diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 3fb68738..ca9f89c5 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ add_library(${TORTURE_LIBRARY}
                 torture_pki.c
                 torture_cmocka.c)
 target_link_libraries(${TORTURE_LIBRARY} ${TORTURE_LINK_LIBRARIES})
+target_compile_options(${TORTURE_LIBRARY} PRIVATE
+                       -DSSH_PING_EXECUTABLE="${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ssh_ping"
+)
 
 if (ARGP_LIBRARY)
     target_link_libraries(${TORTURE_LIBRARY}
@@ -87,6 +90,11 @@ if (CLIENT_TESTING)
         chroot_wrapper
     )
 
+    # ssh_ping
+    add_executable(ssh_ping ssh_ping.c)
+    target_compile_options(ssh_ping PRIVATE ${DEFAULT_C_COMPILE_FLAGS})
+    target_link_libraries(ssh_ping ${LIBSSH_SHARED_LIBRARY})
+
     # homedir will be used in passwd
     set(HOMEDIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/home)
 
diff --git a/tests/ssh_ping.c b/tests/ssh_ping.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9b5dad5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ssh_ping.c
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/* ssh_ping.c */
+/*
+Copyright 2018 Red Hat, Inc
+
+Author: Jakub Jelen <jjelen@redhat.com>
+
+This file is part of the SSH Library
+
+You are free to copy this file, modify it in any way, consider it being public
+domain. This does not apply to the rest of the library though, but it is
+allowed to cut-and-paste working code from this file to any license of
+program.
+The goal is to show the API in action. It's not a reference on how terminal
+clients must be made or how a client should react.
+*/
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <libssh/libssh.h>
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    const char *banner = NULL;
+    ssh_session session = NULL;
+    int rc = 1;
+
+    if (argc < 1 || argv[1] == NULL) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Need an argument (hostname)\n");
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    session = ssh_new();
+    if (session == NULL) {
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    rc = ssh_options_set(session, SSH_OPTIONS_HOST, argv[1]);
+    if (rc < 0) {
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    /* The automatic username is not available under uid wrapper */
+    rc = ssh_options_set(session, SSH_OPTIONS_USER, "ping");
+    if (rc < 0) {
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    rc = ssh_connect(session);
+    if (rc != SSH_OK) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Connection failed : %s\n", ssh_get_error(session));
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    banner = ssh_get_serverbanner(session);
+    if (banner == NULL) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Did not receive SSH banner\n");
+        goto out;
+    }
+
+    printf("%s", banner);
+    rc = 0;
+
+out:
+    ssh_free(session);
+    return rc;
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/torture.c b/tests/torture.c
index 95da3c67..23b1d1fd 100644
--- a/tests/torture.c
+++ b/tests/torture.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 
 #include "torture.h"
 #include "torture_key.h"
+#include "libssh/misc.h"
 
 /* for pattern matching */
 #include "match.c"
@@ -696,6 +697,24 @@ static void torture_setup_create_sshd_config(void **state)
     torture_write_file(s->srv_config, sshd_config);
 }
 
+static int torture_wait_for_daemon(unsigned int seconds)
+{
+    struct ssh_timestamp start;
+    int rc;
+
+    ssh_timestamp_init(&start);
+
+    while (!ssh_timeout_elapsed(&start, seconds * 1000)) {
+        rc = system(SSH_PING_EXECUTABLE " " TORTURE_SSH_SERVER);
+        if (rc == 0) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+        /* Wait 200 ms before retrying */
+        usleep(200 * 1000);
+    }
+    return 1;
+}
+
 void torture_setup_sshd_server(void **state)
 {
     struct torture_state *s;
@@ -718,11 +737,12 @@ void torture_setup_sshd_server(void **state)
     rc = system(sshd_start_cmd);
     assert_return_code(rc, errno);
 
-    /* Give the process 500ms time to initialize and start */
-    usleep(500 * 1000);
-
     setenv("SOCKET_WRAPPER_DEFAULT_IFACE", "21", 1);
     unsetenv("PAM_WRAPPER");
+
+    /* Wait until the sshd is ready to accept connections */
+    rc = torture_wait_for_daemon(5);
+    assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 }
 
 void torture_teardown_socket_dir(void **state)