diff --git a/serial.go b/serial.go
index d50e1f7..08f227a 100644
--- a/serial.go
+++ b/serial.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 package serial
 
+import "time"
+
 //go:generate go run golang.org/x/sys/windows/mkwinsyscall -output zsyscall_windows.go syscall_windows.go
 
 // Port is the interface for a serial Port
@@ -40,10 +42,17 @@ type Port interface {
 	// modem status bits for the serial port (CTS, DSR, etc...)
 	GetModemStatusBits() (*ModemStatusBits, error)
 
+	// SetReadTimeout sets the timeout for the Read operation or use serial.NoTimeout
+	// to disable read timeout.
+	SetReadTimeout(t time.Duration) error
+
 	// Close the serial port
 	Close() error
 }
 
+// NoTimeout should be used as a parameter to SetReadTimeout to disable timeout.
+var NoTimeout time.Duration = -1
+
 // ModemStatusBits contains all the modem status bits for a serial port (CTS, DSR, etc...).
 // It can be retrieved with the Port.GetModemStatusBits() method.
 type ModemStatusBits struct {
@@ -125,6 +134,8 @@ const (
 	InvalidParity
 	// InvalidStopBits the selected number of stop bits is not valid or not supported
 	InvalidStopBits
+	// InvalidTimeoutValue the timeout value is not valid or not supported
+	InvalidTimeoutValue
 	// ErrorEnumeratingPorts an error occurred while listing serial port
 	ErrorEnumeratingPorts
 	// PortClosed the port has been closed while the operation is in progress
@@ -152,6 +163,8 @@ func (e PortError) EncodedErrorString() string {
 		return "Port parity invalid or not supported"
 	case InvalidStopBits:
 		return "Port stop bits invalid or not supported"
+	case InvalidTimeoutValue:
+		return "Timeout value invalid or not supported"
 	case ErrorEnumeratingPorts:
 		return "Could not enumerate serial ports"
 	case PortClosed:
diff --git a/serial_unix.go b/serial_unix.go
index f9e887c..0143aa2 100644
--- a/serial_unix.go
+++ b/serial_unix.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
+	"time"
 
 	"go.bug.st/serial/unixutils"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 type unixPort struct {
 	handle int
 
+	readTimeout time.Duration
 	closeLock   sync.RWMutex
 	closeSignal *unixutils.Pipe
 	opened      uint32
@@ -61,9 +63,18 @@ func (port *unixPort) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 		return 0, &PortError{code: PortClosed}
 	}
 
+	var deadline time.Time
+	if port.readTimeout != NoTimeout {
+		deadline = time.Now().Add(port.readTimeout)
+	}
+
 	fds := unixutils.NewFDSet(port.handle, port.closeSignal.ReadFD())
 	for {
-		res, err := unixutils.Select(fds, nil, fds, -1)
+		timeout := time.Duration(-1)
+		if port.readTimeout != NoTimeout {
+			timeout = deadline.Sub(time.Now())
+		}
+		res, err := unixutils.Select(fds, nil, fds, timeout)
 		if err == unix.EINTR {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -73,10 +84,20 @@ func (port *unixPort) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 		if res.IsReadable(port.closeSignal.ReadFD()) {
 			return 0, &PortError{code: PortClosed}
 		}
+		if !res.IsReadable(port.handle) {
+			// Timeout happened
+			return 0, nil
+		}
 		n, err := unix.Read(port.handle, p)
 		if err == unix.EINTR {
 			continue
 		}
+		// Linux: when the port is disconnected during a read operation
+		// the port is left in a "readable with zero-length-data" state.
+		// https://stackoverflow.com/a/34945814/1655275
+		if n == 0 && err == nil {
+			return 0, &PortError{code: PortClosed}
+		}
 		if n < 0 { // Do not return -1 unix errors
 			n = 0
 		}
@@ -146,6 +167,14 @@ func (port *unixPort) SetRTS(rts bool) error {
 	return port.setModemBitsStatus(status)
 }
 
