diff --git a/messaging/__init__.py b/messaging/__init__.py
index 5e36bd8..cb92b7a 100644
--- a/messaging/__init__.py
+++ b/messaging/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # must be build with scons
-from .messaging_pyx import Context, Poller, SubSocket, PubSocket  # pylint: disable=no-name-in-module, import-error
+from .messaging_pyx import Context, Poller, SubSocket, PubSocket, SubMaster  # pylint: disable=no-name-in-module, import-error
 from .messaging_pyx import MultiplePublishersError, MessagingError  # pylint: disable=no-name-in-module, import-error
 import capnp
 
@@ -122,89 +122,6 @@ def recv_one_retry(sock):
     if dat is not None:
       return log.Event.from_bytes(dat)
 
-class SubMaster():
-  def __init__(self, services, ignore_alive=None, addr="127.0.0.1"):
-    self.poller = Poller()
-    self.frame = -1
-    self.updated = {s: False for s in services}
-    self.rcv_time = {s: 0. for s in services}
-    self.rcv_frame = {s: 0 for s in services}
-    self.alive = {s: False for s in services}
-    self.sock = {}
-    self.freq = {}
-    self.data = {}
-    self.logMonoTime = {}
-    self.valid = {}
-
-    if ignore_alive is not None:
-      self.ignore_alive = ignore_alive
-    else:
-      self.ignore_alive = []
-
-    for s in services:
-      if addr is not None:
-        self.sock[s] = sub_sock(s, poller=self.poller, addr=addr, conflate=True)
-      self.freq[s] = service_list[s].frequency
-
-      try:
-        data = new_message(s)
-      except capnp.lib.capnp.KjException:  # pylint: disable=c-extension-no-member
-        # lists
-        data = new_message(s, 0)
-
-      self.data[s] = getattr(data, s)
-      self.logMonoTime[s] = 0
-      self.valid[s] = data.valid
-
-  def __getitem__(self, s):
-    return self.data[s]
-
-  def update(self, timeout=1000):
-    msgs = []
-    for sock in self.poller.poll(timeout):
-      msgs.append(recv_one_or_none(sock))
-    self.update_msgs(sec_since_boot(), msgs)
-
-  def update_msgs(self, cur_time, msgs):
-    # TODO: add optional input that specify the service to wait for
-    self.frame += 1
-    self.updated = dict.fromkeys(self.updated, False)
-    for msg in msgs:
-      if msg is None:
-        continue
-
-      s = msg.which()
-      self.updated[s] = True
-      self.rcv_time[s] = cur_time
-      self.rcv_frame[s] = self.frame
-      self.data[s] = getattr(msg, s)
-      self.logMonoTime[s] = msg.logMonoTime
-      self.valid[s] = msg.valid
-
-    for s in self.data:
-      # arbitrary small number to avoid float comparison. If freq is 0, we can skip the check
-      if self.freq[s] > 1e-5:
-        # alive if delay is within 10x the expected frequency
-        self.alive[s] = (cur_time - self.rcv_time[s]) < (10. / self.freq[s])
-      else:
-        self.alive[s] = True
-
-  def all_alive(self, service_list=None):
-    if service_list is None:  # check all
-      service_list = self.alive.keys()
-    return all(self.alive[s] for s in service_list if s not in self.ignore_alive)
-
-  def all_valid(self, service_list=None):
-    if service_list is None:  # check all
-      service_list = self.valid.keys()
-    return all(self.valid[s] for s in service_list)
-
-  def all_alive_and_valid(self, service_list=None):
-    if service_list is None:  # check all
-      service_list = self.alive.keys()
-    return self.all_alive(service_list=service_list) and self.all_valid(service_list=service_list)
-
-
 class PubMaster():
   def __init__(self, services):
     self.sock = {}
diff --git a/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx b/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
index 1bb4073..34efcc1 100644
--- a/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
+++ b/messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx
@@ -13,6 +13,16 @@ from messaging cimport PubSocket as cppPubSocket
 from messaging cimport Poller as cppPoller
 from messaging cimport Message as cppMessage
 
