diff --git a/guacamole/pom.xml b/guacamole/pom.xml
index 9e8f6ae44..01d075359 100644
--- a/guacamole/pom.xml
+++ b/guacamole/pom.xml
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
             <scope>runtime</scope>
         </dependency>
 
-        <!-- Jetty servlet API (websocket)  -->
+        <!-- Jetty 8 servlet API (websocket)  -->
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
             <artifactId>jetty-websocket</artifactId>
diff --git a/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/WebSocketSupportLoader.java b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/WebSocketSupportLoader.java
index 103add2f0..723f685cb 100644
--- a/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/WebSocketSupportLoader.java
+++ b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/WebSocketSupportLoader.java
@@ -30,8 +30,6 @@ import javax.servlet.ServletContextEvent;
 import javax.servlet.ServletContextListener;
 import org.glyptodon.guacamole.GuacamoleException;
 import org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.GuacamoleClassLoader;
-import org.glyptodon.guacamole.properties.BooleanGuacamoleProperty;
-import org.glyptodon.guacamole.properties.GuacamoleProperties;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -44,17 +42,6 @@ import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
  * not be available or needed if WebSocket is not desired, the 3.0 API is
  * detected and invoked dynamically via reflection.
  * 
- * Tests have shown that while WebSocket is negligibly more responsive than
- * Guacamole's native HTTP tunnel, downstream performance is not yet a match.
- * This may be because browser WebSocket implementations are not optimized for
- * throughput, or it may be because servlet container WebSocket implementations
- * are in their infancy, or it may be that OUR WebSocket-backed tunnel
- * implementations are not efficient. Because of this, WebSocket support is
- * disabled by default. To enable it, add the following property to
- * your guacamole.properties:
- * 
- *     enable-websocket: true
- *
  * @author Michael Jumper
  */
 public class WebSocketSupportLoader implements ServletContextListener {
@@ -65,16 +52,12 @@ public class WebSocketSupportLoader implements ServletContextListener {
     private final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(WebSocketSupportLoader.class);
 
     /**
-     * Classname of the Jetty-specific WebSocket tunnel implementation.
+     * Classnames of all legacy (non-JSR) WebSocket tunnel implementations.
      */
-    private static final String JETTY_WEBSOCKET =
-        "org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.jetty.BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet";
-
-    /**
-     * Classname of the Tomcat-specific WebSocket tunnel implementation.
-     */
-    private static final String TOMCAT_WEBSOCKET =
-        "org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.tomcat.BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet";
+    private static final String[] WEBSOCKET_CLASSES = {
+        "org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.jetty8.BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet",
+        "org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.tomcat.BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet"
+    };
 
     private boolean loadWebSocketTunnel(ServletContext context, String classname) {
 
@@ -101,7 +84,6 @@ public class WebSocketSupportLoader implements ServletContextListener {
 
                 // If we succesfully load and register the WebSocket tunnel servlet,
                 // WebSocket is supported.
-                logger.info("WebSocket support found and loaded.");
                 return true;
 
             }
@@ -146,12 +128,16 @@ public class WebSocketSupportLoader implements ServletContextListener {
     @Override
     public void contextInitialized(ServletContextEvent sce) {
 
-        // Try to load websocket support for Jetty
-        if (loadWebSocketTunnel(sce.getServletContext(), JETTY_WEBSOCKET))
-            return;
+        // Try to load each WebSocket tunnel in sequence
+        for (String classname : WEBSOCKET_CLASSES) {
+            if (loadWebSocketTunnel(sce.getServletContext(), classname)) {
+                logger.info("Legacy (non-JSR) WebSocket support loaded: {}", classname);
+                return;
+            }
+        }
 
-        // Failing that, try to load websocket support for Tomcat
-        loadWebSocketTunnel(sce.getServletContext(), TOMCAT_WEBSOCKET);
+        // No legacy WebSocket support found (usually good)
+        logger.debug("Legacy WebSocket support NOT loaded.");
 
