diff --git a/examples/client.c b/examples/client.c
index d134758d63..0f7fe5d031 100644
--- a/examples/client.c
+++ b/examples/client.c
@@ -1030,7 +1030,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
   struct timeval tv;
   int result;
   coap_tick_t now;
-  coap_queue_t *nextpdu;
   coap_pdu_t  *pdu;
   static str server;
   unsigned short port = COAP_DEFAULT_PORT;
@@ -1210,32 +1209,8 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
     FD_ZERO(&readfds);
     FD_SET( ctx->sockfd, &readfds );
 
-    nextpdu = coap_peek_next( ctx );
-
-//    coap_ticks(&now);
-//    while (nextpdu && nextpdu->t <= now - ctx->sendqueue_basetime) {
-//      coap_retransmit( ctx, coap_pop_next( ctx ));
-//      nextpdu = coap_peek_next( ctx );
-//    }
-
-    if (nextpdu && nextpdu->t < min(obs_wait ? obs_wait : max_wait, max_wait) - now) {
-      /* set timeout if there is a pdu to send */
-      tv.tv_usec = ((nextpdu->t) % COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND) * 1000000 / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-      tv.tv_sec = (nextpdu->t) / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-    } else {
-      /* check if obs_wait fires before max_wait */
-      if (obs_wait && obs_wait < max_wait) {
-        tv.tv_usec = ((obs_wait - now) % COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND) * 1000000 / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-        tv.tv_sec = (obs_wait - now) / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-      } else {
-        tv.tv_usec = ((max_wait - now) % COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND) * 1000000 / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-        tv.tv_sec = (max_wait - now) / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
-      }
-    }
-
-    //result = select(ctx->sockfd + 1, &readfds, 0, 0, &tv);
-    result = 0;
-    pause();
+    tv.tv_sec = wait_seconds;
+    result = select(ctx->sockfd + 1, &readfds, 0, 0, &tv);
 
     if ( result < 0 ) {   /* error */
       perror("select");
diff --git a/platform/posix/platform_time.c b/platform/posix/platform_time.c
index 460d618e5a..4d4300a0ff 100644
--- a/platform/posix/platform_time.c
+++ b/platform/posix/platform_time.c
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ static coap_time_t coap_clock_offset = 0;
 #define COAP_CLOCK CLOCK_REALTIME
 #endif
 
+#undef COAP_CLOCK
+
 void
 coap_clock_init(void) {
 #ifdef COAP_CLOCK
@@ -61,7 +63,7 @@ coap_ticks(coap_tick_t *t) {
    * Both cases should not be possible here.
    */
 
-  tmp = tv.tv_usec * Q(FRAC, (COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND/1000000.0));
+  tmp = tv.tv_usec / 1000; // * Q(FRAC, (COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND/1000000.0));
 #endif /* not _POSIX_TIMERS */
 
   /* Finally, convert temporary FP representation to multiple of
diff --git a/platform/posix/platform_timer.c b/platform/posix/platform_timer.c
index 8b5d737600..f2a9281550 100644
--- a/platform/posix/platform_timer.c
+++ b/platform/posix/platform_timer.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/time.h> // TODO needs something like HAVE_TIME_H
 #include <signal.h> // TODO needs something like HAVE_SIGNAL_H
+#include <pthread.h> // TODO needs something like HAVE_PTHREAD_H
 
 #include "libev/ev.h"
 
@@ -15,35 +16,81 @@
 #define UNUSED
 #endif
 
-struct coap_timer_t;
-
 struct coap_timer_t {
+  ev_timer timer;
   CoapTimerCallback cb;
   void *data;
 };
 
