diff --git a/p2p/simulations/adapters/inproc.go b/p2p/simulations/adapters/inproc.go
index 0ca06ad0e4..2acf3d0e90 100644
--- a/p2p/simulations/adapters/inproc.go
+++ b/p2p/simulations/adapters/inproc.go
@@ -224,9 +224,11 @@ func (self *SimNode) Start(snapshot []byte) error {
 	
 	services := []node.ServiceConstructor{}
 	
-	for name, servicefunc := range self.serviceFuncs {
-		service := servicefunc(self.Id, snapshot)
-		
+	
+	// we need to control the order of the services
+	// for example, bzz needs to start before pss
+	for _, name := range self.config.Services {
+		service := self.serviceFuncs[name](self.Id, snapshot)
 		services = append(services, func(ctx *node.ServiceContext) (node.Service, error) {
 			self.running[name] = service
 			return service, nil
diff --git a/p2p/testing/protocoltester.go b/p2p/testing/protocoltester.go
index e34fcf0265..306aa6baa7 100644
--- a/p2p/testing/protocoltester.go
+++ b/p2p/testing/protocoltester.go
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ type ProtocolTester struct {
 	network *simulations.Network
 }
 
-func NewProtocolTester(t *testing.T, id *adapters.NodeId, n int, run func(*p2p.Peer, p2p.MsgReadWriter) error) *ProtocolTester {
+func NewProtocolTester(t *testing.T, id *adapters.NodeId, n int, moreservices adapters.Services, run func(*p2p.Peer, p2p.MsgReadWriter) error) *ProtocolTester {
+//func NewProtocolTester(t *testing.T, id *adapters.NodeId, n int, run func(*p2p.Peer, p2p.MsgReadWriter) error) *ProtocolTester {
+	moreservicesstring := []string{}
 	services := map[string]adapters.ServiceFunc{
 		"test": func(id *adapters.NodeId, _ []byte) node.Service {
 			return &testNode{run}
@@ -27,9 +29,13 @@ func NewProtocolTester(t *testing.T, id *adapters.NodeId, n int, run func(*p2p.P
 			return newMockNode()
 		},
 	}
+	for name, service := range moreservices {
+		services[name] = service
+		moreservicesstring = append(moreservicesstring, name)
+	}
 	adapter := adapters.NewSimAdapter(services)
 	net := simulations.NewNetwork(adapter, &simulations.NetworkConfig{})
-	if _, err := net.NewNodeWithConfig(&adapters.NodeConfig{Id: id, Services: []string{"test"}}); err != nil {
+	if _, err := net.NewNodeWithConfig(&adapters.NodeConfig{Id: id, Services: append(moreservicesstring, "test")}); err != nil {
 		panic(err.Error())
 	}
 	if err := net.Start(id); err != nil {
@@ -41,6 +47,7 @@ func NewProtocolTester(t *testing.T, id *adapters.NodeId, n int, run func(*p2p.P
 	peerIDs := make([]*adapters.NodeId, n)
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 		peers[i] = adapters.RandomNodeConfig()
+		peers[i].Services = moreservicesstring
 		peers[i].Services = append(peers[i].Services, "mock")
 		peerIDs[i] = peers[i].Id
 	}
diff --git a/swarm/pss/common.go b/swarm/pss/common.go
index 7b985a6fea..b9e91eb791 100644
--- a/swarm/pss/common.go
+++ b/swarm/pss/common.go
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ var pssPingProtocol = &protocols.Spec{
 	},
 }
 
+var pssPingTopic = NewTopic(pssPingProtocol.Name, int(pssPingProtocol.Version))
+
 func newTestPss(addr []byte) *Pss {	
 	if addr == nil {
 		addr = network.RandomAddr().OAddr
@@ -64,3 +66,24 @@ func newTestPss(addr []byte) *Pss {
 	return ps
 }
 
