diff --git a/router/connection.go b/router/connection.go
index 9cfaac86..a79abca8 100644
--- a/router/connection.go
+++ b/router/connection.go
@@ -49,23 +49,25 @@ func (conn *RemoteConnection) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprint("Connection ", from, "->", to)
 }
 
-// Async. Does not return anything. If the connection is successful,
-// it will end up in the local peer's connections map.
-func NewLocalConnection(connRemote *RemoteConnection, acceptNewPeer bool, tcpConn *net.TCPConn, udpAddr *net.UDPAddr, router *Router) {
+func NewLocalConnection(connRemote *RemoteConnection, tcpConn *net.TCPConn, udpAddr *net.UDPAddr, router *Router) *LocalConnection {
 	if connRemote.local != router.Ourself.Peer {
 		log.Fatal("Attempt to create local connection from a peer which is not ourself")
 	}
-
-	queryChan := make(chan *ConnectionInteraction, ChannelSize)
 	// NB, we're taking a copy of connRemote here.
-	connLocal := &LocalConnection{
+	return &LocalConnection{
 		RemoteConnection: *connRemote,
 		Router:           router,
 		TCPConn:          tcpConn,
 		remoteUDPAddr:    udpAddr,
-		effectivePMTU:    DefaultPMTU,
-		queryChan:        queryChan}
-	go connLocal.run(queryChan, acceptNewPeer)
+		effectivePMTU:    DefaultPMTU}
+}
+
+// Async. Does not return anything. If the connection is successful,
+// it will end up in the local peer's connections map.
+func (conn *LocalConnection) Start(acceptNewPeer bool) {
+	queryChan := make(chan *ConnectionInteraction, ChannelSize)
+	conn.queryChan = queryChan
+	go conn.run(queryChan, acceptNewPeer)
 }
 
 func (conn *LocalConnection) Established() bool {
diff --git a/router/connection_maker.go b/router/connection_maker.go
index 191d7dae..eb261458 100644
--- a/router/connection_maker.go
+++ b/router/connection_maker.go
@@ -41,16 +41,18 @@ type ConnectionMakerInteraction struct {
 	address string
 }
 
-func StartConnectionMaker(ourself *LocalPeer, peers *Peers) *ConnectionMaker {
-	queryChan := make(chan *ConnectionMakerInteraction, ChannelSize)
-	state := &ConnectionMaker{
+func NewConnectionMaker(ourself *LocalPeer, peers *Peers) *ConnectionMaker {
+	return &ConnectionMaker{
 		ourself:        ourself,
 		peers:          peers,
-		queryChan:      queryChan,
 		cmdLineAddress: make(map[string]bool),
 		targets:        make(map[string]*Target)}
-	go state.queryLoop(queryChan)
-	return state
+}
+
+func (cm *ConnectionMaker) Start() {
+	queryChan := make(chan *ConnectionMakerInteraction, ChannelSize)
+	cm.queryChan = queryChan
+	go cm.queryLoop(queryChan)
 }
 
 func (cm *ConnectionMaker) InitiateConnection(address string) {
diff --git a/router/forwarder.go b/router/forwarder.go
index 94eed9f7..fafb5115 100644
--- a/router/forwarder.go
+++ b/router/forwarder.go
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ func (conn *LocalConnection) ensureForwarders() error {
 	conn.effectivePMTU = forwarder.unverifiedPMTU
 	conn.Unlock()
 
-	go forwarder.Run()
-	go forwarderDF.Run()
+	forwarder.Start()
+	forwarderDF.Start()
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -204,7 +204,11 @@ func NewForwarder(conn *LocalConnection, ch <-chan *ForwardedFrame, stop <-chan
 	return fwd
 }
 
-func (fwd *Forwarder) Run() {
+func (fwd *Forwarder) Start() {
+	go fwd.run()
+}
+
+func (fwd *Forwarder) run() {
 	defer fwd.udpSender.Shutdown()
 	var flushed, ok bool
 	var frame *ForwardedFrame
diff --git a/router/local_peer.go b/router/local_peer.go
index 5bebd85c..b88f672d 100644
--- a/router/local_peer.go
+++ b/router/local_peer.go
@@ -17,12 +17,14 @@ type PeerInteraction struct {
 	payload interface{}
 }
 
-func StartLocalPeer(name PeerName, router *Router) *LocalPeer {
-	peer := &LocalPeer{Peer: NewPeer(name, 0, 0), Router: router}
+func NewLocalPeer(name PeerName, router *Router) *LocalPeer {
+	return &LocalPeer{Peer: NewPeer(name, 0, 0), Router: router}
+}
+
+func (peer *LocalPeer) Start() {
 	queryChan := make(chan *PeerInteraction, ChannelSize)
 	peer.queryChan = queryChan
 	go peer.queryLoop(queryChan)
-	return peer
 }
 
