplex connection with a config
+func NewMConnectionWithConfig(conn net.Conn, chDescs []*ChannelDescriptor, onReceive receiveCbFunc, onError errorCbFunc, config *MConnectionConfig) *MConnection {
 	mconn := &MConnection{
 		conn:        conn,
 		bufReader:   bufio.NewReaderSize(conn, minReadBufferSize),
 		bufWriter:   bufio.NewWriterSize(conn, minWriteBufferSize),
 		sendMonitor: flow.New(0, 0),
 		recvMonitor: flow.New(0, 0),
-		sendRate:    int64(config.GetInt(configKeySendRate)),
-		recvRate:    int64(config.GetInt(configKeyRecvRate)),
 		send:        make(chan struct{}, 1),
 		pong:        make(chan struct{}),
 		onReceive:   onReceive,
 		onError:     onError,
-
-		// Initialized in Start()
-		quit:         nil,
-		flushTimer:   nil,
-		pingTimer:    nil,
-		chStatsTimer: nil,
+		config:      config,
 
 		LocalAddress:  NewNetAddress(conn.LocalAddr()),
 		RemoteAddress: NewNetAddress(conn.RemoteAddr()),
@@ -313,7 +326,7 @@ func (c *MConnection) sendSomeMsgPackets() bool {
 	// Block until .sendMonitor says we can write.
 	// Once we're ready we send more than we asked for,
 	// but amortized it should even out.
-	c.sendMonitor.Limit(maxMsgPacketTotalSize, atomic.LoadInt64(&c.sendRate), true)
+	c.sendMonitor.Limit(maxMsgPacketTotalSize, atomic.LoadInt64(&c.config.SendRate), true)
 
 	// Now send some msgPackets.
 	for i := 0; i < numBatchMsgPackets; i++ {
@@ -371,7 +384,7 @@ func (c *MConnection) recvRoutine() {
 FOR_LOOP:
 	for {
 		// Block until .recvMonitor says we can read.
-		c.recvMonitor.Limit(maxMsgPacketTotalSize, atomic.LoadInt64(&c.recvRate), true)
+		c.recvMonitor.Limit(maxMsgPacketTotalSize, atomic.LoadInt64(&c.config.RecvRate), true)
 
 		/*
 			// Peek into bufReader for debugging
diff --git a/connection_test.go b/connection_test.go
index 79a7227a2..cd6bb4a8f 100644
--- a/connection_test.go
+++ b/connection_test.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-	cfg "github.com/tendermint/go-config"
 	p2p "github.com/tendermint/go-p2p"
 )
 
@@ -20,10 +19,8 @@ func createMConnection(conn net.Conn) *p2p.MConnection {
 }
 
 func createMConnectionWithCallbacks(conn net.Conn, onReceive func(chID byte, msgBytes []byte), onError func(r interface{})) *p2p.MConnection {
-	config := cfg.NewMapConfig(map[string]interface{}{"send_rate": 512000, "recv_rate": 512000})
 	chDescs := []*p2p.ChannelDescriptor{&p2p.ChannelDescriptor{ID: 0x01, Priority: 1}}
-
-	return p2p.NewMConnection(config, conn, chDescs, onReceive, onError)
+	return p2p.NewMConnection(conn, chDescs, onReceive, onError)
 }
 
 func TestMConnectionSend(t *testing.T) {
@@ -104,7 +101,7 @@ func TestMConnectionStatus(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Zero(status.Channels[0].SendQueueSize)
 }
 
-func TestMConnectionNonPersistent(t *testing.T) {
+func TestMConnectionStopsAndReturnsError(t *testing.T) {
 	assert, require := assert.New(t), require.New(t)
 
 	server, client := net.Pipe()
diff --git a/peer.go b/peer.go
index 7a2d647f8..6b1b47a1f 100644
--- a/peer.go
+++ b/peer.go
@@ -61,7 +61,11 @@ func newPeer(config cfg.Config, conn net.Conn, peerNodeInfo *NodeInfo, outbound
 		p.Stop()
 		onPeerError(p, r)
 	}
-	mconn := NewMConnection(config, conn, chDescs, onReceive, onError)
+	mconnConfig := &MConnectionConfig{
+		SendRate: int64(config.GetInt(configKeySendRate)),
+		RecvRate: int64(config.GetInt(configKeyRecvRate)),
+	}
+	mconn := NewMConnectionWithConfig(conn, chDescs, onReceive, onError, mconnConfig)
 	p = &Peer{
 		outbound: outbound,
 		mconn:    mconn,
diff --git a/switch.go b/switch.go
index eed8ceea5..78a3020ed 100644
--- a/switch.go
+++ b/switch.go
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ func (sw *Switch) OnStop() {
 }
 
 // NOTE: This performs a blocking handshake before the peer is added.
-// CONTRACT: Iff error is returned, peer is nil, and conn is immediately closed.
+// CONTRACT: If error is returned, peer is nil, and conn is immediately closed.
 func (sw *Switch) AddPeerWithConnection(conn net.Conn, outbound bool) (*Peer, error) {
 
 	// Filter by addr (ie. ip:port)