+func newPssPingMsg(ps *Pss, spec *protocols.Spec, topic PssTopic, senderaddr []byte) PssMsg {
+	data := pssPingMsg{
+		Created: time.Now(),
+	}
+	code, found := spec.GetCode(&data)
+	if !found {
+		return PssMsg{}
+	}
+
+	rlpbundle, err := newProtocolMsg(code, data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return PssMsg{}
+	}
+
+	pssmsg := PssMsg{
+		To: ps.Overlay.BaseAddr(),
+		Payload: NewPssEnvelope(senderaddr, topic, rlpbundle),
+	}
+
+	return pssmsg
+}
diff --git a/swarm/pss/pss_test.go b/swarm/pss/pss_test.go
index 02921c329f..59107cc85c 100644
--- a/swarm/pss/pss_test.go
+++ b/swarm/pss/pss_test.go
@@ -176,30 +176,29 @@ func TestPssRegisterHandler(t *testing.T) {
 func TestPssSimpleLinear(t *testing.T) {
 	nodeconfig := adapters.RandomNodeConfig()
 	addr := network.NewAddrFromNodeId(nodeconfig.Id)
-	pss := newTestPss(addr.OAddr)
+	ps := newTestPss(addr.OAddr)
+	pt := p2ptest.NewProtocolTester(t, nodeconfig.Id, 2, newServices(), ps.Protocols()[0].Run)
 	
-	pt := p2ptest.NewProtocolTester(t, nodeconfig.Id, 2, pss.Protocols()[0].Run)
-	/*
-	return []p2ptest.Exchange{
-		p2ptest.Exchange{
+	msg := newPssPingMsg(ps, pssPingProtocol, pssPingTopic, []byte{1,2,3})
+	
+	exchange := p2ptest.Exchange{
 			Expects: []p2ptest.Expect{
 				p2ptest.Expect{
 					Code: 0,
-					Msg:  lhs,
-					Peer: id,
+					Msg:  msg,
+					Peer: pt.Ids[1],
 				},
 			},
 			Triggers: []p2ptest.Trigger{
 				p2ptest.Trigger{
 					Code: 0,
-					Msg:  ,
-					Peer: id,
+					Msg:  msg,
+					Peer:  pt.Ids[1],
 				},
 			},
-		},
-	}*/
-	
-	_ = pt
+		}
+		
+	pt.TestExchanges(exchange)
 }
 
 
@@ -373,7 +372,7 @@ func newServices() adapters.Services {
 		config.HiveParams.KeepAliveInterval = time.Second
 
 		bzzs[id] = network.NewBzz(config)
-	
+		
 		return bzzs[id]
 	}
 	
@@ -390,6 +389,9 @@ func newServices() adapters.Services {
 			return nil
 		}
 		pssp := NewPssParams()
+		for bzzs[id] == nil {
+			time.Sleep(time.Microsecond * 100)
+		}
 		return NewPss(bzzs[id].Kademlia, dpa, pssp)
 	}
 	
@@ -1301,35 +1303,6 @@ func makeCustomProtocol(name string, version int, ct *protocols.CodeMap, testpee
 	return protocols.NewProtocol(name, uint(version), run, ct, nil, nil)
 }
 
-func makeFakeMsg(ps *Pss, ct *protocols.CodeMap, topic PssTopic, senderaddr Addr, content string) PssMsg {
-	data := pssTestPayload{}
-	code, found := ct.GetCode(&data)
-	if !found {
-		return PssMsg{}
-	}
-
-	data.Data = content
-
-	rlpbundle, err := makeMsg(code, data)
-	if err != nil {
-		return PssMsg{}
-	}
-
-	pssenv := pssEnvelope{
-		SenderOAddr: senderaddr.Over(),
-		SenderUAddr: senderaddr.Under(),
-		Topic:       topic,
-		TTL:         DefaultTTL,
-		Payload:     rlpbundle,
-	}
-	pssmsg := PssMsg{
-		Payload: pssenv,
-	}
-	pssmsg.SetRecipient(ps.Overlay.BaseAddr())
-
-	return pssmsg
-}
-
 func makePssHandleForward(ps *Pss) func(msg interface{}) error {
 	// for the simple check it passes on the message if it's not for us
 	return func(msg interface{}) error {