diff --git a/lib/eModbus/library.properties b/lib/eModbus/library.properties
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..904bda3aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/eModbus/library.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+name=eModbus
+version=1.7.4
+author=bertmelis,Miq1 <miq1@gmx.de>
+maintainer=Miq1 <miq1@gmx.de>
+sentence=eModbus provides Modbus RTU, ASCII and TCP functions for ESP32.
+paragraph=This library is non-blocking for the program using it. Modbus requests and responses will be returned to user-supplied callback functions. All Modbus function codes are supported implicitly, the codes specified by the Modbus specs are parameter-checked.
+category=Communication
+url=https://github.com/eModbus/eModbus
+architectures=esp32,FreeRTOS
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/CoilData.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/CoilData.cpp
index 8348080d5..42b7839a8 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/CoilData.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/CoilData.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ CoilData::~CoilData() {
 
 // Assignment operator
 CoilData& CoilData::operator=(const CoilData& m) {
+  // Avoid self-assignment
+  if (this == &m) return *this;
   // Remove old data
   if (CDbuffer) {
     delete CDbuffer;
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusBridgeTemp.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusBridgeTemp.h
index 8bd2f039c..96fae9bb9 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusBridgeTemp.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusBridgeTemp.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <map>
 #include <functional>
 #include "ModbusClient.h"
+#include "ModbusServer.h"
 #include "ModbusClientTCP.h"  // Needed for client.setTarget()
 #include "RTUutils.h"  // Needed for RTScallback
 
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ public:
   ModbusBridge();
 
   // Constructors for the RTU variant. Parameters as are for ModbusServerRTU
-  ModbusBridge(uint32_t timeout, int rtsPin = -1);
+  explicit ModbusBridge(uint32_t timeout, int rtsPin = -1);
   ModbusBridge(uint32_t timeout, RTScallback rts);
 
   // Destructor
@@ -230,42 +231,56 @@ ModbusMessage ModbusBridge<SERVERCLASS>::bridgeWorker(ModbusMessage msg) {
   uint8_t aliasID = msg.getServerID();
   uint8_t functionCode = msg.getFunctionCode();
   ModbusMessage response;
+  bool foundServer = false;
+  uint8_t usableID = 255;
 
   // Find the (alias) serverID
   if (servers.find(aliasID) != servers.end()) {
+    foundServer = true;
+    usableID = aliasID;
+  } else {
+    if (servers.find(ANY_SERVER) != servers.end()) {
+      foundServer = true;
+      usableID = ANY_SERVER;
+    }
+  }
+  if (foundServer) {
     // Found it. We may use servers[aliasID] now without allocating a new map slot
 
     // Request filter hook to be called here
-    if (servers[aliasID]->requestFilter) {
+    if (servers[usableID]->requestFilter) {
       LOG_D("Calling request filter\n");
-      msg = servers[aliasID]->requestFilter(msg);
+      msg = servers[usableID]->requestFilter(msg);
     }
 
     // Set real target server ID
-    msg.setServerID(servers[aliasID]->serverID);
-
-    // Issue the request
-    LOG_D("Request (%02X/%02X) sent\n", servers[aliasID]->serverID, msg.getFunctionCode());
-    // TCP servers have a target host/port that needs to be set in the client
-    if (servers[aliasID]->serverType == TCP_SERVER) {
-      response = reinterpret_cast<ModbusClientTCP *>(servers[aliasID]->client)->syncRequestMT(msg, (uint32_t)millis(), servers[aliasID]->host, servers[aliasID]->port);
-    } else {
-      response = servers[aliasID]->client->syncRequestM(msg, (uint32_t)millis());
+    if (servers[usableID]->serverID != ANY_SERVER) {
+      msg.setServerID(servers[usableID]->serverID);
     }
 
-    // Response filter hook to be called here
-    if (servers[aliasID]->responseFilter) {
-      LOG_D("Calling response filter\n");
-      response = servers[aliasID]->responseFilter(response);
+    // Issue the request
+    LOG_D("Request (%02X/%02X) sent\n", servers[usableID]->serverID, msg.getFunctionCode());
+    // TCP servers have a target host/port that needs to be set in the client
+    if (servers[usableID]->serverType == TCP_SERVER) {
+      response = reinterpret_cast<ModbusClientTCP *>(servers[usableID]->client)->syncRequestMT(msg, (uint32_t)micros(), servers[usableID]->host, servers[usableID]->port);
+    } else {
+      response = servers[usableID]->client->syncRequestM(msg, (uint32_t)micros());
     }
 
