diff --git a/ports/esp32/modsocket.c b/ports/esp32/modsocket.c
index 94cf3cc57c..0268baa18c 100644
--- a/ports/esp32/modsocket.c
+++ b/ports/esp32/modsocket.c
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ typedef struct _socket_obj_t {
     uint8_t domain;
     uint8_t type;
     uint8_t proto;
+    bool peer_closed;
     unsigned int retries;
     #if MICROPY_PY_USOCKET_EVENTS
     mp_obj_t events_callback;
@@ -233,6 +234,7 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t socket_accept(const mp_obj_t arg0) {
     sock->domain = self->domain;
     sock->type = self->type;
     sock->proto = self->proto;
+    sock->peer_closed = false;
     _socket_settimeout(sock, UINT64_MAX);
 
     // make the return value
@@ -354,23 +356,57 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t socket_setblocking(const mp_obj_t arg0, const mp_obj_t arg1) {
 }
 STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_2(socket_setblocking_obj, socket_setblocking);
 
+// XXX this can end up waiting a very long time if the content is dribbled in one character
+// at a time, as the timeout resets each time a recvfrom succeeds ... this is probably not
+// good behaviour.
+STATIC mp_uint_t _socket_read_data(mp_obj_t self_in, void *buf, size_t size,
+    struct sockaddr *from, socklen_t *from_len, int *errcode) {
+    socket_obj_t *sock = MP_OBJ_TO_PTR(self_in);
+
+    // If the peer closed the connection then the lwIP socket API will only return "0" once
+    // from lwip_recvfrom_r and then block on subsequent calls.  To emulate POSIX behaviour,
+    // which continues to return "0" for each call on a closed socket, we set a flag when
+    // the peer closed the socket.
+    if (sock->peer_closed) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // XXX Would be nicer to use RTC to handle timeouts
+    for (int i = 0; i <= sock->retries; ++i) {
+        MP_THREAD_GIL_EXIT();
+        int r = lwip_recvfrom_r(sock->fd, buf, size, 0, from, from_len);
+        MP_THREAD_GIL_ENTER();
+        if (r == 0) {
+            sock->peer_closed = true;
+        }
+        if (r >= 0) {
+            return r;
+        }
+        if (errno != EWOULDBLOCK) {
+            *errcode = errno;
+            return MP_STREAM_ERROR;
+        }
+        check_for_exceptions();
+    }
+
+    *errcode = sock->retries == 0 ? MP_EWOULDBLOCK : MP_ETIMEDOUT;
+    return MP_STREAM_ERROR;
+}
+
 mp_obj_t _socket_recvfrom(mp_obj_t self_in, mp_obj_t len_in,
         struct sockaddr *from, socklen_t *from_len) {
-    socket_obj_t *sock = MP_OBJ_TO_PTR(self_in);
     size_t len = mp_obj_get_int(len_in);
     vstr_t vstr;
     vstr_init_len(&vstr, len);
 
-    // XXX Would be nicer to use RTC to handle timeouts
-    for (int i=0; i<=sock->retries; i++) {
-        MP_THREAD_GIL_EXIT();
-        int r = lwip_recvfrom_r(sock->fd, vstr.buf, len, 0, from, from_len);
-        MP_THREAD_GIL_ENTER();
-        if (r >= 0) { vstr.len = r; return mp_obj_new_str_from_vstr(&mp_type_bytes, &vstr); }
-        if (errno != EWOULDBLOCK) exception_from_errno(errno);
-        check_for_exceptions();
+    int errcode;
+    mp_uint_t ret = _socket_read_data(self_in, vstr.buf, len, from, from_len, &errcode);
+    if (ret == MP_STREAM_ERROR) {
+        exception_from_errno(errcode);
     }
-    mp_raise_OSError(MP_ETIMEDOUT);
+
+    vstr.len = ret;
+    return mp_obj_new_str_from_vstr(&mp_type_bytes, &vstr);
 }
 
 STATIC mp_obj_t socket_recv(mp_obj_t self_in, mp_obj_t len_in) {
@@ -468,25 +504,8 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t socket_makefile(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args) {
 }
 STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(socket_makefile_obj, 1, 3, socket_makefile);
 
-
-// XXX this can end up waiting a very long time if the content is dribbled in one character
-// at a time, as the timeout resets each time a recvfrom succeeds ... this is probably not
-// good behaviour.
-
 STATIC mp_uint_t socket_stream_read(mp_obj_t self_in, void *buf, mp_uint_t size, int *errcode) {
-    socket_obj_t *sock = self_in;
-
-    // XXX Would be nicer to use RTC to handle timeouts
-    for (int i=0; i<=sock->retries; i++) {
-        MP_THREAD_GIL_EXIT();
-        int r = lwip_recvfrom_r(sock->fd, buf, size, 0, NULL, NULL);
-        MP_THREAD_GIL_ENTER();
-        if (r >= 0) return r;
-        if (r < 0 && errno != EWOULDBLOCK) { *errcode = errno; return MP_STREAM_ERROR; }
-        check_for_exceptions();
-    }
-    *errcode = sock->retries == 0 ? MP_EWOULDBLOCK : MP_ETIMEDOUT;
-    return MP_STREAM_ERROR;
+    return _socket_read_data(self_in, buf, size, NULL, NULL, errcode);
 }
 
 STATIC mp_uint_t socket_stream_write(mp_obj_t self_in, const void *buf, mp_uint_t size, int *errcode) {
@@ -592,6 +611,7 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t get_socket(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args) {
     sock->domain = AF_INET;
     sock->type = SOCK_STREAM;
     sock->proto = 0;
+    sock->peer_closed = false;
     if (n_args > 0) {
         sock->domain = mp_obj_get_int(args[0]);
         if (n_args > 1) {