diff --git a/device/device.go b/device/device.go
index 86dff0d7e..5b2348564 100644
--- a/device/device.go
+++ b/device/device.go
@@ -368,10 +368,10 @@ func (device *Device) RemoveAllPeers() {
 }
 
 func (device *Device) Close() {
-	device.ipcMutex.Lock()
-	defer device.ipcMutex.Unlock()
 	device.state.Lock()
 	defer device.state.Unlock()
+	device.ipcMutex.Lock()
+	defer device.ipcMutex.Unlock()
 	if device.isClosed() {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/device/noise-protocol.go b/device/noise-protocol.go
index 2d8f98426..cb4dedb11 100644
--- a/device/noise-protocol.go
+++ b/device/noise-protocol.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 package device
 
 import (
+	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
@@ -115,6 +116,98 @@ type MessageCookieReply struct {
 	Cookie   [blake2s.Size128 + poly1305.TagSize]byte
 }
 
+var errMessageLengthMismatch = errors.New("message length mismatch")
+
+func (msg *MessageInitiation) unmarshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageInitiationSize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	msg.Type = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b)
+	msg.Sender = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b[4:])
+	copy(msg.Ephemeral[:], b[8:])
+	copy(msg.Static[:], b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral):])
+	copy(msg.Timestamp[:], b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static):])
+	copy(msg.MAC1[:], b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static)+len(msg.Timestamp):])
+	copy(msg.MAC2[:], b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static)+len(msg.Timestamp)+len(msg.MAC1):])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (msg *MessageInitiation) marshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageInitiationSize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b, msg.Type)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b[4:], msg.Sender)
+	copy(b[8:], msg.Ephemeral[:])
+	copy(b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral):], msg.Static[:])
+	copy(b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static):], msg.Timestamp[:])
+	copy(b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static)+len(msg.Timestamp):], msg.MAC1[:])
+	copy(b[8+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Static)+len(msg.Timestamp)+len(msg.MAC1):], msg.MAC2[:])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (msg *MessageResponse) unmarshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageResponseSize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	msg.Type = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b)
+	msg.Sender = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b[4:])
+	msg.Receiver = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b[8:])
+	copy(msg.Ephemeral[:], b[12:])
+	copy(msg.Empty[:], b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral):])
+	copy(msg.MAC1[:], b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Empty):])
+	copy(msg.MAC2[:], b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Empty)+len(msg.MAC1):])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (msg *MessageResponse) marshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageResponseSize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b, msg.Type)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b[4:], msg.Sender)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b[8:], msg.Receiver)
+	copy(b[12:], msg.Ephemeral[:])
+	copy(b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral):], msg.Empty[:])
+	copy(b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Empty):], msg.MAC1[:])
+	copy(b[12+len(msg.Ephemeral)+len(msg.Empty)+len(msg.MAC1):], msg.MAC2[:])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (msg *MessageCookieReply) unmarshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageCookieReplySize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	msg.Type = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b)
+	msg.Receiver = binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(b[4:])
+	copy(msg.Nonce[:], b[8:])
+	copy(msg.Cookie[:], b[8+len(msg.Nonce):])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (msg *MessageCookieReply) marshal(b []byte) error {
+	if len(b) != MessageCookieReplySize {
+		return errMessageLengthMismatch
+	}
+
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b, msg.Type)
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(b[4:], msg.Receiver)
+	copy(b[8:], msg.Nonce[:])
+	copy(b[8+len(msg.Nonce):], msg.Cookie[:])
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 type Handshake struct {
 	state                     handshakeState
 	mutex                     sync.RWMutex
diff --git a/device/receive.go b/device/receive.go
index af2db44e8..bc37f915e 100644
--- a/device/receive.go
+++ b/device/receive.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 package device
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"net"
@@ -287,8 +286,7 @@ func (device *Device) RoutineHandshake(id int) {
 			// unmarshal packet
 
 			var reply MessageCookieReply
-			reader := bytes.NewReader(elem.packet)
-			err := binary.Read(reader, binary.LittleEndian, &reply)
+			err := reply.unmarshal(elem.packet)
 			if err != nil {
 				device.log.Verbosef("Failed to decode cookie reply")
 				goto skip
@@ -353,8 +351,7 @@ func (device *Device) RoutineHandshake(id int) {
 			// unmarshal
 