     // Re-set the requested server ID and function code (may have been modified by filters)
     response.setServerID(aliasID);
+
     if (response.getError() != SUCCESS) {
       response.setFunctionCode(functionCode | 0x80);
     } else {
       response.setFunctionCode(functionCode);
     }
+
+    // Response filter hook to be called here
+    if (servers[usableID]->responseFilter) {
+      LOG_D("Calling response filter\n");
+      response = servers[usableID]->responseFilter(response);
+    }
   } else {
     // If we get here, something has gone wrong internally. We send back an error response anyway.
     response.setError(aliasID, functionCode, INVALID_SERVER);
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.cpp
index d57c1397a..bd1f627ee 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.cpp
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ ModbusClient::ModbusClient() :
   onError(nullptr),
   onResponse(nullptr) { instanceCounter++; }
 
+// Default destructor: reduce number of clients by one
+ModbusClient::~ModbusClient() {
+  if (instanceCounter) {
+    instanceCounter--;
+  }
+}
+
 // onDataHandler: register callback for data responses
 bool ModbusClient::onDataHandler(MBOnData handler) {
   if (onData) {
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.h
index 2025a1f28..3c9ec42e3 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClient.h
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ public:
   uint32_t getMessageCount();             // Informative: return number of messages created
   uint32_t getErrorCount();              // Informative: return number of errors received
   void resetCounts();                    // Set both message and error counts to zero
-  inline Error addRequest(ModbusMessage m, uint32_t token) { return addRequestM(m, token); }
-  inline ModbusMessage syncRequest(ModbusMessage m, uint32_t token) { return syncRequestM(m, token); }
+  inline Error addRequest(const ModbusMessage& m, uint32_t token) { return addRequestM(m, token); }
+  inline ModbusMessage syncRequest(const ModbusMessage& m, uint32_t token) { return syncRequestM(m, token); }
 
   // Template function to generate syncRequest functions as long as there is a 
   // matching ModbusMessage::setMessage() call
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public:
 
 protected:
   ModbusClient();             // Default constructor
-  virtual void isInstance() = 0;   // Make class abstract
+  virtual ~ModbusClient();            // Destructor
   ModbusMessage waitSync(uint8_t serverID, uint8_t functionCode, uint32_t token); // wait for syncRequest response to arrive
   // Virtual addRequest variant needed internally. All others done by template!
   virtual Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) = 0;
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.cpp
index 9052ab2c2..2520d83b7 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.cpp
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ void ModbusClientRTU::doBegin(uint32_t baudRate, int coreID, uint32_t userInterv
   char taskName[18];
   snprintf(taskName, 18, "Modbus%02XRTU", instanceCounter);
   // Start task to handle the queue
-  xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&handleConnection, taskName, CLIENT_TASK_STACK, this, 6, &worker, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : NULL);
+  xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&handleConnection, taskName, CLIENT_TASK_STACK, this, 6, &worker, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : tskNO_AFFINITY);
 
   LOG_D("Client task %d started. Interval=%d\n", (uint32_t)worker, MR_interval);
 }
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ void ModbusClientRTU::clearQueue()
 {
   std::queue<RequestEntry> empty;
   LOCK_GUARD(lockGuard, qLock);
+  // Empty queue
   std::swap(requests, empty);
 }
 
@@ -342,8 +343,11 @@ void ModbusClientRTU::handleConnection(ModbusClientRTU *instance) {
       {
         // Safely lock the queue
         LOCK_GUARD(lockGuard, instance->qLock);
-        // Remove the front queue entry
-        instance->requests.pop();
+        
+        // Remove the front queue entry if the queue is not empty
+        if (!instance->requests.empty()) { 
+          instance->requests.pop();
+        }
       }
     } else {
       delay(1);
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.h
index 9f419ee34..280981cad 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientRTU.h
@@ -67,15 +67,15 @@ protected:
     uint32_t token;
     ModbusMessage msg;
     bool isSyncRequest;
-    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, ModbusMessage m, bool syncReq = false) :
+    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, const ModbusMessage& m, bool syncReq = false) :
       token(t),
       msg(m),
       isSyncRequest(syncReq) {}
   };
 
   // Base addRequest and syncRequest must be present
-  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
-  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
+  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
+  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
 
   // addToQueue: send freshly created request to queue
   bool addToQueue(uint32_t token, ModbusMessage msg, bool syncReq = false);
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ protected:
   // start background task
   void doBegin(uint32_t baudRate, int coreID, uint32_t userInterval);
 
-  void isInstance() { return; }   // make class instantiable
   queue<RequestEntry> requests;   // Queue to hold requests to be processed
   #if USE_MUTEX
   mutex qLock;                    // Mutex to protect queue
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.cpp
index ec34a2d52..b6ea5d431 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.cpp
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ ModbusClientTCP::ModbusClientTCP(Client& client, uint16_t queueLimit) :
   MT_target(IPAddress(0, 0, 0, 0), 0, DEFAULTTIMEOUT, TARGETHOSTINTERVAL),
   MT_defaultTimeout(DEFAULTTIMEOUT),
   MT_defaultInterval(TARGETHOSTINTERVAL),
-  MT_qLimit(queueLimit)
+  MT_qLimit(queueLimit),
+  MT_timeoutsToClose(0)
   { }
 
