diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 8a1aa375..8154e1fa 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ endif(EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/build.h)
 
 set(conky_sources colours.cc combine.cc common.cc conky.cc core.cc
 	diskio.cc entropy.cc exec.cc fs.cc mail.cc mixer.cc net_stat.cc template.cc
-	mboxscan.cc read_tcp.cc scroll.cc specials.cc tailhead.cc
+	mboxscan.cc read_tcpip.cc scroll.cc specials.cc tailhead.cc
 	temphelper.cc text_object.cc timeinfo.cc top.cc algebra.cc prioqueue.cc proc.cc
 	user.cc)
 
diff --git a/src/core.cc b/src/core.cc
index a88c6821..2dd3763e 100644
--- a/src/core.cc
+++ b/src/core.cc
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
 #ifdef BUILD_NVIDIA
 #include "nvidia.h"
 #endif
-#include "read_tcp.h"
+#include "read_tcpip.h"
 #include "scroll.h"
 #include "specials.h"
 #include "temphelper.h"
@@ -209,13 +209,13 @@ struct text_object *construct_text_object(char *s, const char *arg, long
 		}
 		obj->callbacks.print = &print_freq_g;
 	END OBJ_ARG(read_tcp, 0, "read_tcp: Needs \"(host) port\" as argument(s)")
-		parse_read_tcp_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+		parse_read_tcpip_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
 		obj->callbacks.print = &print_read_tcp;
-		obj->callbacks.free = &free_read_tcp;
+		obj->callbacks.free = &free_read_tcpip;
 	END OBJ_ARG(read_udp, 0, "read_udp: Needs \"(host) port\" as argument(s)")
-		parse_read_tcp_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
+		parse_read_tcpip_arg(obj, arg, free_at_crash);
 		obj->callbacks.print = &print_read_udp;
-		obj->callbacks.free = &free_read_tcp;
+		obj->callbacks.free = &free_read_tcpip;
 #if defined(__linux__)
 	END OBJ(voltage_mv, 0)
 		get_cpu_count();
diff --git a/src/read_tcp.cc b/src/read_tcpip.cc
similarity index 60%
rename from src/read_tcp.cc
rename to src/read_tcpip.cc
index c492035a..39258f13 100644
--- a/src/read_tcp.cc
+++ b/src/read_tcpip.cc
@@ -37,17 +37,17 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <netinet/in.h>
 
-struct read_tcp_data {
+struct read_tcpip_data {
 	char *host;
 	unsigned int port;
 };
 
-void parse_read_tcp_arg(struct text_object *obj, const char *arg, void *free_at_crash)
+void parse_read_tcpip_arg(struct text_object *obj, const char *arg, void *free_at_crash)
 {
-	struct read_tcp_data *rtd;
+	struct read_tcpip_data *rtd;
 
-	rtd = (struct read_tcp_data *) malloc(sizeof(struct read_tcp_data));
-	memset(rtd, 0, sizeof(struct read_tcp_data));
+	rtd = (struct read_tcpip_data *) malloc(sizeof(struct read_tcpip_data));
+	memset(rtd, 0, sizeof(struct read_tcpip_data));
 
 	rtd->host = (char *) malloc(text_buffer_size);
 	sscanf(arg, "%s", rtd->host);
@@ -63,24 +63,24 @@ void parse_read_tcp_arg(struct text_object *obj, const char *arg, void *free_at_
 	obj->data.opaque = rtd;
 }
 
-void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
+void print_read_tcpip(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size, int protocol)
 {
 	int sock, received;
 	struct sockaddr_in addr;
 	struct hostent* he;
 	fd_set readfds;
 	struct timeval tv;
-	struct read_tcp_data *rtd = (struct read_tcp_data *) obj->data.opaque;
+	struct read_tcpip_data *rtd = (struct read_tcpip_data *) obj->data.opaque;
 
 	if (!rtd)
 		return;
 
