diff --git a/auto_tests/tox_loop_test.c b/auto_tests/tox_loop_test.c
index 66dc716bdcd..66546b98393 100644
--- a/auto_tests/tox_loop_test.c
+++ b/auto_tests/tox_loop_test.c
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <time.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "../toxcore/tox.h"
 
 #include "check_compat.h"
+#include "../testing/misc_tools.h"
 
 #define TCP_RELAY_PORT 33448
 /* The Travis-CI container responds poorly to ::1 as a localhost address
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ static void test_tox_loop(void)
     ck_assert_msg(tox_bootstrap(userdata_tcp.tox, TOX_LOCALHOST, 33445, dpk, &error), "Bootstrap error, %i", error);
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&userdata_tcp.mutex);
 
-    sleep(10);
+    c_sleep(10000);
 
     tox_loop_stop(userdata.tox);
     pthread_join(worker, (void **)(void *)&retval);
diff --git a/toxcore/TCP_client.c b/toxcore/TCP_client.c
index e0a20b6b03f..257a92b7902 100644
--- a/toxcore/TCP_client.c
+++ b/toxcore/TCP_client.c
@@ -102,6 +102,32 @@ TCP_Client_Status tcp_con_status(const TCP_Client_Connection *con)
 {
     return con->status;
 }
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+bool tcp_con_ev_is_active(TCP_Client_Connection *con)
+{
+    return ev_is_active(&con->sock_listener.listener)
+           || ev_is_pending(&con->sock_listener.listener);
+}
+
+void tcp_con_ev_listen(TCP_Client_Connection *con, struct ev_loop *dispatcher, tcp_con_ev_listen_cb *callback,
+                       void *data)
+{
+    con->sock_listener.dispatcher = dispatcher;
+    con->sock_listener.listener.data = data;
+
+    ev_io_init(&con->sock_listener.listener, callback, con->sock.socket, EV_READ);
+    ev_io_start(dispatcher, &con->sock_listener.listener);
+}
+#endif
+
+void tcp_con_ev_stop(TCP_Client_Connection *con)
+{
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+    ev_io_stop(con->sock_listener.dispatcher, &con->sock_listener.listener);
+#endif
+}
+
 void *tcp_con_custom_object(const TCP_Client_Connection *con)
 {
     return con->custom_object;
diff --git a/toxcore/TCP_client.h b/toxcore/TCP_client.h
index c221daf5b8d..73a213388e1 100644
--- a/toxcore/TCP_client.h
+++ b/toxcore/TCP_client.h
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 #include "TCP_server.h"
 #include "crypto_core.h"
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+#include <ev.h>
+#endif
+
 #define TCP_CONNECTION_TIMEOUT 10
 
 typedef enum TCP_Proxy_Type {
@@ -43,6 +47,15 @@ IP_Port tcp_con_ip_port(const TCP_Client_Connection *con);
 Socket tcp_con_sock(const TCP_Client_Connection *con);
 TCP_Client_Status tcp_con_status(const TCP_Client_Connection *con);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+bool tcp_con_ev_is_active(TCP_Client_Connection *con);
+
+typedef void tcp_con_ev_listen_cb(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_io *sock_listener, int events);
+void tcp_con_ev_listen(TCP_Client_Connection *con, struct ev_loop *dispatcher, tcp_con_ev_listen_cb *callback,
+                       void *data);
+#endif
+void tcp_con_ev_stop(TCP_Client_Connection *con);
+
 void *tcp_con_custom_object(const TCP_Client_Connection *con);
 uint32_t tcp_con_custom_uint(const TCP_Client_Connection *con);
 void tcp_con_set_custom_object(TCP_Client_Connection *con, void *object);
diff --git a/toxcore/network.c b/toxcore/network.c
index 6b345680645..e8c129f51ce 100644
--- a/toxcore/network.c
+++ b/toxcore/network.c
@@ -521,6 +521,29 @@ Socket net_sock(const Networking_Core *net)
     return net->sock;
 }
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+bool net_ev_is_active(Networking_Core *net)
+{
+    return ev_is_active(&net->sock_listener.listener) || ev_is_pending(&net->sock_listener.listener);
+}
+
+void net_ev_listen(Networking_Core *net, struct ev_loop *dispatcher, net_ev_listen_cb *callback, void *data)
+{
+    net->sock_listener.dispatcher = dispatcher;
+    net->sock_listener.listener.data = data;
+
+    ev_io_init(&net->sock_listener.listener, callback, net->sock.socket, EV_READ);
+    ev_io_start(dispatcher, &net->sock_listener.listener);
+}
+#endif
+
+void net_ev_stop(Networking_Core *net)
+{
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+    ev_io_stop(net->sock_listener.dispatcher, &net->sock_listener.listener);
+#endif
+}
+
 /* Basic network functions:
  */
 