 // Alternative Constructor takes reference to Client (EthernetClient or WiFiClient) plus initial target host
@@ -29,7 +30,8 @@ ModbusClientTCP::ModbusClientTCP(Client& client, IPAddress host, uint16_t port,
   MT_target(host, port, DEFAULTTIMEOUT, TARGETHOSTINTERVAL),
   MT_defaultTimeout(DEFAULTTIMEOUT),
   MT_defaultInterval(TARGETHOSTINTERVAL),
-  MT_qLimit(queueLimit)
+  MT_qLimit(queueLimit),
+  MT_timeoutsToClose(0)
   { }
 
 // Destructor: clean up queue, task etc.
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ void ModbusClientTCP::end() {
 // begin: start worker task
 #if IS_LINUX
 void *ModbusClientTCP::pHandle(void *p) {
-  handleConnection((ModbusClientTCP *)p);
+  handleConnection(static_cast<ModbusClientTCP *>(p));
   return nullptr;
 }
 #endif
@@ -84,7 +86,7 @@ void ModbusClientTCP::begin(int coreID) {
     char taskName[18];
     snprintf(taskName, 18, "Modbus%02XTCP", instanceCounter);
     // Start task to handle the queue
-    xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&handleConnection, taskName, CLIENT_TASK_STACK, this, 5, &worker, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : NULL);
+    xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&handleConnection, taskName, CLIENT_TASK_STACK, this, 5, &worker, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : tskNO_AFFINITY);
     LOG_D("TCP client worker %s started\n", taskName);
 #endif
   } else {
@@ -119,9 +121,25 @@ uint32_t ModbusClientTCP::pendingRequests() {
 void ModbusClientTCP::clearQueue() {
   std::queue<RequestEntry *> empty;
   LOCK_GUARD(lockGuard, qLock);
+  // Delete queue entries if still on the queue
+  while (!requests.empty()) {
+    RequestEntry *re = requests.front();
+    delete re;
+    requests.pop();
+  }
+  // Now flush the queue
   std::swap(requests, empty);
 }
 
+// Set number of timeouts to tolerate before a connection is forcibly closed.
+// 0: never, 1..255: desired number
+// Returns previous value.
+uint8_t ModbusClientTCP::closeConnectionOnTimeouts(uint8_t n) {
+  uint8_t oldValue = MT_timeoutsToClose;
+  MT_timeoutsToClose = n;
+  return oldValue;
+}
+
 // Base addRequest for preformatted ModbusMessage and last set target
 Error ModbusClientTCP::addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) {
   Error rc = SUCCESS;        // Return value
@@ -225,6 +243,7 @@ bool ModbusClientTCP::addToQueue(uint32_t token, ModbusMessage request, TargetHo
 void ModbusClientTCP::handleConnection(ModbusClientTCP *instance) {
   bool doNotPop;
   unsigned long lastRequest = millis();
+  uint16_t timeoutCount = 0;       // Run time counter of consecutive timeouts.
 
   // Loop forever - or until task is killed
   while (1) {
@@ -273,6 +292,8 @@ void ModbusClientTCP::handleConnection(ModbusClientTCP *instance) {
         // Did we get a normal response?
         if (response.getError()==SUCCESS) {
           LOG_D("Data response.\n");
+          // Reset timeout counter 
+          timeoutCount = 0;
           // Yes. Is it a synchronous request?
           if (request->isSyncRequest) {
             // Yes. Put the response into the response map
@@ -299,6 +320,25 @@ void ModbusClientTCP::handleConnection(ModbusClientTCP *instance) {
             LOCK_GUARD(responseCnt, instance->countAccessM);
             instance->errorCount++;
           }
+          // Is it a TIMEOUT and do we need to track it?
+          if (response.getError()==TIMEOUT && instance->MT_timeoutsToClose) {
+            LOG_D("Checking timeout sequence\n");
+            // Yes. First count timeout conter up
+            timeoutCount++;
+            // Is the count above the limit?
+            if (timeoutCount > instance->MT_timeoutsToClose) {
+              LOG_D("Timeouts: %d exceeding limit (%d), closing connection\n", 
+                timeoutCount, instance->MT_timeoutsToClose);
+              // Yes. We need to cut the connection
+              instance->MT_client.stop();
+              delay(1);
+              // reset timeout count
+              timeoutCount = 0;
+            }
+          } else {
+            // No TIMEOUT or no limit: reset timeout count
+            timeoutCount = 0;
+          }
           // Is it a synchronous request?
           if (request->isSyncRequest) {
             // Yes. Put the response into the response map
@@ -345,8 +385,11 @@ void ModbusClientTCP::handleConnection(ModbusClientTCP *instance) {
       {
         // Safely lock the queue
         LOCK_GUARD(lockGuard, instance->qLock);
-        // Remove the front queue entry
-        instance->requests.pop();
+
+        // Remove the front queue entry if the queue is not empty
+        if (!instance->requests.empty()) {
+          instance->requests.pop();
+        }
         // Delete request
         delete request;
         LOG_D("Request popped from queue.\n");
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.h
index 23f4af5c2..3e5e1bfe3 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCP.h
@@ -50,6 +50,11 @@ public:
   // Remove all pending request from queue
   void clearQueue();
 