 			var msg MessageInitiation
-			reader := bytes.NewReader(elem.packet)
-			err := binary.Read(reader, binary.LittleEndian, &msg)
+			err := msg.unmarshal(elem.packet)
 			if err != nil {
 				device.log.Errorf("Failed to decode initiation message")
 				goto skip
@@ -386,8 +383,7 @@ func (device *Device) RoutineHandshake(id int) {
 			// unmarshal
 
 			var msg MessageResponse
-			reader := bytes.NewReader(elem.packet)
-			err := binary.Read(reader, binary.LittleEndian, &msg)
+			err := msg.unmarshal(elem.packet)
 			if err != nil {
 				device.log.Errorf("Failed to decode response message")
 				goto skip
@@ -447,6 +443,7 @@ func (peer *Peer) RoutineSequentialReceiver(maxBatchSize int) {
 		elemsContainer.Lock()
 		validTailPacket := -1
 		dataPacketReceived := false
+		rxBytesLen := uint64(0)
 		for i, elem := range elemsContainer.elems {
 			if elem.packet == nil {
 				// decryption failed
@@ -463,7 +460,7 @@ func (peer *Peer) RoutineSequentialReceiver(maxBatchSize int) {
 				peer.timersHandshakeComplete()
 				peer.SendStagedPackets()
 			}
-			peer.rxBytes.Add(uint64(len(elem.packet) + MinMessageSize))
+			rxBytesLen += uint64(len(elem.packet) + MinMessageSize)
 
 			if len(elem.packet) == 0 {
 				device.log.Verbosef("%v - Receiving keepalive packet", peer)
@@ -512,6 +509,8 @@ func (peer *Peer) RoutineSequentialReceiver(maxBatchSize int) {
 
 			bufs = append(bufs, elem.buffer[:MessageTransportOffsetContent+len(elem.packet)])
 		}
+
+		peer.rxBytes.Add(rxBytesLen)
 		if validTailPacket >= 0 {
 			peer.SetEndpointFromPacket(elemsContainer.elems[validTailPacket].endpoint)
 			peer.keepKeyFreshReceiving()
diff --git a/device/send.go b/device/send.go
index 8ed2e5f6c..7900f577f 100644
--- a/device/send.go
+++ b/device/send.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 package device
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 	"net"
@@ -124,10 +123,8 @@ func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeInitiation(isRetry bool) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	var buf [MessageInitiationSize]byte
-	writer := bytes.NewBuffer(buf[:0])
-	binary.Write(writer, binary.LittleEndian, msg)
-	packet := writer.Bytes()
+	packet := make([]byte, MessageInitiationSize)
+	_ = msg.marshal(packet)
 	peer.cookieGenerator.AddMacs(packet)
 
 	peer.timersAnyAuthenticatedPacketTraversal()
@@ -155,10 +152,8 @@ func (peer *Peer) SendHandshakeResponse() error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	var buf [MessageResponseSize]byte
-	writer := bytes.NewBuffer(buf[:0])
-	binary.Write(writer, binary.LittleEndian, response)
-	packet := writer.Bytes()
+	packet := make([]byte, MessageResponseSize)
+	_ = response.marshal(packet)
 	peer.cookieGenerator.AddMacs(packet)
 
 	err = peer.BeginSymmetricSession()
@@ -189,11 +184,11 @@ func (device *Device) SendHandshakeCookie(initiatingElem *QueueHandshakeElement)
 		return err
 	}
 
-	var buf [MessageCookieReplySize]byte
-	writer := bytes.NewBuffer(buf[:0])
-	binary.Write(writer, binary.LittleEndian, reply)
+	packet := make([]byte, MessageCookieReplySize)
+	_ = reply.marshal(packet)
 	// TODO: allocation could be avoided
-	device.net.bind.Send([][]byte{writer.Bytes()}, initiatingElem.endpoint)
+	device.net.bind.Send([][]byte{packet}, initiatingElem.endpoint)
+
 	return nil
 }