@@ -1023,9 +1046,7 @@ void kill_networking(Networking_Core *net)
     }
 
 
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
-    ev_io_stop(net->sock_listener.dispatcher, &net->sock_listener.listener);
-#endif
+    net_ev_stop(net);
 
     free(net);
 }
diff --git a/toxcore/network.h b/toxcore/network.h
index 378e863ebbb..82db948ccc7 100644
--- a/toxcore/network.h
+++ b/toxcore/network.h
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 #include <stddef.h>     // size_t
 #include <stdint.h>     // uint*_t
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+#include <ev.h>     // uint*_t
+#endif
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
@@ -324,6 +328,14 @@ Family net_family(const Networking_Core *net);
 uint16_t net_port(const Networking_Core *net);
 Socket net_sock(const Networking_Core *net);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBEV
+bool net_ev_is_active(Networking_Core *net);
+
+typedef void net_ev_listen_cb(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_io *sock_listener, int events);
+void net_ev_listen(Networking_Core *net, struct ev_loop *dispatcher, net_ev_listen_cb *callback, void *data);
+#endif
+void net_ev_stop(Networking_Core *net);
+
 /** Run this before creating sockets.
  *
  * return 0 on success
diff --git a/toxcore/tox.c b/toxcore/tox.c
index bd432bf56d5..b71062e9396 100644
--- a/toxcore/tox.c
+++ b/toxcore/tox.c
@@ -864,10 +864,10 @@ static void tox_stop_loop_async(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_async *listener,
     }
 
     Event_Arg *tmp = (Event_Arg *) listener->data;
-    Messenger *m = tmp->tox;
+    Messenger *m = tmp->tox->m;
 
-    if (ev_is_active(&m->net->sock_listener.listener) || ev_is_pending(&m->net->sock_listener.listener)) {
-        ev_io_stop(dispatcher, &m->net->sock_listener.listener);
+    if (net_ev_is_active(m->net)) {
+        net_ev_stop(m->net);
     }
 
     uint32_t len = tcp_connections_length(nc_get_tcp_c(m->net_crypto));
@@ -875,9 +875,8 @@ static void tox_stop_loop_async(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_async *listener,
     for (uint32_t i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
         const TCP_con *conn = tcp_connections_connection_at(nc_get_tcp_c(m->net_crypto), i);
 
-        if (ev_is_active(&conn->connection->sock_listener.listener)
-                || ev_is_pending(&conn->connection->sock_listener.listener)) {
-            ev_io_stop(dispatcher, &conn->connection->sock_listener.listener);
+        if (tcp_con_ev_is_active(conn->connection)) {
+            tcp_con_ev_stop(conn->connection);
         }
     }
 
@@ -893,7 +892,8 @@ static void tox_do_iterate(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_io *sock_listener, int
     }
 
     Event_Arg *tmp = (Event_Arg *)sock_listener->data;
-    Messenger *m = tmp->tox->m;
+    Tox *tox = tmp->tox;
+    Messenger *m = tox->m;
 
     if (tmp->tox->loop_begin_callback) {
         tmp->tox->loop_begin_callback(tmp->tox, tmp->user_data);
@@ -901,11 +901,8 @@ static void tox_do_iterate(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_io *sock_listener, int
 
     tox_iterate(tmp->tox, tmp->user_data);
 
-    if (!ev_is_active(&m->net->sock_listener.listener) && !ev_is_pending(&m->net->sock_listener.listener)) {
-        m->net->sock_listener.dispatcher = dispatcher;
-        ev_io_init(&m->net->sock_listener.listener, tox_do_iterate, net_sock(m->net), EV_READ);
-        m->net->sock_listener.listener.data = sock_listener->data;
-        ev_io_start(dispatcher, &m->net->sock_listener.listener);
+    if (!net_ev_is_active(m->net)) {
+        net_ev_listen(m->net, dispatcher, tox_do_iterate, tmp);
     }
 
     uint32_t len = tcp_connections_length(nc_get_tcp_c(m->net_crypto));
@@ -913,17 +910,13 @@ static void tox_do_iterate(struct ev_loop *dispatcher, ev_io *sock_listener, int
     for (uint32_t i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
         const TCP_con *conn = tcp_connections_connection_at(nc_get_tcp_c(m->net_crypto), i);
 
-        if (!ev_is_active(&conn->connection->sock_listener.listener)
-                && !ev_is_pending(&conn->connection->sock_listener.listener)) {
-            conn->connection->sock_listener.dispatcher = dispatcher;
-            ev_io_init(&conn->connection->sock_listener.listener, tox_do_iterate, tcp_con_sock(conn->connection), EV_READ);
-            conn->connection->sock_listener.listener.data = sock_listener->data;
-            ev_io_start(m->dispatcher, &conn->connection->sock_listener.listener);
+        if (!tcp_con_ev_is_active(conn->connection)) {
+            tcp_con_ev_listen(conn->connection, dispatcher, tox_do_iterate, tmp);
         }
     }
 
-    if (m->loop_end_callback) {
-        m->loop_end_callback(m, tmp->user_data);
+    if (tox->loop_end_callback) {
+        tox->loop_end_callback(tox, tmp->user_data);
     }
 }
 #else