+  // Set number of timeouts to tolerate before a connection is forcibly closed.
+  // 0: never, 1..255: desired number
+  // Returns previous value.
+  uint8_t closeConnectionOnTimeouts(uint8_t n=3);
+
 protected:
   // class describing a target server
   struct TargetHost {
@@ -58,7 +63,7 @@ protected:
     uint32_t      timeout;      // Time in ms waiting for a response
     uint32_t      interval;     // Time in ms to wait between requests
     
-    inline TargetHost& operator=(TargetHost& t) {
+    inline TargetHost& operator=(const TargetHost& t) {
       host = t.host;
       port = t.port;
       timeout = t.timeout;
@@ -66,7 +71,7 @@ protected:
       return *this;
     }
     
-    inline TargetHost(TargetHost& t) :
+    inline TargetHost(const TargetHost& t) :
       host(t.host),
       port(t.port),
       timeout(t.timeout),
@@ -86,13 +91,13 @@ protected:
       interval(interval)
     { }
 
-    inline bool operator==(TargetHost& t) {
+    inline bool operator==(const TargetHost& t) {
       if (host != t.host) return false;
       if (port != t.port) return false;
       return true;
     }
 
-    inline bool operator!=(TargetHost& t) {
+    inline bool operator!=(const TargetHost& t) {
       if (host != t.host) return true;
       if (port != t.port) return true;
       return false;
@@ -135,7 +140,7 @@ protected:
     }
 
   protected:
-    uint8_t headRoom[6];        // Buffer to hold MSB-first TCP header
+    uint8_t headRoom[6] = {0,0,0,0,0,0};        // Buffer to hold MSB-first TCP header
   };
 
   struct RequestEntry {
@@ -144,7 +149,7 @@ protected:
     TargetHost target;
     ModbusTCPhead head;
     bool isSyncRequest;
-    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, ModbusMessage m, TargetHost tg, bool syncReq = false) :
+    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, const ModbusMessage& m, TargetHost tg, bool syncReq = false) :
       token(t),
       msg(m),
       target(tg),
@@ -153,8 +158,8 @@ protected:
   };
 
   // Base addRequest and syncRequest must be present
-  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
-  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
+  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
+  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
   // TCP-specific addition "...MT()" including adhoc target - used by bridge 
   Error addRequestMT(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token, IPAddress targetHost, uint16_t targetPort);
   ModbusMessage syncRequestMT(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token, IPAddress targetHost, uint16_t targetPort);
@@ -174,7 +179,6 @@ protected:
   // receive: get response via Client connection
   ModbusMessage receive(RequestEntry *request);
 
-  void isInstance() { return; }   // make class instantiable
   queue<RequestEntry *> requests;   // Queue to hold requests to be processed
   #if USE_MUTEX
   mutex qLock;                    // Mutex to protect queue
@@ -185,6 +189,8 @@ protected:
   uint32_t MT_defaultTimeout;     // Standard timeout value taken if no dedicated was set
   uint32_t MT_defaultInterval;    // Standard interval value taken if no dedicated was set
   uint16_t MT_qLimit;             // Maximum number of requests to accept in queue
+  uint8_t MT_timeoutsToClose;     // 0: disregard, 1-255: number of timeouts to tolerate before
+                                  //    forcibly closing a connection.
 
   // Let any ModbusBridge class use protected members
   template<typename SERVERCLASS> friend class ModbusBridge;
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.cpp
index 163d552a0..949de2c49 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.cpp
@@ -223,19 +223,17 @@ void onAck(size_t len, uint32_t time) {
 }
 */
 void ModbusClientTCPasync::onPacket(uint8_t* data, size_t length) {
-  LOG_D("packet received (len:%d)\n", length);
+  LOG_D("packet received (len:%u)\n", length);
   // reset idle timeout
   MTA_lastActivity = millis();
 
   if (length) {
-    LOG_D("parsing (len:%d)\n", length + 1);
+    LOG_D("parsing (len:%u)\n", length + 1);
   }
   while (length > 0) {
     RequestEntry* request = nullptr;
     ModbusMessage* response = nullptr;
     uint16_t transactionID = 0;
-    uint16_t protocolID = 0;
-    uint16_t messageLength = 0;
     bool isOkay = false;
 