 func (peer *LocalPeer) Forward(dstPeer *Peer, df bool, frame []byte, dec *EthernetDecoder) error {
@@ -106,7 +108,8 @@ func (peer *LocalPeer) CreateConnection(peerAddr string, acceptNewPeer bool) err
 		return err
 	}
 	connRemote := NewRemoteConnection(peer.Peer, nil, tcpConn.RemoteAddr().String())
-	NewLocalConnection(connRemote, acceptNewPeer, tcpConn, udpAddr, peer.Router)
+	connLocal := NewLocalConnection(connRemote, tcpConn, udpAddr, peer.Router)
+	connLocal.Start(acceptNewPeer)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/router/router.go b/router/router.go
index fa0ca37e..0d361bfd 100644
--- a/router/router.go
+++ b/router/router.go
@@ -33,31 +33,32 @@ func NewRouter(iface *net.Interface, name PeerName, password []byte, connLimit i
 	if len(password) > 0 {
 		router.Password = &password
 	}
-	router.Ourself = StartLocalPeer(name, router)
+	router.Ourself = NewLocalPeer(name, router)
 	router.Peers = NewPeers(router.Ourself.Peer, router.Macs, onPeerGC)
 	router.Peers.FetchWithDefault(router.Ourself.Peer)
-	log.Println("Our name is", router.Ourself.Name)
-
+	router.Routes = NewRoutes(router.Ourself.Peer, router.Peers)
+	router.ConnectionMaker = NewConnectionMaker(router.Ourself, router.Peers)
 	return router
 }
 
-func (router *Router) UsingPassword() bool {
-	return router.Password != nil
-}
-
 func (router *Router) Start() {
 	// we need two pcap handles since they aren't thread-safe
 	pio, err := NewPcapIO(router.Iface.Name, router.BufSz)
 	checkFatal(err)
 	po, err := NewPcapO(router.Iface.Name)
 	checkFatal(err)
-	router.Routes = StartRoutes(router.Ourself.Peer, router.Peers)
-	router.ConnectionMaker = StartConnectionMaker(router.Ourself, router.Peers)
+	router.Ourself.Start()
+	router.Routes.Start()
+	router.ConnectionMaker.Start()
 	router.UDPListener = router.listenUDP(Port, po)
 	router.listenTCP(Port)
 	router.sniff(pio)
 }
 
+func (router *Router) UsingPassword() bool {
+	return router.Password != nil
+}
+
 func (router *Router) Status() string {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintln("Our name is", router.Ourself.Name))
@@ -159,7 +160,8 @@ func (router *Router) acceptTCP(tcpConn *net.TCPConn) {
 	remoteAddrStr := tcpConn.RemoteAddr().String()
 	log.Printf("->[%s] connection accepted\n", remoteAddrStr)
 	connRemote := NewRemoteConnection(router.Ourself.Peer, nil, remoteAddrStr)
-	NewLocalConnection(connRemote, true, tcpConn, nil, router)
+	connLocal := NewLocalConnection(connRemote, tcpConn, nil, router)
+	connLocal.Start(true)
 }
 
 func (router *Router) listenUDP(localPort int, po PacketSink) *net.UDPConn {
diff --git a/router/routes.go b/router/routes.go
index 4e46ec6a..f8abac18 100644
--- a/router/routes.go
+++ b/router/routes.go
@@ -16,6 +16,23 @@ type Routes struct {
 	queryChan chan<- *Interaction
 }
 
+func NewRoutes(ourself *Peer, peers *Peers) *Routes {
+	routes := &Routes{
+		ourself:   ourself,
+		peers:     peers,
+		unicast:   make(map[PeerName]PeerName),
+		broadcast: make(map[PeerName][]PeerName)}
+	routes.unicast[ourself.Name] = UnknownPeerName
+	routes.broadcast[ourself.Name] = []PeerName{}
+	return routes
+}
+
+func (routes *Routes) Start() {
+	queryChan := make(chan *Interaction, ChannelSize)
+	routes.queryChan = queryChan
+	go routes.queryLoop(queryChan)
+}
+
 func (routes *Routes) Unicast(name PeerName) (PeerName, bool) {
 	routes.RLock()
 	defer routes.RUnlock()
@@ -48,20 +65,6 @@ func (routes *Routes) String() string {
 	return buf.String()
 }
 
-func StartRoutes(ourself *Peer, peers *Peers) *Routes {
-	queryChan := make(chan *Interaction, ChannelSize)
-	state := &Routes{
-		ourself:   ourself,
-		peers:     peers,
-		unicast:   make(map[PeerName]PeerName),
-		broadcast: make(map[PeerName][]PeerName),
-		queryChan: queryChan}
-	state.unicast[ourself.Name] = UnknownPeerName
-	state.broadcast[ourself.Name] = []PeerName{}
-	go state.queryLoop(queryChan)
-	return state
-}
-
 // ACTOR client API
 
 const (
diff --git a/weaver/main.go b/weaver/main.go
index 5d52fbec..64f44a3b 100644
--- a/weaver/main.go
+++ b/weaver/main.go
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	router := weave.NewRouter(iface, ourName, []byte(password), connLimit, bufSz*1024*1024, logFrame)
+	log.Println("Our name is", router.Ourself.Name)
 	router.Start()
 	for _, peer := range peers {
 		if addr, err := net.ResolveTCPAddr("tcp4", weave.NormalisePeerAddr(peer)); err == nil {