diff --git a/tfw/internals/networking/test_networking.py b/tfw/internals/networking/test_networking.py
index 9bd35af..d1d4261 100644
--- a/tfw/internals/networking/test_networking.py
+++ b/tfw/internals/networking/test_networking.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ from os.path import join
 from secrets import token_urlsafe
 from random import randint
 from tempfile import TemporaryDirectory
+from contextlib import suppress
 
 import pytest
 from tornado.ioloop import IOLoop
@@ -63,6 +64,26 @@ def test_messages():
     ]
 
 
+def wait_until_subscriber_connects(listener, connector):
+    # Warning: you are better off without comprehending how this works
+    # Reference: ZMQ PUB-SUB slow joiner problem
+
+    # Wait until something can go through the connection
+    dummy = {'key': '-'}
+    while True:
+        listener.send_message(dummy)
+        with suppress(IOError):
+            if connector.recv_message(block=False) == dummy:
+                break
+    # Throw away leftover messages from last while loop
+    sentinel = {'key': '_'}
+    listener.send_message(sentinel)
+    while True:
+        with suppress(IOError):
+            if connector.recv_message(block=False) == sentinel:
+                break
+
+
 def test_server_downlink(zmq_listener, zmq_connector, test_messages):
     messages = []
     zmq_listener.register_callback(messages.append)
@@ -104,3 +125,28 @@ def test_connector_downlink_subscribe(zmq_listener, zmq_connector):
 
     assert messages == key1_messages
     assert all((msg not in messages for msg in key2_messages))
+
+
+def test_listener_sync_recv(zmq_listener, zmq_connector, test_messages):
+    for message in test_messages:
+        zmq_connector.send_message(message)
+        assert zmq_listener.recv_message() == message
+
+
+def test_connector_sync_recv(zmq_listener, zmq_connector, test_messages):
+    zmq_connector.subscribe('')
+    wait_until_subscriber_connects(zmq_listener, zmq_connector)
+    for message in test_messages:
+        zmq_listener.send_message(message)
+        assert zmq_connector.recv_message() == message
+
+
+def test_sync_recv_raises_if_callback_is_registered(zmq_listener, zmq_connector):
+    zmq_listener.register_callback(lambda msg: None)
+    zmq_connector.register_callback(lambda msg: None)
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+        zmq_listener.recv_message()
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+        zmq_connector.recv_message()
diff --git a/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_connector.py b/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_connector.py
index a701c99..7dfa77c 100644
--- a/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_connector.py
+++ b/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_connector.py
@@ -4,7 +4,11 @@ import zmq
 from zmq.eventloop.zmqstream import ZMQStream
 
 from .scope import Scope
-from .serialization import serialize_tfw_msg, with_deserialize_tfw_msg
+from .serialization import (
+    serialize_tfw_msg,
+    deserialize_tfw_msg,
+    with_deserialize_tfw_msg
+)
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -29,8 +33,20 @@ class ZMQDownlinkConnector:
             self.keys.remove(key)
 
     def register_callback(self, callback):
-        self._on_recv_callback = callback
-        self._zmq_sub_stream.on_recv(with_deserialize_tfw_msg(self._on_recv))
+        if callback:
+            self._on_recv_callback = callback
+            self._zmq_sub_stream.on_recv(with_deserialize_tfw_msg(self._on_recv))
+        else:
+            self._zmq_sub_stream.on_recv(None)
+
+    def recv_message(self, *, block=True):
+        if self._zmq_sub_stream.receiving():
+            raise RuntimeError('Synchronous recv() called while a callback is registered!')
+        flags = 0 if block else zmq.NOBLOCK
+        try:
+            return deserialize_tfw_msg(*self._zmq_sub_socket.recv_multipart(flags))
+        except zmq.ZMQError:
+            raise IOError("No data available to recv!")
 
     def _on_recv(self, message):
         key = message['key']
diff --git a/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_listener.py b/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_listener.py
index a1e1313..d43814a 100644
--- a/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_listener.py
+++ b/tfw/internals/networking/zmq_listener.py
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ import logging
 import zmq
 from zmq.eventloop.zmqstream import ZMQStream
 
-from .serialization import serialize_tfw_msg, with_deserialize_tfw_msg
+from .serialization import (
+    serialize_tfw_msg,
+    deserialize_tfw_msg,
+    with_deserialize_tfw_msg
+)
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -17,9 +21,18 @@ class ZMQDownlinkListener:
         LOG.debug('Pull socket bound to %s', bind_addr)
 
     def register_callback(self, callback):
-        callback = with_deserialize_tfw_msg(callback)
+        callback = with_deserialize_tfw_msg(callback) if callback else None
         self._zmq_pull_stream.on_recv(callback)
 
+    def recv_message(self, *, block=True):
+        if self._zmq_pull_stream.receiving():
+            raise RuntimeError('Synchronous recv() called while a callback is registered!')
+        flags = 0 if block else zmq.NOBLOCK
+        try:
+            return deserialize_tfw_msg(*self._zmq_pull_socket.recv_multipart(flags))
+        except zmq.ZMQError:
+            raise IOError("No data available to recv!")
+
     def close(self):
         self._zmq_pull_stream.close()