     // 1. Check for valid modbus message
@@ -244,8 +242,8 @@ void ModbusClientTCPasync::onPacket(uint8_t* data, size_t length) {
     // total message should fit MBAP plus remaining bytes (in data[4], data[5])
     if (length > 6) {
       transactionID = (data[0] << 8) | data[1];
-      protocolID = (data[2] << 8) | data[3];
-      messageLength = (data[4] << 8) | data[5];
+      uint16_t protocolID = (data[2] << 8) | data[3];
+      uint16_t messageLength = (data[4] << 8) | data[5];
       if (protocolID == 0 &&
         length >= (uint32_t)messageLength + 6 &&
         messageLength < 256) {
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.h
index a1f2aeea0..f0d49b8d5 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusClientTCPasync.h
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ protected:
       return headRoom;
     }
 
-    inline ModbusTCPhead& operator= (ModbusTCPhead& t) {
+    inline ModbusTCPhead& operator= (const ModbusTCPhead& t) {
       transactionID = t.transactionID;
       protocolID    = t.protocolID;
       len           = t.len;
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ protected:
     }
 
   protected:
-    uint8_t headRoom[6];        // Buffer to hold MSB-first TCP header
+    uint8_t headRoom[6] = {0,0,0,0,0,0};        // Buffer to hold MSB-first TCP header
   };
 
   struct RequestEntry {
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ protected:
     ModbusTCPhead head;
     uint32_t sentTime;
     bool isSyncRequest;
-    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, ModbusMessage m, bool syncReq = false) :
+    RequestEntry(uint32_t t, const ModbusMessage& m, bool syncReq = false) :
       token(t),
       msg(m),
       head(ModbusTCPhead()),
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ protected:
   };
 
   // Base addRequest and syncRequest both must be present
-  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
-  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token);
+  Error addRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
+  ModbusMessage syncRequestM(ModbusMessage msg, uint32_t token) override;
 
   // addToQueue: send freshly created request to queue
   bool addToQueue(int32_t token, ModbusMessage request, bool syncReq = false);
@@ -121,8 +121,6 @@ protected:
   // receive: get response via Client connection
   // TCPResponse* receive(uint8_t* data, size_t length);
 
-  void isInstance() { return; }     // make class instantiable
-
   // TCP handling code, all static taking a class instancs as param
   void onConnected();
   void onDisconnected();
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusMessage.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusMessage.cpp
index 1ed48360d..7e63bdb95 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusMessage.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusMessage.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #undef LOCAL_LOG_LEVEL
 // #define LOCAL_LOG_LEVEL LOG_LEVEL_ERROR
 #include "Logging.h"
+#include <algorithm>
 
 // Default Constructor - takes optional size of MM_data to allocate memory
 ModbusMessage::ModbusMessage(uint16_t dataLen) {
@@ -146,21 +147,19 @@ void    ModbusMessage::setServerID(uint8_t serverID) {
 }
 
 void    ModbusMessage::setFunctionCode(uint8_t FC) {
-  // We accept here that [0], [1] may allocate bytes!
-  if (MM_data.empty()) {
-    MM_data.reserve(3);  // At least an error message should fit
+   if (MM_data.size() < 2) {
+    MM_data.resize(2);    // Resize to at least 2 to ensure indices 0 and 1 are valid
+    MM_data[0] = 0;       // Optional:  Invalid server ID as a placeholder
   }
-  // No serverID set yet? use a 0 to initialize it to an error-generating value
-  if (MM_data.size() < 2) MM_data[0] = 0; // intentional invalid server ID!
-  MM_data[1] = FC;
+  MM_data[1] = FC;        // Safely set the function code
 }
 
 // add() variant to copy a buffer into MM_data. Returns updated size
 uint16_t ModbusMessage::add(const uint8_t *arrayOfBytes, uint16_t count) {
+  uint16_t originalSize = MM_data.size();
+  MM_data.resize(originalSize + count);
   // Copy it
-  while (count--) {
-    MM_data.push_back(*arrayOfBytes++);
-  }
+  std::copy(arrayOfBytes, arrayOfBytes + count, MM_data.begin() + originalSize);
   // Return updated size (logical length of message so far)
   return MM_data.size();
 }
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@ uint8_t ModbusMessage::determineFloatOrder() {
     uint32_t i = 77230;                             // int value to go into a float without rounding error
     float f = i;                                    // assign it
     uint8_t *b = (uint8_t *)&f;                     // Pointer to bytes of f
-    uint8_t expect[floatSize] = { 0x47, 0x96, 0xd7, 0x00 }; // IEEE754 representation 
+    const uint8_t expect[floatSize] = { 0x47, 0x96, 0xd7, 0x00 }; // IEEE754 representation 
     uint8_t matches = 0;                            // number of bytes successfully matched
      
