diff --git a/src/communicator/__init__.py b/src/communicator/__init__.py
index aa91747f..89700d58 100755
--- a/src/communicator/__init__.py
+++ b/src/communicator/__init__.py
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@ config.reload()
 class OnionrCommunicatorDaemon:
     def __init__(self, shared_state, developmentMode=None):
         if developmentMode is None:
-            developmentMode = config.get('general.dev_mode', False)
+            developmentMode = config.get(
+                'general.dev_mode', False)
 
         # configure logger and stuff
         self.config = config
@@ -139,9 +140,7 @@ class OnionrCommunicatorDaemon:
         if config.get('transports.tor', True):
             # Timer to check for connectivity,
             # through Tor to various high-profile onion services
-            OnionrCommunicatorTimers(
-                self, netcheck.net_check, 500,
-                my_args=[self], max_threads=1)
+            add_onionr_thread(netcheck.net_check, [shared_state], 500, 60)
 
         # Announce the public API server transport address
         # to other nodes if security level allows
diff --git a/src/communicatorutils/netcheck.py b/src/communicatorutils/netcheck.py
index df3d8c0e..b45a4361 100755
--- a/src/communicatorutils/netcheck.py
+++ b/src/communicatorutils/netcheck.py
@@ -30,14 +30,16 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
 """
 
 
-def net_check(comm_inst):
+def net_check(shared_state):
     """Check if we are connected to the internet.
 
     or not when we can't connect to any peers
     """
     # for detecting if we have received incoming connections recently
     rec = False
-    kv: "DeadSimpleKV" = comm_inst.shared_state.get_by_string("DeadSimpleKV")
+    kv: "DeadSimpleKV" = shared_state.get_by_string("DeadSimpleKV")
+    proxy_port = shared_state.get_by_string("NetController").socksPort
+
     if len(kv.get('onlinePeers')) == 0:
         try:
             if (epoch.get_epoch() - int(localcommand.local_command
@@ -46,16 +48,17 @@ def net_check(comm_inst):
                 rec = True
         except ValueError:
             pass
-        if not rec and not netutils.check_network(torPort=comm_inst.proxyPort):
+        if not rec and not netutils.check_network(torPort=proxy_port):
             if not kv.get('shutdown'):
-                if not comm_inst.config.get('general.offline_mode', False):
+                if not shared_state.get_by_string(
+                    "OnionrCommunicatorDaemon").config.get(
+                        'general.offline_mode', False):
                     logger.warn('Network check failed, are you connected to ' +
                                 'the Internet, and is Tor working? ' +
                                 'This is usually temporary, but bugs and censorship can cause this to persist, in which case you should report it to beardog [at] mailbox.org',  # noqa
                                 terminal=True)
-                    restarttor.restart(comm_inst.shared_state)
+                    restarttor.restart(shared_state)
                     kv.put('offlinePeers', [])
             kv.put('isOnline', False)
         else:
             kv.put('isOnline', True)
-    comm_inst.decrementThreadCount('net_check')