diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index c73ff77..99d65fb 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const mafmt = require('mafmt')
 const withIs = require('class-is')
 const includes = require('lodash.includes')
 const Connection = require('interface-connection').Connection
+const safe = require('./safe-socket')
 
 const maToUrl = require('./ma-to-url')
 const debug = require('debug')
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ class WebSockets {
       }
     })
 
-    const conn = new Connection(socket)
+    const conn = new Connection(safe(socket))
     conn.getObservedAddrs = (cb) => cb(null, [ma])
     conn.close = (cb) => socket.close(cb)
 
diff --git a/src/listener.js b/src/listener.js
index 159173c..88df9b7 100644
--- a/src/listener.js
+++ b/src/listener.js
@@ -4,32 +4,10 @@ const Connection = require('interface-connection').Connection
 const includes = require('lodash.includes')
 const multiaddr = require('multiaddr')
 const os = require('os')
-const pull = require('pull-stream')
+const safe = require('./safe-socket')
 
 function noop () {}
 
-function handle (data) {
-  if (Buffer.isBuffer(data)) return data
-  try {
-    return Buffer.from(data)
-  } catch (e) {
-    return Buffer.from('')
-  }
-}
-
-function safe (conn) {
-  return {
-    sink: pull(
-      pull.map(handle),
-      conn.sink
-    ),
-    source: pull(
-      conn.source,
-      pull.map(handle)
-    )
-  }
-}
-
 const createServer = require('pull-ws/server') || noop
 
 module.exports = (options, handler) => {
diff --git a/src/safe-socket.js b/src/safe-socket.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04adf66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/safe-socket.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const pull = require('pull-stream')
+function toBuffer (data) {
+  if (Buffer.isBuffer(data)) return data
+  try {
+    return Buffer.from(data)
+  } catch (e) {
+    return Buffer.from('')
+  }
+}
+
+function safe (conn) {
+  return {
+    sink: pull(
+      pull.map(toBuffer),
+      conn.sink
+    ),
+    source: pull(
+      conn.source,
+      pull.map(toBuffer)
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = safe