+static pthread_t timer_thread;
+static struct ev_loop *timer_loop;
+static ev_async thread_wakeup;
+
+static void timeout_cb(EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents) {
+  coap_timer_t *coap_timer = (coap_timer_t *)w;
+  if (coap_timer->cb) {
+    coap_timer->cb(coap_timer->data);
+  }
+}
+
+static void *timer_thread_func(void* args) {
+  ev_run(timer_loop, 0);
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+static void thread_wakeup_cb(EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents) {
+  // this only exists to wake up the thread
+  // so it may pick up new timer watchers
+}
+
+
+// TODO coap_timer_deinit to cleanly kill the loop
 void coap_timer_init(void) {
-   struct ev_loop *loop = EV_DEFAULT;
-   ev_run (loop, 0);
+  timer_loop = EV_DEFAULT;
+
+  // set up an async event for thread wakeup
+  ev_async_init(&thread_wakeup, thread_wakeup_cb);
+  ev_async_start(timer_loop, &thread_wakeup);
+
+  pthread_create(&timer_thread, NULL, timer_thread_func, NULL);
 }
 
 coap_timer_t *coap_new_timer(CoapTimerCallback cb, void *data) {
-  return NULL;
+  coap_timer_t *coap_timer = coap_malloc_type(COAP_TIMER, sizeof(coap_timer_t));
+
+  if (coap_timer) {
+    coap_timer->cb = cb;
+    coap_timer->data = data;
+    ev_timer_init(&coap_timer->timer, timeout_cb, 0., 0.);
+  }
+
+  return coap_timer;
 }
 
-void coap_free_timer(coap_timer_t *timer) {
-  return;
+void coap_free_timer(coap_timer_t *coap_timer) {
+  ev_timer_stop(timer_loop, &coap_timer->timer);
+  coap_free_type(COAP_TIMER, coap_timer);
 }
 
-void coap_timer_set(coap_timer_t *timer, coap_tick_t num_ticks) {
-  return;
+void coap_timer_set(coap_timer_t *coap_timer, coap_tick_t num_ticks) {
+  // stop the timer if it is running
+  ev_timer_stop(timer_loop, &coap_timer->timer);
+
+  // set the new timeout
+  ev_tstamp time = (ev_tstamp)num_ticks / COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND;
+  ev_timer_set(&coap_timer->timer, time, 0.);
+  ev_timer_start(timer_loop, &coap_timer->timer);
+
+  // wake up the thread
+  ev_async_send(timer_loop, &thread_wakeup);
 }
 
-char coap_timer_is_set(coap_timer_t *timer) {
-  return 0;
+char coap_timer_is_set(coap_timer_t *coap_timer) {
+  return (ev_timer_remaining(timer_loop, &coap_timer->timer) != 0.);
 }
 
-void coap_timer_unset(coap_timer_t *timer) {
-  return;
+void coap_timer_unset(coap_timer_t *coap_timer) {
+  ev_timer_stop(timer_loop, &coap_timer->timer);
+  ev_timer_set(&coap_timer->timer, 0., 0.);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/coap_context.c b/src/coap_context.c
index 0ac95f8fdf..45a6121ee9 100644
--- a/src/coap_context.c
+++ b/src/coap_context.c
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ coap_context_t the_coap_context;
 
 #ifndef WITHOUT_OBSERVE
 static void notify_timer_cb(void *data) {
-  debug("NOTIFY!\n");
   coap_context_t *c = data;
   coap_check_notify(c);
   coap_timer_set(c->notify_timer, COAP_RESOURCE_CHECK_TIME * COAP_TICKS_PER_SECOND);
@@ -60,7 +59,6 @@ static void notify_timer_cb(void *data) {
 
 // TODO this should probably be in its own file ... coap_retransmit.c?
 static void retransmit_timer_cb(void *data) {
-  debug("CALLBACK!\n");
   coap_context_t *c = data;
   coap_queue_t *nextpdu = coap_peek_next(c);
 
diff --git a/src/net.c b/src/net.c
index a36dfca6f5..192d5504ed 100644
--- a/src/net.c
+++ b/src/net.c
@@ -494,7 +494,6 @@ coap_send_confirmed(coap_context_t *context,
 
    /* Reschedule the retransmit timer if the head node is the new node */
   if (node == context->sendqueue) {
-    debug("SCHEDULING RETRANSMIT!\n");
     coap_timer_set(context->retransmit_timer, node->t);
   }
 
@@ -503,7 +502,6 @@ coap_send_confirmed(coap_context_t *context,
 
 coap_tid_t
 coap_retransmit(coap_context_t *context, coap_queue_t *node) {
-  debug("RETRANSMIT\n");
 
   if (!context || !node)
     return COAP_INVALID_TID;