diff --git a/phoned/main.c b/phoned/main.c
index 2e25548..859b9c7 100644
--- a/phoned/main.c
+++ b/phoned/main.c
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
 extern struct conf cf;
 short	difflog = 0;
 extern pthread_mutex_t cfmx;
-
+extern pthread_t networkth;
+extern pthread_t modemth;
 void usage(argv)
 	const char* argv;
 {
@@ -51,8 +52,8 @@ int main(argc, argv)
 	cf.loglevels = LL_ALL;
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&cfmx);
 	initialize();
-	network();
-	shutd();
+	pthread_create(&networkth, NULL, network, NULL);
+	pthread_create(&modemth, NULL, modem_io, NULL);
 	pthread_exit(NULL);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/phoned/modem.c b/phoned/modem.c
index 40fbdb3..b18110a 100644
--- a/phoned/modem.c
+++ b/phoned/modem.c
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ int modemfd;
 unsigned int cou = 0;
 char buffer[512];
 short doing_cid = 0;
+pthread_t modemth;
 pthread_mutex_t modemmx = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
 pthread_mutex_t buffermx = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
 void stmod(const char* str)
@@ -167,3 +168,42 @@ void modem_hread(char* cbuf)
 	}
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&buffermx);
 }
+void *modem_io(k)
+	void*	k;
+{
+	fd_set	fds;
+	struct timeval tv;
+	char	cbuf[1];
+	k = 0;
+	*cbuf = '\0'; cbuf[1] = '\0';
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&modemmx);
+	for(;;) {
+		FD_ZERO(&fds);
+		FD_SET(modemfd, &fds);
+		tv.tv_sec = 2; /* tunable */
+		tv.tv_usec = 0;
+		switch(select(modemfd + 1, &fds, NULL, NULL, &tv)) {
+			case -1:
+				lprintf(error, "select on modem: %s", strerror(errno));
+				pthread_mutex_unlock(&modemmx);
+				pthread_exit(NULL);
+				break;
+			case 0:
+				pthread_mutex_unlock(&modemmx);
+				sleep(1);
+				pthread_mutex_lock(&modemmx);
+				break;
+			default:
+				{
+					if(FD_ISSET(modemfd, &fds) != 0) {
+						read(modemfd, cbuf, 1);
+						modem_hread(cbuf);
+						*cbuf = '\0';
+					}
+				}
+		}
+	}
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&modemmx);
+	pthread_exit(NULL);
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/phoned/socket.c b/phoned/socket.c
index 4508a46..16eaacc 100644
--- a/phoned/socket.c
+++ b/phoned/socket.c
@@ -47,11 +47,9 @@
 
 #include <phoned.h>
 
-extern int modemfd;
-extern FILE* modem;
 extern pthread_mutex_t modemmx;
 extern pthread_mutex_t buffermx;
-
+pthread_t networkth;
 void *handclient(k)
 	void*	k;
 {
@@ -82,15 +80,18 @@ void *handclient(k)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void network(void) /* name is misleading because we also do modem IO here */
+void *network(b)
+	void* b;
 {
 	int 		s, /* us,*/ sn;
 	fd_set		fds;
 	int		sin_size, ilen;
 	pthread_t	thr;
 	char		cbuf[1];
+	void*		 is;
 	cbuf[0] = '\0'; cbuf[1] = '\0';
 	struct sockaddr_un it;
+	is = b;
 	if((s = socket(AF_LOCAL, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) == -1) {
 		perror("socket");
 		exit(-1);
@@ -110,7 +111,6 @@ void network(void) /* name is misleading because we also do modem IO here */
 	for(;;) {
 		FD_ZERO(&fds);
 		FD_SET(s, &fds);
-		FD_SET(modemfd, &fds);
 		switch(select(s + 1, &fds, NULL, NULL, NULL)) {
 		case -1:
 			perror("select");
@@ -135,12 +135,6 @@ void network(void) /* name is misleading because we also do modem IO here */
 							,ilen);
 						
 				}
-				if(FD_ISSET(modemfd, &fds) != 0)
-				{
-					read(modemfd, cbuf, 1);
-					modem_hread(cbuf);
-					*cbuf = '\0';
-				}
 			}
 		}
 	}