diff --git a/src/ebusd/bushandler.cpp b/src/ebusd/bushandler.cpp
index 5fccbc78..e34201bb 100644
--- a/src/ebusd/bushandler.cpp
+++ b/src/ebusd/bushandler.cpp
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
   // check if another symbol has to be sent and determine timeout for receive
   switch (m_state) {
   case bs_noSignal:
-    timeout = m_generateSynInterval > 0 ? m_generateSynInterval+m_transferLatency : SIGNAL_TIMEOUT;
+    timeout = m_generateSynInterval > 0 ? m_generateSynInterval : SIGNAL_TIMEOUT;
     break;
 
   case bs_skip:
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
     break;
 
   case bs_recvCmdAck:
-    timeout = m_slaveRecvTimeout+(m_currentRequest ? m_transferLatency : 0);
+    timeout = m_slaveRecvTimeout;
     break;
 
   case bs_recvRes:
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
     break;
 
   case bs_recvResAck:
-    timeout = m_slaveRecvTimeout+m_transferLatency;
+    timeout = m_slaveRecvTimeout;
     break;
 
   case bs_sendCmd:
@@ -565,9 +565,9 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
     clockGettime(&sentTime);
     if (result == RESULT_OK) {
       if (m_state == bs_ready) {
-        timeout = m_transferLatency+m_busAcquireTimeout;
+        timeout = m_busAcquireTimeout;
       } else {
-        timeout = m_transferLatency+SEND_TIMEOUT;
+        timeout = SEND_TIMEOUT;
       }
     } else {
       sending = false;
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
   // receive next symbol (optionally check reception of sent symbol)
   symbol_t recvSymbol;
   ArbitrationState arbitrationState = as_none;
-  result = m_device->recv(timeout+m_transferLatency, &recvSymbol, &arbitrationState);
+  result = m_device->recv(timeout, &recvSymbol, &arbitrationState);
   if (sending) {
     clockGettime(&recvTime);
   }
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ result_t BusHandler::handleSymbol() {
     }
     clockGettime(&sentTime);
     recvSymbol = ESC;
-    result = m_device->recv(SEND_TIMEOUT+m_transferLatency, &recvSymbol, &arbitrationState);
+    result = m_device->recv(SEND_TIMEOUT, &recvSymbol, &arbitrationState);
     clockGettime(&recvTime);
     if (result != RESULT_OK) {
       logError(lf_bus, "unable to receive sent AUTO-SYN symbol: %s", getResultCode(result));
diff --git a/src/ebusd/bushandler.h b/src/ebusd/bushandler.h
index da93e88c..e9190fe8 100755
--- a/src/ebusd/bushandler.h
+++ b/src/ebusd/bushandler.h
@@ -378,14 +378,14 @@ class BusHandler : public WaitThread {
   BusHandler(Device* device, MessageMap* messages,
       symbol_t ownAddress, bool answer,
       unsigned int busLostRetries, unsigned int failedSendRetries,
-      unsigned int transferLatency, unsigned int busAcquireTimeout, unsigned int slaveRecvTimeout,
+      unsigned int busAcquireTimeout, unsigned int slaveRecvTimeout,
       unsigned int lockCount, bool generateSyn,
       unsigned int pollInterval)
     : WaitThread(), m_device(device), m_reconnect(false), m_messages(messages),
       m_ownMasterAddress(ownAddress), m_ownSlaveAddress(getSlaveAddress(ownAddress)),
       m_answer(answer), m_addressConflict(false),
       m_busLostRetries(busLostRetries), m_failedSendRetries(failedSendRetries),
-      m_transferLatency(transferLatency), m_busAcquireTimeout(busAcquireTimeout), m_slaveRecvTimeout(slaveRecvTimeout),
+      m_busAcquireTimeout(busAcquireTimeout), m_slaveRecvTimeout(slaveRecvTimeout),
       m_masterCount(device->isReadOnly()?0:1), m_autoLockCount(lockCount == 0),
       m_lockCount(lockCount <= 3 ? 3 : lockCount), m_remainLockCount(m_autoLockCount ? 1 : 0),
       m_generateSynInterval(generateSyn ? SYN_TIMEOUT*getMasterNumber(ownAddress)+SYMBOL_DURATION : 0),
@@ -686,9 +686,6 @@ class BusHandler : public WaitThread {
   /** the number of times a failed send is repeated (other than lost arbitration). */
   const unsigned int m_failedSendRetries;
 
-  /** the bus transfer latency in microseconds. */
-  const unsigned int m_transferLatency;
-
   /** the maximum time in microseconds for bus acquisition. */
   const unsigned int m_busAcquireTimeout;
 
diff --git a/src/ebusd/main.cpp b/src/ebusd/main.cpp
index a1924f35..4f07eec6 100644
--- a/src/ebusd/main.cpp
+++ b/src/ebusd/main.cpp
@@ -1306,7 +1306,11 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
   }
 