     // Loop over the bytes of the expected sequence
@@ -225,7 +224,7 @@ uint8_t ModbusMessage::determineDoubleOrder() {
     uint64_t i = 5791007487489389;                  // int64 value to go into a double without rounding error
     double f = i;                                   // assign it
     uint8_t *b = (uint8_t *)&f;                     // Pointer to bytes of f
-    uint8_t expect[doubleSize] = { 0x43, 0x34, 0x92, 0xE4, 0x00, 0x2E, 0xF5, 0x6D }; // IEEE754 representation 
+    const uint8_t expect[doubleSize] = { 0x43, 0x34, 0x92, 0xE4, 0x00, 0x2E, 0xF5, 0x6D }; // IEEE754 representation 
     uint8_t matches = 0;                            // number of bytes successfully matched
      
     // Loop over the bytes of the expected sequence
@@ -306,10 +305,7 @@ double ModbusMessage::swapDouble(double& f, int swapRule) {
 
 // add() variant for a vector of uint8_t
 uint16_t ModbusMessage::add(vector<uint8_t> v) {
-  for (auto& b: v) {
-    MM_data.push_back(b);
-  }
-  return MM_data.size();
+  return add(v.data(), v.size());
 }
 
 // add() variants for float and double values
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.cpp
index b814bd9b2..90cdcda49 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.cpp
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ MBSworker ModbusServer::getWorker(uint8_t serverID, uint8_t functionCode) {
     svmap = workerMap.find(ANY_SERVER);
     if (svmap != workerMap.end()) {
       serverFound = true;
-      serverID = ANY_SERVER;
     }
   }
   // Did we find a serverID?
@@ -49,7 +48,6 @@ MBSworker ModbusServer::getWorker(uint8_t serverID, uint8_t functionCode) {
       if (fcmap != svmap->second.end()) {
         // Yes. Return the function pointer for it.
         functionCodeFound = true;
-        functionCode = ANY_FUNCTION_CODE;
       }
     }
     if (functionCodeFound) {
@@ -104,6 +102,11 @@ bool ModbusServer::isServerFor(uint8_t serverID) {
   // Is there one?
   if (svmap != workerMap.end()) {
     return true;
+  } else {
+    svmap = workerMap.find(ANY_SERVER);
+    if (svmap != workerMap.end()) {
+      return true;
+    }
   }
   return false;
 }
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.h
index 933e27e9c..70c88a6f9 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServer.h
@@ -68,15 +68,12 @@ protected:
   ModbusServer();
 
   // Destructor
-  ~ModbusServer();
+  virtual ~ModbusServer();
 
   // Prevent copy construction or assignment
   ModbusServer(ModbusServer& other) = delete;
   ModbusServer& operator=(ModbusServer& other) = delete;
 
-  // Virtual function to prevent this class being instantiated
-  virtual void isInstance() = 0;
-
   std::map<uint8_t, std::map<uint8_t, MBSworker>> workerMap;      // map on serverID->functionCode->worker function
   uint32_t messageCount;         // Number of Requests processed
   uint32_t errorCount;           // Number of errors responded
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerEthernet.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerEthernet.h
index 0a8591031..c520c9f77 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerEthernet.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerEthernet.h
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 // Create own non-virtual EthernetServer class
 class EthernetServerEM : public EthernetServer {
 public:
-  EthernetServerEM(uint16_t port) : EthernetServer(port) { }
-  void begin(uint16_t port = 0) { }
+  explicit EthernetServerEM(uint16_t port) : EthernetServer(port) { }
+  void begin(uint16_t port = 0) override { }
 };
 
 #include "ModbusServerTCPtemp.h"
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.cpp
index 88859d8d3..f7e19eae2 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.cpp
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ void ModbusServerRTU::doBegin(uint32_t baudRate, int coreID, uint32_t userInterv
   snprintf(taskName, 18, "MBsrv%02XRTU", instanceCounter);
 
   // Start task to handle the client
-  xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&serve, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, this, 8, &serverTask, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : NULL);
+  xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&serve, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, this, 8, &serverTask, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : tskNO_AFFINITY);
 
   LOG_D("Server task %d started. Interval=%d\n", (uint32_t)serverTask, MSRinterval);
 }
@@ -126,6 +126,12 @@ bool ModbusServerRTU::isModbusASCII() {
   return MSRuseASCII;
 }
 
