diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.cpp
index 9517332dcb..179014e838 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.cpp
@@ -74,20 +74,22 @@ void Connection::resetRTT() {
 
 SendQueue& Connection::getSendQueue() {
     if (!_sendQueue) {
-        // Lasily create send queue
-        _sendQueue = SendQueue::create(_parentSocket, _destination);
-        
-        qDebug() << "Created SendQueue for connection to" << _destination;
-        
-        QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetSent, this, &Connection::packetSent);
-        QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetSent, this, &Connection::recordSentPackets);
-        QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetRetransmitted, this, &Connection::recordRetransmission);
-        QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::queueInactive, this, &Connection::queueInactive);
-        
-        // set defaults on the send queue from our congestion control object and estimatedTimeout()
-        _sendQueue->setPacketSendPeriod(_congestionControl->_packetSendPeriod);
-        _sendQueue->setEstimatedTimeout(estimatedTimeout());
-        _sendQueue->setFlowWindowSize(std::min(_flowWindowSize, (int) _congestionControl->_congestionWindowSize));
+        std::call_once(_sendQueueCreateFlag, [this](){
+            // Lasily create send queue
+            _sendQueue = SendQueue::create(_parentSocket, _destination);
+            
+            qDebug() << "Created SendQueue for connection to" << _destination;
+            
+            QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetSent, this, &Connection::packetSent);
+            QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetSent, this, &Connection::recordSentPackets);
+            QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::packetRetransmitted, this, &Connection::recordRetransmission);
+            QObject::connect(_sendQueue.get(), &SendQueue::queueInactive, this, &Connection::queueInactive);
+            
+            // set defaults on the send queue from our congestion control object and estimatedTimeout()
+            _sendQueue->setPacketSendPeriod(_congestionControl->_packetSendPeriod);
+            _sendQueue->setEstimatedTimeout(estimatedTimeout());
+            _sendQueue->setFlowWindowSize(std::min(_flowWindowSize, (int) _congestionControl->_congestionWindowSize));
+        });
     }
     
     return *_sendQueue;
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.h b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.h
index 7914fa0676..97e7d36025 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Connection.h
@@ -145,9 +145,10 @@ private:
     PacketTimeWindow _receiveWindow { 16, 64 }; // Window of interval between packets (16) and probes (64) for bandwidth and receive speed
    
     std::unique_ptr<CongestionControl> _congestionControl;
-    
+   
     std::unique_ptr<SendQueue> _sendQueue;
-
+    std::once_flag _sendQueueCreateFlag; // Guards the creation of SendQueue so it only happens once
+    
     std::map<MessageNumber, PendingReceivedMessage> _pendingReceivedMessages;
     
     int _packetsSinceACK { 0 }; // The number of packets that have been received during the current ACK interval
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.cpp
index f3ce095b50..94b6100dee 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.cpp
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ qint64 Socket::writeDatagram(const QByteArray& datagram, const HifiSockAddr& soc
 }
 
 Connection& Socket::findOrCreateConnection(const HifiSockAddr& sockAddr) {
-    QMutexLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    QWriteLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
     
     auto it = _connectionsHash.find(sockAddr);
 
@@ -157,12 +157,7 @@ Connection& Socket::findOrCreateConnection(const HifiSockAddr& sockAddr) {
 }
 
 void Socket::clearConnections() {
-    if (thread() != QThread::currentThread()) {
-        QMetaObject::invokeMethod(this, "clearConnections", Qt::BlockingQueuedConnection);
-        return;
-    }
-    
-    QMutexLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    QWriteLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
     
     // clear all of the current connections in the socket
     qDebug() << "Clearing all remaining connections in Socket.";
@@ -170,7 +165,7 @@ void Socket::clearConnections() {
 }
 
 void Socket::cleanupConnection(HifiSockAddr sockAddr) {
-    QMutexLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    QWriteLocker locker(&_connectionsMutex);
     
     qCDebug(networking) << "Socket::cleanupConnection called for UDT connection to" << sockAddr;
     _connectionsHash.erase(sockAddr);
@@ -249,6 +244,8 @@ void Socket::readPendingDatagrams() {
 }
 
 void Socket::connectToSendSignal(const HifiSockAddr& destinationAddr, QObject* receiver, const char* slot) {
+    QReadLocker readLocker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    
     auto it = _connectionsHash.find(destinationAddr);
     if (it != _connectionsHash.end()) {
         connect(it->second.get(), SIGNAL(packetSent()), receiver, slot);
@@ -257,11 +254,15 @@ void Socket::connectToSendSignal(const HifiSockAddr& destinationAddr, QObject* r
 
 void Socket::rateControlSync() {
     
+    QReadLocker readLocker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    
     // enumerate our list of connections and ask each of them to send off periodic ACK packet for rate control
     for (auto& connection : _connectionsHash) {
         connection.second->sync();
     }
     
+    readLocker.unlock();
+    
     if (_synTimer.interval() != _synInterval) {
         // if the _synTimer interval doesn't match the current _synInterval (changes when the CC factory is changed)
         // then restart it now with the right interval
@@ -278,9 +279,7 @@ void Socket::setCongestionControlFactory(std::unique_ptr<CongestionControlVirtua
 }
 
 ConnectionStats::Stats Socket::sampleStatsForConnection(const HifiSockAddr& destination) {
-    Q_ASSERT_X(thread() == QThread::currentThread(),
-               "Socket::sampleStatsForConnection",
-               "Stats sampling for connection must be on socket thread");
+    QReadLocker readLocker(&_connectionsMutex);
     
     auto it = _connectionsHash.find(destination);
     if (it != _connectionsHash.end()) {
@@ -291,8 +290,11 @@ ConnectionStats::Stats Socket::sampleStatsForConnection(const HifiSockAddr& dest
 }
 
 std::vector<HifiSockAddr> Socket::getConnectionSockAddrs() {
+    QReadLocker readLocker(&_connectionsMutex);
+    
     std::vector<HifiSockAddr> addr;
     addr.reserve(_connectionsHash.size());
+    
     for (const auto& connectionPair : _connectionsHash) {
         addr.push_back(connectionPair.first);
     }
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.h b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.h
index 23dd313462..fa6bf874a8 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/udt/Socket.h
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ private:
     std::unordered_map<HifiSockAddr, SequenceNumber> _unreliableSequenceNumbers;
     std::unordered_map<HifiSockAddr, std::unique_ptr<Connection>> _connectionsHash;
     
-    QMutex _connectionsMutex; // guards concurrent access to connections hashs
+    QReadWriteLock _connectionsMutex; // guards concurrent access to connections hashs
     
     int _synInterval = 10; // 10ms
     QTimer _synTimer;