   // open the device
-  Device *device = Device::create(opt.device, !opt.noDeviceCheck, opt.readOnly, opt.initialSend);
+  unsigned int latency = 0;
+  if (opt.latency >= 0) {
+    latency = (unsigned int)opt.latency;
+  }
+  Device *device = Device::create(opt.device, latency, !opt.noDeviceCheck, opt.readOnly, opt.initialSend);
   if (device == nullptr) {
     logError(lf_main, "unable to create device %s", opt.device);
     return EINVAL;
diff --git a/src/ebusd/mainloop.cpp b/src/ebusd/mainloop.cpp
index a1fca732..581894fc 100644
--- a/src/ebusd/mainloop.cpp
+++ b/src/ebusd/mainloop.cpp
@@ -141,16 +141,10 @@ MainLoop::MainLoop(const struct options& opt, Device *device, MessageMap* messag
     }
   }
   // create BusHandler
-  unsigned int latency;
-  if (opt.latency < 0) {
-    latency = device->getLatency();
-  } else {
-    latency = (unsigned int)opt.latency;
-  }
   m_busHandler = new BusHandler(m_device, m_messages,
       m_address, opt.answer,
       opt.acquireRetries, opt.sendRetries,
-      latency, opt.acquireTimeout, opt.receiveTimeout,
+      opt.acquireTimeout, opt.receiveTimeout,
       opt.masterCount, opt.generateSyn,
       opt.pollInterval);
   m_busHandler->start("bushandler");
diff --git a/src/lib/ebus/device.cpp b/src/lib/ebus/device.cpp
index b95e0d0b..a8d471dd 100755
--- a/src/lib/ebus/device.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/ebus/device.cpp
@@ -73,17 +73,9 @@ namespace ebusd {
 #define ENH_BYTE2 ((uint8_t)0x80)
 #define makeEnhancedSequence(cmd, data) {(uint8_t)(ENH_BYTE1 | ((cmd)<<2) | (((data)&0xc0)>>6)), (uint8_t)(ENH_BYTE2 | ((data)&0x3f))}
 
-/**
- * Construct a new instance.
- * @param name the device name (e.g. "/dev/ttyUSB0" for serial, "127.0.0.1:1234" for network).
- * @param address the socket address of the device.
- * @param readOnly whether to allow read access to the device only.
- * @param initialSend whether to send an initial @a ESC symbol in @a open().
- * @param udp true for UDP, false to TCP.
- * @param enhancedProto whether to use the ebusd enhanced protocol.
- */
-Device::Device(const char* name, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool initialSend, bool enhancedProto)
-  : m_name(name), m_checkDevice(checkDevice), m_readOnly(readOnly), m_initialSend(initialSend),
+Device::Device(const char* name, bool checkDevice, unsigned int latency, bool readOnly, bool initialSend,
+    bool enhancedProto)
+  : m_name(name), m_checkDevice(checkDevice), m_latency(latency), m_readOnly(readOnly), m_initialSend(initialSend),
     m_enhancedProto(enhancedProto), m_fd(-1), m_listener(nullptr), m_arbitrationMaster(SYN),
     m_arbitrationCheck(false), m_bufSize(((MAX_LEN+1+3)/4)*4), m_bufLen(0), m_bufPos(0) {
   m_buffer = reinterpret_cast<symbol_t*>(malloc(m_bufSize));
@@ -99,7 +91,7 @@ Device::~Device() {
   }
 }
 
-Device* Device::create(const char* name, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool initialSend) {
+Device* Device::create(const char* name, unsigned int extraLatency, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool initialSend) {
   bool enhanced = strncmp(name, "enh:", 4) == 0;
   if (enhanced) {
     name += 4;
@@ -134,10 +126,10 @@ Device* Device::create(const char* name, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool i
     *portpos = 0;
     char* hostOrIp = strdup(addrpos);
     free(in);
-    return new NetworkDevice(name, hostOrIp, port, readOnly, initialSend, udp, enhanced);
+    return new NetworkDevice(name, hostOrIp, port, extraLatency, readOnly, initialSend, udp, enhanced);
   }
   // support enh:/dev/<device>
-  return new SerialDevice(name, checkDevice, readOnly, initialSend, enhanced);
+  return new SerialDevice(name, checkDevice, extraLatency, readOnly, initialSend, enhanced);
 }
 
 result_t Device::open() {
@@ -205,6 +197,7 @@ result_t Device::recv(unsigned int timeout, symbol_t* value, ArbitrationState* a
   }
   bool repeat = false;
   bool repeated = false;
+  timeout += m_latency;
   do {
     repeat = false;
     bool isAvailable = available();
@@ -263,7 +256,7 @@ result_t Device::recv(unsigned int timeout, symbol_t* value, ArbitrationState* a
         // for a two-byte transfer another poll is needed
         repeat = true;
         repeated = true;
-        timeout = ENHANCED_COMPLETE_WAIT_DURATION;
+        timeout = m_latency+ENHANCED_COMPLETE_WAIT_DURATION;
         continue;
       }
       return RESULT_ERR_TIMEOUT;
diff --git a/src/lib/ebus/device.h b/src/lib/ebus/device.h
index 84772a90..b995afa4 100755
--- a/src/lib/ebus/device.h
+++ b/src/lib/ebus/device.h
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ namespace ebusd {
  * to a file and/or forwarding it to a logging function.
  */
 
