diff --git a/src/matrix/error.js b/src/matrix/error.js
index a4979952..f8a0c57c 100644
--- a/src/matrix/error.js
+++ b/src/matrix/error.js
@@ -6,14 +6,20 @@ export class HomeServerError extends Error {
         this.statusCode = status;
     }
 
-    get isFatal() {
-        switch (this.errcode) {
-            
-        }
+    get name() {
+        return "HomeServerError";
     }
 }
 
 export {AbortError} from "../utils/error.js";
 
-export class ConnectionError extends Error { 
+export class ConnectionError extends Error {
+    constructor(message, isTimeout) {
+        super(message || "ConnectionError");
+        this.isTimeout = isTimeout;
+    }
+
+    get name() {
+        return "ConnectionError";
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/matrix/net/HomeServerApi.js b/src/matrix/net/HomeServerApi.js
index 008ee8a9..20a1dd92 100644
--- a/src/matrix/net/HomeServerApi.js
+++ b/src/matrix/net/HomeServerApi.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import {
     HomeServerError,
     ConnectionError,
+    AbortError
 } from "../error.js";
 
 class RequestWrapper {
-    constructor(method, url, requestResult) {
+    constructor(method, url, requestResult, responsePromise) {
         this._requestResult = requestResult;
-        this._promise = this._requestResult.response().then(response => {
+        this._promise = responsePromise.then(response => {
             // ok?
             if (response.status >= 200 && response.status < 300) {
                 return response.body;
@@ -43,6 +44,35 @@ export class HomeServerApi {
         return `${this._homeserver}/_matrix/client/r0${csPath}`;
     }
 
+    _abortOnTimeout(timeoutAmount, requestResult, responsePromise) {
+        const timeout = this._createTimeout(timeoutAmount);
+        // abort request if timeout finishes first
+        let timedOut = false;
+        timeout.elapsed().then(
+            () => {
+                timedOut = true;
+                requestResult.abort();
+            },
+            () => {}    // ignore AbortError
+        );
+        // abort timeout if request finishes first
+        return responsePromise.then(
+            response => {
+                timeout.abort();
+                return response;
+            },
+            err => {
+                timeout.abort();
+                // map error to TimeoutError
+                if (err instanceof AbortError && timedOut) {
+                    throw new ConnectionError(`Request timed out after ${timeoutAmount}ms`, true);
+                } else {
+                    throw err;
+                }
+            }
+        );
+    }
+
     _request(method, url, queryParams, body, options) {
         const queryString = Object.entries(queryParams || {})
             .filter(([, value]) => value !== undefined)
@@ -70,23 +100,21 @@ export class HomeServerApi {
             body: bodyString,
         });
 
+        let responsePromise = requestResult.response();
+
         if (options && options.timeout) {
-            const timeout = this._createTimeout(options.timeout);
-            // abort request if timeout finishes first
-            timeout.elapsed().then(
-                () => requestResult.abort(),
-                () => {}    // ignore AbortError
+            responsePromise = this._abortOnTimeout(
+                options.timeout,
+                requestResult,
+                responsePromise
             );
-            // abort timeout if request finishes first
-            const abort = () => timeout.abort();
-            requestResult.response().then(abort, abort);
         }
 
-        const wrapper = new RequestWrapper(method, url, requestResult);
+        const wrapper = new RequestWrapper(method, url, requestResult, responsePromise);
         
         if (this._reconnector) {
             wrapper.response().catch(err => {
-                if (err instanceof ConnectionError) {
+                if (err.name === "ConnectionError") {
                     this._reconnector.onRequestFailed(this);
                 }
             });
diff --git a/src/matrix/net/Reconnector.js b/src/matrix/net/Reconnector.js
index 78e5e66f..6855d3e5 100644
--- a/src/matrix/net/Reconnector.js
+++ b/src/matrix/net/Reconnector.js
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import {createEnum} from "../../utils/enum.js";
-import {AbortError} from "../../utils/error.js";
-import {ConnectionError} from "../error.js"
 import {ObservableValue} from "../../observable/ObservableValue.js";
 
 export const ConnectionStatus = createEnum(
@@ -84,13 +82,14 @@ export class Reconnector {
         while (!this._versionsResponse) {
             try {
                 this._setState(ConnectionStatus.Reconnecting);
-                // use 10s timeout, because we don't want to be waiting for
+                // use 30s timeout, as a tradeoff between not giving up
+                // too quickly on a slow server, and not waiting for
                 // a stale connection when we just came online again
-                const versionsRequest = hsApi.versions({timeout: 10000});
+                const versionsRequest = hsApi.versions({timeout: 30000});
                 this._versionsResponse = await versionsRequest.response();
                 this._setState(ConnectionStatus.Online);
             } catch (err) {
-                if (err instanceof ConnectionError) {
+                if (err.name === "ConnectionError") {
                     this._setState(ConnectionStatus.Waiting);
                     await this._retryDelay.waitForRetry();
                 } else {
@@ -104,6 +103,7 @@ export class Reconnector {
 
 import {Clock as MockClock} from "../../mocks/Clock.js";
 import {ExponentialRetryDelay} from "./ExponentialRetryDelay.js";
+import {ConnectionError} from "../error.js"
 
 export function tests() {
     function createHsApiMock(remainingFailures) {
diff --git a/src/utils/error.js b/src/utils/error.js
index f10f7590..98bea1ce 100644
--- a/src/utils/error.js
+++ b/src/utils/error.js
@@ -1,2 +1,5 @@
 export class AbortError extends Error {
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    get name() {
+        return "AbortError";
+    }
+}