diff --git a/lib/modules/whisper/index.js b/lib/modules/whisper/index.js
index bde2899d2..044365924 100644
--- a/lib/modules/whisper/index.js
+++ b/lib/modules/whisper/index.js
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ class Whisper {
         code += "\n" + fs.readFileSync(utils.joinPath(__dirname, 'js', 'embarkjs_old_web3.js')).toString();
         code += "\nEmbarkJS.Messages.registerProvider('whisper', __embarkWhisperOld);";
       } else {
+        code += "\n" + fs.readFileSync(utils.joinPath(__dirname, 'js', 'communicationFunctions.js')).toString();
         code += "\n" + fs.readFileSync(utils.joinPath(__dirname, 'js', 'embarkjs.js')).toString();
         code += "\nEmbarkJS.Messages.registerProvider('whisper', __embarkWhisperNewWeb3);";
       }
diff --git a/lib/modules/whisper/js/communicationFunctions.js b/lib/modules/whisper/js/communicationFunctions.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f5a20997
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/modules/whisper/js/communicationFunctions.js
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+function sendMessage(options, callback) {
+  let topics, ttl, payload;
+  topics = options.topic;
+  const data = options.data;
+  ttl = options.ttl || 100;
+  const powTime = options.powTime || 3;
+  const powTarget = options.powTarget || 0.5;
+  const sig = options.sig;
+  const fromAscii = options.fromAscii;
+  const toHex = options.toHex;
+  const symKeyID = options.symKeyID;
+  const post = options.post;
+
+  if (topics) {
+    topics = toHex(topics).slice(0, 10);
+  }
+
+  payload = JSON.stringify(data);
+
+  let message = {
+    sig: sig, // signs the message using the keyPair ID
+    ttl: ttl,
+    payload: fromAscii(payload),
+    powTime: powTime,
+    powTarget: powTarget
+  };
+
+  if (topics) {
+    message.topic = topics;
+  }
+
+  if (options.pubKey) {
+    message.pubKey = options.pubKey; // encrypt using a given pubKey
+  } else if(options.symKeyID) {
+    message.symKeyID = options.symKeyID; // encrypts using given sym key ID
+  } else {
+    message.symKeyID = symKeyID; // encrypts using the sym key ID
+  }
+
+  if (topics === undefined && message.symKeyID && !message.pubKey) {
+    return callback("missing option: topic");
+  }
+
+  post(message, callback);
+}
+
+function listenTo(options, callback) {
+  let topics = options.topic;
+  const messageEvents = options.messageEvents;
+  const toHex = options.toHex;
+  const toAscii = options.toAscii;
+  const sig = options.sig;
+  const symKeyID = options.symKeyID;
+  const subscribe = options.subscribe;
+
+  let promise = new messageEvents();
+
+  let subOptions = {};
+
+  if(topics){
+    if (typeof topics === 'string') {
+      topics = [toHex(topics).slice(0, 10)];
+    } else {
+      topics = topics.map((t) => toHex(t).slice(0, 10));
+    }
+    subOptions.topics = topics;
+  }
+
+  if (options.minPow) {
+    subOptions.minPow = options.minPow;
+  }
+
+  if (options.usePrivateKey === true) {
+    if (options.privateKeyID) {
+      subOptions.privateKeyID = options.privateKeyID;
+    } else {
+      subOptions.privateKeyID = sig;
+    }
+  } else {
+    if (options.symKeyID) {
+      subOptions.symKeyID = options.symKeyID;
+    } else {
+      subOptions.symKeyID = symKeyID;
+    }
+  }
+
+  promise.filter = subscribe("messages", subOptions)
+    .on('data', function (result) {
+      var payload = JSON.parse(toAscii(result.payload));
+      var data;
+      data = {
+        topic: toAscii(result.topic),
+        data: payload,
+        //from: result.from,
+        time: result.timestamp
+      };
+
+      if (callback) {
+        return callback(null, data);
+      }
+      promise.cb(payload, data, result);
+    });
+
+  return promise;
+}
+
+if (typeof module !== 'undefined' && module.exports) {
+  module.exports = {
+    sendMessage,
+    listenTo
+  };
+}
diff --git a/lib/modules/whisper/js/embarkjs.js b/lib/modules/whisper/js/embarkjs.js
index d7a53a029..f1e03687c 100644
--- a/lib/modules/whisper/js/embarkjs.js
+++ b/lib/modules/whisper/js/embarkjs.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*global EmbarkJS, Web3, __MessageEvents */
+/*global EmbarkJS, Web3, __MessageEvents, sendMessage, listenTo*/
 