+/** the transfer latency of the network device [ms]. */
+#define NETWORK_LATENCY_MS 10
+
 /** the arbitration state handled by @a Device. */
 enum ArbitrationState {
   as_none,    //!< no arbitration in process
@@ -80,17 +83,20 @@ class DeviceListener {
  * The base class for accessing an eBUS.
  */
 class Device {
- public:
+ protected:
   /**
    * Construct a new instance.
    * @param name the device name (e.g. "/dev/ttyUSB0" for serial, "127.0.0.1:1234" for network).
    * @param checkDevice whether to regularly check the device availability.
+   * @param latency the bus transfer latency in milliseconds.
    * @param readOnly whether to allow read access to the device only.
    * @param initialSend whether to send an initial @a ESC symbol in @a open().
    * @param enhancedProto whether to use the ebusd enhanced protocol.
    */
-  Device(const char* name, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool initialSend, bool enhancedProto=false);
+  Device(const char* name, bool checkDevice, unsigned int latency, bool readOnly, bool initialSend,
+      bool enhancedProto=false);
 
+ public:
   /**
    * Destructor.
    */
@@ -99,20 +105,21 @@ class Device {
   /**
    * Factory method for creating a new instance.
    * @param name the device name (e.g. "/dev/ttyUSB0" for serial, "127.0.0.1:1234" for network).
+   * @param extraLatency the extra bus transfer latency in milliseconds.
    * @param checkDevice whether to regularly check the device availability (only for serial devices).
    * @param readOnly whether to allow read access to the device only.
    * @param initialSend whether to send an initial @a ESC symbol in @a open().
    * @return the new @a Device, or nullptr on error.
    * Note: the caller needs to free the created instance.
    */
-  static Device* create(const char* name, bool checkDevice = true, bool readOnly = false,
-      bool initialSend = false);
+  static Device* create(const char* name, unsigned int extraLatency = 0, bool checkDevice = true,
+      bool readOnly = false, bool initialSend = false);
 
   /**
    * Get the transfer latency of this device.
    * @return the transfer latency in microseconds.
    */
-  virtual unsigned int getLatency() const { return 0; }
+  virtual unsigned int getLatency() const { return m_latency; }
 
   /**
    * Open the file descriptor.
@@ -223,6 +230,9 @@ class Device {
   /** whether to regularly check the device availability. */
   const bool m_checkDevice;
 
+  /** the bus transfer latency in milliseconds. */
+  const unsigned int m_latency;
+
   /** whether to allow read access to the device only. */
   const bool m_readOnly;
 
@@ -269,12 +279,14 @@ class SerialDevice : public Device {
    * Construct a new instance.
    * @param name the device name (e.g. "/dev/ttyUSB0" for serial, "127.0.0.1:1234" for network).
    * @param checkDevice whether to regularly check the device availability.
+   * @param extraLatency the extra bus transfer latency in milliseconds.
    * @param readOnly whether to allow read access to the device only.
    * @param initialSend whether to send an initial @a ESC symbol in @a open().
    * @param enhancedProto whether to use the ebusd enhanced protocol.
    */
-  SerialDevice(const char* name, bool checkDevice, bool readOnly, bool initialSend, bool enhancedProto=false)
-    : Device(name, checkDevice, readOnly, initialSend, enhancedProto) {}
+  SerialDevice(const char* name, bool checkDevice, unsigned int extraLatency, bool readOnly, bool initialSend,
+      bool enhancedProto=false)
+    : Device(name, checkDevice, extraLatency, readOnly, initialSend, enhancedProto) {}
 
   // @copydoc
   result_t open() override;
@@ -304,14 +316,16 @@ class NetworkDevice : public Device {
    * @param address the socket address of the device.
    * @param hostOrIp the host name or IP address of the device.
    * @param port the TCP or UDP port of the device.
+   * @param extraLatency the extra bus transfer latency in milliseconds.
    * @param readOnly whether to allow read access to the device only.
    * @param initialSend whether to send an initial @a ESC symbol in @a open().
    * @param udp true for UDP, false to TCP.
    * @param enhancedProto whether to use the ebusd enhanced protocol.
    */
-  NetworkDevice(const char* name, const char* hostOrIp, uint16_t port, bool readOnly, bool initialSend,
-    bool udp, bool enhancedProto=false)
-    : Device(name, true, readOnly, initialSend, enhancedProto), m_hostOrIp(hostOrIp), m_port(port), m_udp(udp) {}
+  NetworkDevice(const char* name, const char* hostOrIp, uint16_t port, unsigned int extraLatency, bool readOnly,
+      bool initialSend, bool udp, bool enhancedProto=false)
+    : Device(name, true, NETWORK_LATENCY_MS+extraLatency, readOnly, initialSend, enhancedProto),
+    m_hostOrIp(hostOrIp), m_port(port), m_udp(udp) {}
 
   /**
    * Destructor.
@@ -322,9 +336,6 @@ class NetworkDevice : public Device {
     }
   }
 
-  // @copydoc
-  unsigned int getLatency() const override { return 10000; }
-
   // @copydoc
   result_t open() override;