+// set timeout
+void ModbusServerRTU::setModbusTimeout(unsigned long timeout)
+{
+  serverTimeout = timeout;
+}
+
 // Toggle skipping of leading 0x00 byte
 void ModbusServerRTU::skipLeading0x00(bool onOff) {
   MSRskipLeadingZeroByte = onOff;
@@ -231,8 +237,8 @@ void ModbusServerRTU::serve(ModbusServerRTU *myServer) {
             response = m;
           }
         } else {
-          // No callback. Is at least the serverID valid and no broadcast?
-          if (myServer->isServerFor(request[0]) && request[0] != 0x00) {
+          // No callback. Is at least the serverID valid?
+          if (myServer->isServerFor(request[0])) {
             // Yes. Send back a ILLEGAL_FUNCTION error
             response.setError(request.getServerID(), request.getFunctionCode(), ILLEGAL_FUNCTION);
           }
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.h
index fd5b8ab96..76c67b740 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerRTU.h
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ public:
   // Inquire protocol mode
   bool isModbusASCII();
 
+  // set timeout
+  void setModbusTimeout(unsigned long timeout);
+
   // Toggle skipping of leading 0x00 byte
   void skipLeading0x00(bool onOff = true);
 
@@ -61,8 +64,6 @@ protected:
   ModbusServerRTU(ModbusServerRTU& m) = delete;
   ModbusServerRTU& operator=(ModbusServerRTU& m) = delete;
 
-  inline void isInstance() { }           // Make class instantiable
-
   // internal common begin function
   void doBegin(uint32_t baudRate, int coreID, uint32_t userInterval);
 
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.cpp
index c08372454..e8d0a43dc 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ ModbusServerTCPasync::mb_client::~mb_client() {
 
 void ModbusServerTCPasync::mb_client::onData(uint8_t* data, size_t len) {
   lastActiveTime = millis();
-  LOG_D("data len %d\n", len);
+  LOG_D("data len %u\n", len);
 
   Error error = SUCCESS;
   size_t i = 0;
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ void ModbusServerTCPasync::onClientConnect(AsyncClient* client) {
   LOCK_GUARD(lock1, cListLock);
   if (clients.size() < maxNoClients) {
     clients.emplace_back(new mb_client(this, client));
-    LOG_D("nr clients: %d\n", clients.size());
+    LOG_D("nr clients: %u\n", clients.size());
   } else {
     LOG_D("max number of clients reached, closing new\n");
     client->close(true);
@@ -264,5 +264,5 @@ void ModbusServerTCPasync::onClientDisconnect(mb_client* client) {
   clients.remove_if([client](mb_client* i) { return i->client == client->client; });
   // delete client itself
   delete client;
-  LOG_D("nr clients: %d\n", clients.size());
+  LOG_D("nr clients: %u\n", clients.size());
 }
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.h
index 410d8d6fb..4ae8ac3df 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPasync.h
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ class ModbusServerTCPasync : public ModbusServer {
   bool isRunning();
 
  protected:
-  inline void isInstance() { }
   void onClientConnect(AsyncClient* client);
   void onClientDisconnect(mb_client* client);
 
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPtemp.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPtemp.h
index 7ae5b2bc9..56c1fa91d 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPtemp.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusServerTCPtemp.h
@@ -44,8 +44,6 @@ protected:
   ModbusServerTCP(ModbusServerTCP& m) = delete;
   ModbusServerTCP& operator=(ModbusServerTCP& m) = delete;
 
-  inline void isInstance() { }
-
   uint8_t numClients;
   TaskHandle_t serverTask;
   uint16_t serverPort;
@@ -159,7 +157,7 @@ template <typename ST, typename CT>
     snprintf(taskName, 18, "MBserve%04X", port);
 
     // Start task to handle the client
-    xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&serve, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, this, 5, &serverTask, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : NULL);
+    xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&serve, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, this, 5, &serverTask, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : tskNO_AFFINITY);
     LOG_D("Server task %s started (%d).\n", taskName, (uint32_t)serverTask);
 
     // Wait two seconds for it to establish
@@ -206,7 +204,7 @@ bool ModbusServerTCP<ST, CT>::accept(CT& client, uint32_t timeout, int coreID) {
       snprintf(taskName, 18, "MBsrv%02Xclnt", i);
 
       // Start task to handle the client
-      xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&worker, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, clients[i], 5, &clients[i]->task, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : NULL);
+      xTaskCreatePinnedToCore((TaskFunction_t)&worker, taskName, SERVER_TASK_STACK, clients[i], 5, &clients[i]->task, coreID >= 0 ? coreID : tskNO_AFFINITY);
       LOG_D("Started client %d task %d\n", i, (uint32_t)(clients[i]->task));
 
