diff --git a/radicale/auth/__init__.py b/radicale/auth/__init__.py
index b30a3c79..8bc8ffad 100644
--- a/radicale/auth/__init__.py
+++ b/radicale/auth/__init__.py
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
                                  "ldap",
                                  "dovecot")
 
+AUTH_SOCKET_FAMILY: Sequence[str] = ("AF_UNIX", "AF_INET", "AF_INET6")
+
 
 def load(configuration: "config.Configuration") -> "BaseAuth":
     """Load the authentication module chosen in configuration."""
diff --git a/radicale/auth/dovecot.py b/radicale/auth/dovecot.py
index ce2353a0..340253c1 100644
--- a/radicale/auth/dovecot.py
+++ b/radicale/auth/dovecot.py
@@ -28,10 +28,21 @@
 class Auth(auth.BaseAuth):
     def __init__(self, configuration):
         super().__init__(configuration)
-        self.socket = configuration.get("auth", "dovecot_socket")
         self.timeout = 5
         self.request_id_gen = itertools.count(1)
 
+        config_family = configuration.get("auth", "dovecot_connection_type")
+        if config_family == "AF_UNIX":
+            self.family = socket.AF_UNIX
+            self.address = configuration.get("auth", "dovecot_socket")
+            return
+
+        self.address = configuration.get("auth", "dovecot_host"), configuration.get("auth", "dovecot_port")
+        if config_family == "AF_INET":
+            self.family = socket.AF_INET
+        else:
+            self.family = socket.AF_INET6
+
     def _login(self, login, password):
         """Validate credentials.
 
@@ -49,12 +60,12 @@ def _login(self, login, password):
             return ""
 
         with closing(socket.socket(
-                socket.AF_UNIX,
+                self.family,
                 socket.SOCK_STREAM)
         ) as sock:
             try:
                 sock.settimeout(self.timeout)
-                sock.connect(self.socket)
+                sock.connect(self.address)
 
                 buf = bytes()
                 supported_mechs = []
@@ -171,8 +182,8 @@ def _login(self, login, password):
 
             except socket.error as e:
                 logger.fatal(
-                        "Failed to communicate with Dovecot socket %r: %s" %
-                        (self.socket, e)
+                        "Failed to communicate with Dovecot: %s" %
+                        (e)
                 )
 
         return ""
diff --git a/radicale/config.py b/radicale/config.py
index ed294812..743fe926 100644
--- a/radicale/config.py
+++ b/radicale/config.py
@@ -207,10 +207,23 @@ def json_str(value: Any) -> dict:
             "value": "False",
             "help": "enable caching of htpasswd file",
             "type": bool}),
+        ("dovecot_connection_type", {
+            "value": "AF_UNIX",
+            "help": "Connection type for dovecot authentication",
+            "type": str_or_callable,
+            "internal": auth.AUTH_SOCKET_FAMILY}),
         ("dovecot_socket", {
             "value": "/var/run/dovecot/auth-client",
-            "help": "dovecot auth socket",
+            "help": "dovecot auth AF_UNIX socket",
+            "type": str}),
+        ("dovecot_host", {
+            "value": "",
+            "help": "dovecot auth AF_INET or AF_INET6 host",
             "type": str}),
+        ("dovecot_port", {
+            "value": "12345",
+            "help": "dovecot auth port",
+            "type": int}),
         ("realm", {
             "value": "Radicale - Password Required",
             "help": "message displayed when a password is needed",