diff --git a/frappy/client/__init__.py b/frappy/client/__init__.py
index 6b6fc15..4b34c32 100644
--- a/frappy/client/__init__.py
+++ b/frappy/client/__init__.py
@@ -493,6 +493,8 @@ class SecopClient(ProxyClient):
                 self.txq.get(False)
         except Exception:
             pass
+        if self.io:
+            self.io.shutdown()
         if self._txthread:
             self.txq.put(None)  # shutdown marker
             self._txthread.join()
diff --git a/frappy/gui/connection.py b/frappy/gui/connection.py
index d6c95ff..ec95c1f 100644
--- a/frappy/gui/connection.py
+++ b/frappy/gui/connection.py
@@ -107,3 +107,6 @@ class QSECNode(QObject):
 
     def unhandledMessage(self, action, specifier, data):
         self.unhandledMsg.emit('%s %s %r' % (action, specifier, data))
+
+    def terminate_connection(self):
+        self.conn.disconnect()
diff --git a/frappy/gui/mainwindow.py b/frappy/gui/mainwindow.py
index 98e0c33..7778eff 100644
--- a/frappy/gui/mainwindow.py
+++ b/frappy/gui/mainwindow.py
@@ -229,6 +229,7 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         try:
             node = self.tab.widget(index).getSecNode()
             # disconnect node from all events
+            node.terminate_connection()
             self._nodes.pop(node.nodename)
             self.log.debug("Closing tab with node %s" % node.nodename)
         except AttributeError:
@@ -247,6 +248,5 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
     def _onQuit(self):
         for node in self._nodes.values():
             # this is only qt signals deconnecting!
-            # TODO: terminate node.conn explicitly?
-            node.disconnect()
+            node.terminate_connection()
         self.logwin.onClose()
diff --git a/frappy/gui/tabwidget.py b/frappy/gui/tabwidget.py
index dc8aba0..9e5e006 100644
--- a/frappy/gui/tabwidget.py
+++ b/frappy/gui/tabwidget.py
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ class TearOffTabWidget(QTabWidget):
         return widget
 
     def close_current(self):
-        self.removeTab(self.currentIndex())
+        self.tabCloseRequested.emit(self.currentIndex())
 
 
 class DetachedWindow(QMainWindow):
diff --git a/frappy/lib/asynconn.py b/frappy/lib/asynconn.py
index a110cf8..995e084 100644
--- a/frappy/lib/asynconn.py
+++ b/frappy/lib/asynconn.py
@@ -86,6 +86,9 @@ class AsynConn:
         if cls.scheme:
             cls.SCHEME_MAP[cls.scheme] = cls
 
+    def shutdown(self):
+        """prepare connection for disconnect, can be empty"""
+
     def disconnect(self):
         raise NotImplementedError
 
@@ -177,6 +180,10 @@ class AsynTcp(AsynConn):
             # indicate that retrying might make sense
             raise CommunicationFailedError(str(e)) from None
 
+    def shutdown(self):
+        if self.connection:
+            self.connection.shutdown(socket.SHUT_RDWR)
+
     def disconnect(self):
         if self.connection:
             closeSocket(self.connection)