+func (port *unixPort) SetReadTimeout(timeout time.Duration) error {
+	if timeout < 0 && timeout != NoTimeout {
+		return &PortError{code: InvalidTimeoutValue}
+	}
+	port.readTimeout = timeout
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (port *unixPort) GetModemStatusBits() (*ModemStatusBits, error) {
 	status, err := port.getModemBitsStatus()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -171,8 +200,9 @@ func nativeOpen(portName string, mode *Mode) (*unixPort, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	port := &unixPort{
-		handle: h,
-		opened: 1,
+		handle:      h,
+		opened:      1,
+		readTimeout: NoTimeout,
 	}
 
 	// Setup serial port
diff --git a/serial_windows.go b/serial_windows.go
index ec328f9..6b6d0ee 100644
--- a/serial_windows.go
+++ b/serial_windows.go
@@ -18,13 +18,15 @@ package serial
 */
 
 import (
-	"syscall"
 	"sync"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
 )
 
 type windowsPort struct {
-	mu sync.Mutex
-	handle syscall.Handle
+	mu                sync.Mutex
+	handle            syscall.Handle
+	readTimeoutCycles int64
 }
 
 func nativeGetPortsList() ([]string, error) {
@@ -80,16 +82,19 @@ func (port *windowsPort) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 		return 0, err
 	}
 	defer syscall.CloseHandle(ev.HEvent)
+
+	cycles := int64(0)
 	for {
 		err := syscall.ReadFile(port.handle, p, &readed, ev)
+		if err == syscall.ERROR_IO_PENDING {
+			err = getOverlappedResult(port.handle, ev, &readed, true)
+		}
 		switch err {
 		case nil:
 			// operation completed successfully
-		case syscall.ERROR_IO_PENDING:
-			// wait for overlapped I/O to complete
-			if err := getOverlappedResult(port.handle, ev, &readed, true); err != nil {
-				return int(readed), err
-			}
+		case syscall.ERROR_OPERATION_ABORTED:
+			// port may have been closed
+			return int(readed), &PortError{code: PortClosed, causedBy: err}
 		default:
 			// error happened
 			return int(readed), err
@@ -102,6 +107,14 @@ func (port *windowsPort) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 			return 0, err
 		}
 
+		if port.readTimeoutCycles != -1 {
+			cycles++
+			if cycles == port.readTimeoutCycles {
+				// Timeout
+				return 0, nil
+			}
+		}
+
 		// At the moment it seems that the only reliable way to check if
 		// a serial port is alive in Windows is to check if the SetCommState
 		// function fails.
@@ -369,6 +382,31 @@ func (port *windowsPort) GetModemStatusBits() (*ModemStatusBits, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func (port *windowsPort) SetReadTimeout(timeout time.Duration) error {
+	var cycles, cycleDuration int64
+	if timeout == NoTimeout {
+		cycles = -1
+		cycleDuration = 1000
+	} else {
+		cycles = timeout.Milliseconds()/1000 + 1
+		cycleDuration = timeout.Milliseconds() / cycles
+	}
+
+	err := setCommTimeouts(port.handle, &commTimeouts{
+		ReadIntervalTimeout:         0xFFFFFFFF,
+		ReadTotalTimeoutMultiplier:  0xFFFFFFFF,
+		ReadTotalTimeoutConstant:    uint32(cycleDuration),
+		WriteTotalTimeoutConstant:   0,
+		WriteTotalTimeoutMultiplier: 0,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return &PortError{code: InvalidTimeoutValue, causedBy: err}
+	}
+	port.readTimeoutCycles = cycles
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func createOverlappedEvent() (*syscall.Overlapped, error) {
 	h, err := createEvent(nil, true, false, nil)
 	return &syscall.Overlapped{HEvent: h}, err
@@ -434,18 +472,9 @@ func nativeOpen(portName string, mode *Mode) (*windowsPort, error) {
 		return nil, &PortError{code: InvalidSerialPort}
 	}
 
-	// Set timeouts to 1 second
-	timeouts := &commTimeouts{
-		ReadIntervalTimeout:         0xFFFFFFFF,
-		ReadTotalTimeoutMultiplier:  0xFFFFFFFF,
-		ReadTotalTimeoutConstant:    1000, // 1 sec
-		WriteTotalTimeoutConstant:   0,
-		WriteTotalTimeoutMultiplier: 0,
-	}
-	if setCommTimeouts(port.handle, timeouts) != nil {
+	if port.SetReadTimeout(NoTimeout) != nil {
 		port.Close()
 		return nil, &PortError{code: InvalidSerialPort}
 	}
-
 	return port, nil
 }