     }
 
diff --git a/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f9e6106a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2013 Glyptodon LLC
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+package org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.jetty8;
+
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.GuacamoleException;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.GuacamoleTunnel;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.BasicTunnelRequestUtility;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.HTTPTunnelRequest;
+
+/**
+ * Tunnel servlet implementation which uses WebSocket as a tunnel backend,
+ * rather than HTTP, properly parsing connection IDs included in the connection
+ * request.
+ */
+public class BasicGuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet extends GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet {
+
+    @Override
+    protected GuacamoleTunnel doConnect(HttpServletRequest request)
+            throws GuacamoleException {
+        return BasicTunnelRequestUtility.createTunnel(new HTTPTunnelRequest(request));
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..85a11741b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.java
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2013 Glyptodon LLC
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+package org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.jetty8;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.GuacamoleException;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.io.GuacamoleReader;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.io.GuacamoleWriter;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.GuacamoleTunnel;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.websocket.WebSocket;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.websocket.WebSocket.Connection;
+import org.eclipse.jetty.websocket.WebSocketServlet;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.GuacamoleClientException;
+import org.glyptodon.guacamole.protocol.GuacamoleStatus;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+/**
+ * A WebSocketServlet partial re-implementation of GuacamoleTunnelServlet.
+ *
+ * @author Michael Jumper
+ */
+public abstract class GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet extends WebSocketServlet {
+
+    /**
+     * Logger for this class.
+     */
+    private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(GuacamoleWebSocketTunnelServlet.class);
+    
+    /**
+     * The default, minimum buffer size for instructions.
+     */
+    private static final int BUFFER_SIZE = 8192;
+
+    /**
+     * Sends the given status on the given WebSocket connection and closes the
+     * connection.
+     *
+     * @param connection The WebSocket connection to close.
+     * @param guac_status The status to send.
+     */
+    public static void closeConnection(Connection connection,
+            GuacamoleStatus guac_status) {
+
+        connection.close(guac_status.getWebSocketCode(),
+                Integer.toString(guac_status.getGuacamoleStatusCode()));
+
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public WebSocket doWebSocketConnect(HttpServletRequest request, String protocol) {
+
+        // Get tunnel
+        final GuacamoleTunnel tunnel;
+
+        try {
+            tunnel = doConnect(request);
+        }
+        catch (GuacamoleException e) {
+            logger.error("Error connecting WebSocket tunnel.", e);
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Return new WebSocket which communicates through tunnel
+        return new WebSocket.OnTextMessage() {
+
+            @Override
+            public void onMessage(String string) {
+                GuacamoleWriter writer = tunnel.acquireWriter();
+
+                // Write message received
+                try {
+                    writer.write(string.toCharArray());
+                }
+                catch (GuacamoleException e) {
+                    logger.debug("Tunnel write failed.", e);
+                }
+
+                tunnel.releaseWriter();
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onOpen(final Connection connection) {
+
+                Thread readThread = new Thread() {
+
+                    @Override
+                    public void run() {
+
+                        StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder(BUFFER_SIZE);
+                        GuacamoleReader reader = tunnel.acquireReader();
+                        char[] readMessage;
+
+                        try {
+
+                            try {
+
+                                // Attempt to read
+                                while ((readMessage = reader.read()) != null) {
+
+                                    // Buffer message
+                                    buffer.append(readMessage);
+
+                                    // Flush if we expect to wait or buffer is getting full
+                                    if (!reader.available() || buffer.length() >= BUFFER_SIZE) {
+                                        connection.sendMessage(buffer.toString());
+                                        buffer.setLength(0);
+                                    }
+
+                                }
+
+                                // No more data
+                                closeConnection(connection, GuacamoleStatus.SUCCESS);
+                                
+                            }
+
+                            // Catch any thrown guacamole exception and attempt
+                            // to pass within the WebSocket connection, logging
+                            // each error appropriately.
+                            catch (GuacamoleClientException e) {
+                                logger.warn("Client request rejected: {}", e.getMessage());
+                                closeConnection(connection, e.getStatus());
+                            }
+                            catch (GuacamoleException e) {
+                                logger.error("Internal server error.", e);
+                                closeConnection(connection, e.getStatus());
+                            }
+
+                        }
+                        catch (IOException e) {
+                            logger.debug("Tunnel read failed due to I/O error.", e);
+                        }
+
+                    }
+
+                };
+
+                readThread.start();
+
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public void onClose(int i, String string) {
+                try {
+                    tunnel.close();
+                }
+                catch (GuacamoleException e) {
+                    logger.debug("Unable to close WebSocket tunnel.", e);
+                }
+            }
+
+        };
+
+    }
+
+    protected abstract GuacamoleTunnel doConnect(HttpServletRequest request)
+            throws GuacamoleException;
+
+}
+
diff --git a/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/package-info.java b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/package-info.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9b63a7d49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/guacamole/src/main/java/org/glyptodon/guacamole/net/basic/websocket/jetty8/package-info.java
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2013 Glyptodon LLC
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+ * AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Jetty 8 WebSocket tunnel implementation. The classes here require Jetty 8.
+ */
+package org.glyptodon.guacamole.net.basic.websocket.jetty8;
+