 	if (!(he = gethostbyname(rtd->host))) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Problem with resolving the hostname");
+		NORM_ERR("%s: Problem with resolving the hostname", protocol == IPPROTO_TCP ? "read_tcp" : "read_udp");
 		return;
 	}
-	if ((sock = socket(he->h_addrtype, SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP)) == -1) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a socket");
+	if ((sock = socket(he->h_addrtype, protocol == IPPROTO_TCP ? SOCK_STREAM : SOCK_DGRAM, protocol)) == -1) {
+		NORM_ERR("%s: Couldn't create a socket", protocol == IPPROTO_TCP ? "read_tcp" : "read_udp");
 		return;
 	}
 	memset(&addr, 0, sizeof(addr));
@@ -88,49 +88,15 @@ void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
 	addr.sin_port = rtd->port;
 	memcpy(&addr.sin_addr, he->h_addr, he->h_length);
 	if (connect(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(struct sockaddr)) != 0) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a connection");
+		if(protocol == IPPROTO_TCP) {
+			NORM_ERR("read_tcp: Couldn't create a connection");
+		} else {
+			NORM_ERR("read_udp: Couldn't listen"); //other error because udp is connectionless
+		}
 		return;
 	}
-	FD_ZERO(&readfds);
-	FD_SET(sock, &readfds);
-	tv.tv_sec = 1;
-	tv.tv_usec = 0;
-	if(select(sock + 1, &readfds, NULL, NULL, &tv) > 0){
-		received = recv(sock, p, p_max_size, 0);
-		p[received] = 0;
-	}
-	close(sock);
-}
-
-void print_read_udp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
-{
-	int sock, received;
-	struct sockaddr_in addr;
-	struct hostent* he;
-	fd_set readfds;
-	struct timeval tv;
-	struct read_tcp_data *rtd = (struct read_tcp_data *) obj->data.opaque;
-
-	if (!rtd)
-		return;
-
-	if (!(he = gethostbyname(rtd->host))) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_udp: Problem with resolving the hostname");
-		return;
-	}
-	if ((sock = socket(he->h_addrtype, SOCK_DGRAM, IPPROTO_UDP)) == -1) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_udp: Couldn't create a socket");
-		return;
-	}
-	memset(&addr, 0, sizeof(addr));
-	addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
-	addr.sin_port = rtd->port;
-	memcpy(&addr.sin_addr, he->h_addr, he->h_length);
-	if (connect(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(struct sockaddr)) != 0) {
-		NORM_ERR("read_udp: Couldn't create a connection");
-		return;
-	}
-	write(sock, NULL, 0);	//when using UDP i have to start writing to the socket before i can read from it, even if i don't actually write anything
+	if(protocol == IPPROTO_UDP)
+		write(sock, NULL, 0);	//when using udp send a zero-length packet to let the other end know of our existence
 	FD_ZERO(&readfds);
 	FD_SET(sock, &readfds);
 	tv.tv_sec = 1;
@@ -142,9 +108,19 @@ void print_read_udp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
 	close(sock);
 }
 
-void free_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj)
+void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
 {
-	struct read_tcp_data *rtd = (struct read_tcp_data *) obj->data.opaque;
+	print_read_tcpip(obj, p, p_max_size, IPPROTO_TCP);
+}
+
+void print_read_udp(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
+{
+	print_read_tcpip(obj, p, p_max_size, IPPROTO_UDP);
+}
+
+void free_read_tcpip(struct text_object *obj)
+{
+	struct read_tcpip_data *rtd = (struct read_tcpip_data *) obj->data.opaque;
 
 	if (!rtd)
 		return;
diff --git a/src/read_tcp.h b/src/read_tcpip.h
similarity index 92%
rename from src/read_tcp.h
rename to src/read_tcpip.h
index f06ed752..44bcf932 100644
--- a/src/read_tcp.h
+++ b/src/read_tcpip.h
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@
 #ifndef _READ_TCP_H
 #define _READ_TCP_H
 
-void parse_read_tcp_arg(struct text_object *, const char *, void *);
+void parse_read_tcpip_arg(struct text_object *, const char *, void *);
 void print_read_tcp(struct text_object *, char *, int);
 void print_read_udp(struct text_object *, char *, int);
-void free_read_tcp(struct text_object *);
+void free_read_tcpip(struct text_object *);
 
 #endif /* _READ_TCP_H */