+import capnp
+from cereal import log
+from cereal.services import service_list
+
+try:
+  from common.realtime import sec_since_boot
+except ImportError:
+  import time
+  sec_since_boot = time.time
+  print("Warning, using python time.time() instead of faster sec_since_boot")
 
 class MessagingError(Exception):
   pass
@@ -59,12 +69,12 @@ cdef class Poller:
     cdef int t = timeout
 
     with nogil:
-        result = self.poller.poll(t)
+      result = self.poller.poll(t)
 
     for s in result:
-        socket = SubSocket()
-        socket.setPtr(s)
-        sockets.append(socket)
+      socket = SubSocket()
+      socket.setPtr(s)
+      sockets.append(socket)
 
     return sockets
 
@@ -149,3 +159,110 @@ cdef class PubSocket:
         raise MultiplePublishersError
       else:
         raise MessagingError
+
+
+context = Context()
+
+cdef class SubMaster:
+  cdef:
+    Poller poller
+
+  cdef readonly:
+    int frame
+    dict updated
+    dict rcv_time
+    dict rcv_frame
+    dict alive
+    dict sock
+    dict freq
+    dict raw_data
+    dict data
+    dict logMonoTime
+    dict valid
+    list ignore_alive
+
+  def __init__(self, services, ignore_alive=None, addr="127.0.0.1"):
+    self.poller = Poller()
+    self.frame = -1
+    self.updated = {s: False for s in services}
+    self.rcv_time = {s: 0. for s in services}
+    self.rcv_frame = {s: 0 for s in services}
+    self.alive = {s: False for s in services}
+    self.sock = {}
+    self.freq = {}
+    self.raw_data= {}
+    self.data = {}
+    self.logMonoTime = {}
+    self.valid = {}
+
+    if ignore_alive is not None:
+      self.ignore_alive = ignore_alive
+    else:
+      self.ignore_alive = []
+
+    for s in services:
+      if addr is not None:
+        self.sock[s] = SubSocket()
+        self.sock[s].connect(context, s, addr.encode('utf8'), True)
+        self.poller.registerSocket(self.sock[s])
+      self.freq[s] = service_list[s].frequency
+
+      data = log.Event.new_message()
+      try:
+        data.init(s)
+      except capnp.lib.capnp.KjException:
+        data.init(s, 0) # lists
+      self.data[s] = getattr(data, s)
+      self.logMonoTime[s] = 0
+      self.valid[s] = True
+
+  def __getitem__(self, s):
+    return self.data[s]
+
+  def update(self, timeout=1000):
+    msgs = []
+    for sock in self.poller.poll(timeout):
+      msg = sock.receive(non_blocking=True)
+      if msg is not None:
+        msg = log.Event.from_bytes(msg)
+      msgs.append(msg)
+    self.update_msgs(sec_since_boot(), msgs)
+
+  def update_msgs(self, cur_time, msgs):
+    self.frame += 1
+    self.updated = dict.fromkeys(self.updated, False)
+    for msg in msgs:
+      if msg is None:
+        continue
+
+      s = msg.which()
+      self.updated[s] = True
+      self.rcv_time[s] = cur_time
+      self.rcv_frame[s] = self.frame
+      self.data[s] = getattr(msg, s)
+      self.logMonoTime[s] = msg.logMonoTime
+      self.valid[s] = msg.valid
+
+    for s in self.data:
+      # arbitrary small number to avoid float comparison. If freq is 0, we can skip the check
+      if self.freq[s] > 1e-5:
+        # alive if delay is within 10x the expected frequency
+        self.alive[s] = (cur_time - self.rcv_time[s]) < (10. / self.freq[s])
+      else:
+        self.alive[s] = True
+
+  def all_alive(self, service_list=None):
+    if service_list is None:  # check all
+      service_list = self.alive.keys()
+    return all(self.alive[s] for s in service_list if s not in self.ignore_alive)
+
+  def all_valid(self, service_list=None):
+    if service_list is None:  # check all
+      service_list = self.valid.keys()
+    return all(self.valid[s] for s in service_list)
+
+  def all_alive_and_valid(self, service_list=None):
+    if service_list is None:  # check all
+      service_list = self.alive.keys()
+    return self.all_alive(service_list=service_list) and self.all_valid(service_list=service_list)
+