       return true;
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusTypeDefs.h b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusTypeDefs.h
index 5aad1d5dd..cb281ad20 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusTypeDefs.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/ModbusTypeDefs.h
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ const uint8_t swapTables[8][8] = {
 enum FCType : uint8_t {
   FC01_TYPE,         // Two uint16_t parameters (FC 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x05, 0x06)
   FC07_TYPE,         // no additional parameter (FCs 0x07, 0x0b, 0x0c, 0x11)
-  FC0F_TYPE,         // two uint16_t parameters, a uint8_t length byte and a uint16_t* pointer to array of bytes (FC 0x0f)
-  FC10_TYPE,         // two uint16_t parameters, a uint8_t length byte and a uint8_t* pointer to array of words (FC 0x10)
+  FC0F_TYPE,         // two uint16_t parameters, a uint8_t length byte and a uint8_t* pointer to array of bytes (FC 0x0f)
+  FC10_TYPE,         // two uint16_t parameters, a uint8_t length byte and a uint16_t* pointer to array of words (FC 0x10)
   FC16_TYPE,         // three uint16_t parameters (FC 0x16)
   FC18_TYPE,         // one uint16_t parameter (FC 0x18)
   FCGENERIC,         // for FCs not yet explicitly coded (or too complex)
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.cpp b/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.cpp
index d360c95af..c92d0ffd5 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.cpp
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.cpp
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 //               MIT license - see license.md for details
 // =================================================================================================
 #include "options.h"
+#if HAS_FREERTOS
 #include "ModbusMessage.h"
 #include "RTUutils.h"
 #undef LOCAL_LOG_LEVEL
 // #define LOCAL_LOG_LEVEL LOG_LEVEL_VERBOSE
 #include "Logging.h"
 
-#if HAS_FREERTOS
 // calcCRC: calculate Modbus CRC16 on a given array of bytes
 uint16_t RTUutils::calcCRC(const uint8_t *data, uint16_t len) {
   // CRC16 pre-calculated tables
@@ -57,10 +57,9 @@ uint16_t RTUutils::calcCRC(const uint8_t *data, uint16_t len) {
 
   uint8_t crcHi = 0xFF;
   uint8_t crcLo = 0xFF;
-  uint8_t index;
 
   while (len--) {
-    index = crcLo ^ *data++;
+    uint8_t index = crcLo ^ *data++;
     crcLo = crcHi ^ crcHiTable[index];
     crcHi = crcLoTable[index];
   }
@@ -464,4 +463,5 @@ const char RTUutils::ASCIIread[] = {
 const char RTUutils::ASCIIwrite[] = { 0x30, 0x31, 0x32, 0x33, 0x34, 0x35, 0x36, 0x37, 
                                       0x38, 0x39, 0x41, 0x42, 0x43, 0x44, 0x45, 0x46 
 };
+
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.h b/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.h
index f50d8f449..e3f41be3e 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/RTUutils.h
@@ -5,9 +5,6 @@
 #ifndef _RTU_UTILS_H
 #define _RTU_UTILS_H
 #include <stdint.h>
-#if NEED_UART_PATCH
-#include <soc/uart_struct.h>
-#endif
 #include <vector>
 #include "Stream.h"
 #include "ModbusTypeDefs.h"
@@ -52,11 +49,13 @@ public:
 // RTSauto: dummy callback for auto half duplex RS485 boards
   inline static void RTSauto(bool level) { return; } // NOLINT
 
+#if HAS_FREERTOS
 // Necessary preparations for a HardwareSerial
 static void prepareHardwareSerial(HardwareSerial& s, uint16_t bufferSize = 260) {
   s.setRxBufferSize(bufferSize);
   s.setTxBufferSize(bufferSize);
 }
+#endif
 
 protected:
 // Printable characters for ASCII protocol: 012345678ABCDEF
diff --git a/lib/eModbus/src/options.h b/lib/eModbus/src/options.h
index c65bc1c2b..9de44e97a 100644
--- a/lib/eModbus/src/options.h
+++ b/lib/eModbus/src/options.h
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #define HAS_FREERTOS 1
 #define HAS_ETHERNET 1
 #define IS_LINUX 0
-#define NEED_UART_PATCH 1
 const unsigned int SERVER_TASK_STACK = 4096;
 const unsigned int CLIENT_TASK_STACK = 4096;
 
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ const unsigned int CLIENT_TASK_STACK = 4096;
 #define HAS_FREERTOS 0
 #define HAS_ETHERNET 0
 #define IS_LINUX 0
-#define NEED_UART_PATCH 0
 
 /* === LINUX DEFINITIONS AND MACROS === */
 #elif defined(__linux__)
@@ -31,7 +29,6 @@ const unsigned int CLIENT_TASK_STACK = 4096;
 #define HAS_FREERTOS 0
 #define HAS_ETHERNET 0
 #define IS_LINUX 1
-#define NEED_UART_PATCH 0
 #include <cstdio>  // for printf()
 #include <cstring> // for memcpy(), strlen() etc.
 #include <cinttypes> // for uint32_t etc.