 // for the whisper v5 and web3.js 1.0
 let __embarkWhisperNewWeb3 = {};
@@ -36,105 +36,36 @@ __embarkWhisperNewWeb3.setProvider = function(options) {
 };
 
 __embarkWhisperNewWeb3.sendMessage = function(options) {
-  var topics, data, ttl, payload;
-  topics = options.topic;
-  data = options.data || options.payload;
-  ttl = options.ttl || 100;
-  var powTime = options.powTime || 3;
-  var powTarget = options.powTarget || 0.5;
-
-  if (data === undefined) {
+  const data = options.data || options.payload;
+  if (!data) {
     throw new Error("missing option: data");
   }
+  Object.assign(options, {
+    sig: this.sig,
+    fromAscii: EmbarkJS.Utils.fromAscii,
+    toHex: this.web3.utils.toHex,
+    symKeyID: options.symKeyID || this.symKeyID,
+    post: this.web3.shh.post,
+    data
+  });
 
-  if (topics) {
-    topics = this.web3.utils.toHex(topics).slice(0, 10);
-  }
-
-  payload = JSON.stringify(data);
-
-  let message = {
-    sig: this.sig, // signs the message using the keyPair ID
-    ttl: ttl,
-    payload: EmbarkJS.Utils.fromAscii(payload),
-    powTime: powTime,
-    powTarget: powTarget
-  };
-
-  if (topics) {
-    message.topic = topics;
-  }
-
-  if (options.pubKey) {
-    message.pubKey = options.pubKey; // encrypt using a given pubKey
-  } else if (options.symKeyID) {
-    message.symKeyID = options.symKeyID; // encrypts using given sym key ID
-  } else {
-    message.symKeyID = this.symKeyID; // encrypts using the sym key ID
-  }
-
-  if (topics === undefined && message.symKeyID && !message.pubKey) {
-    throw new Error("missing option: topic");
-  }
-
-  this.web3.shh.post(message, function() {
+  sendMessage(options, (err) => {
+    if (err) {
+      throw new Error(err);
+    }
   });
 };
 
-__embarkWhisperNewWeb3.listenTo = function(options, callback) {
-  var topics = options.topic;
-
-  let promise = new __MessageEvents();
-
-  let subOptions = {};
-
-  if (topics) {
-    if (typeof topics === 'string') {
-      topics = [this.web3.utils.toHex(topics).slice(0, 10)];
-    } else {
-      topics = topics.map((t) => this.web3.utils.toHex(t).slice(0, 10));
-    }
-    subOptions.topics = topics;
-  }
-
-  if (options.minPow) {
-    subOptions.minPow = options.minPow;
-  }
-
-  if (options.usePrivateKey === true) {
-    if (options.privateKeyID) {
-      subOptions.privateKeyID = options.privateKeyID;
-    } else {
-      subOptions.privateKeyID = this.sig;
-    }
-  } else {
-    if (options.symKeyID) {
-      subOptions.symKeyID = options.symKeyID;
-    } else {
-      subOptions.symKeyID = this.symKeyID;
-    }
-  }
-
-  let filter = this.web3.shh.subscribe("messages", subOptions)
-    .on('data', function(result) {
-      var payload = JSON.parse(EmbarkJS.Utils.toAscii(result.payload));
-      var data;
-      data = {
-        topic: EmbarkJS.Utils.toAscii(result.topic),
-        data: payload,
-        //from: result.from,
-        time: result.timestamp
-      };
-
-      if (callback) {
-        return callback(null, data);
-      }
-      promise.cb(payload, data, result);
-    });
-
-  promise.filter = filter;
-
-  return promise;
+__embarkWhisperNewWeb3.listenTo = function (options, callback) {
+  Object.assign(options, {
+    sig: this.sig,
+    toAscii: EmbarkJS.Utils.toAscii,
+    toHex: this.web3.utils.toHex,
+    symKeyID: options.symKeyID || this.symKeyID,
+    messageEvents: __MessageEvents,
+    subscribe: this.web3.shh.subscribe
+  });
+  listenTo(options, callback);
 };
 
 __embarkWhisperNewWeb3.getWhisperVersion = function(cb) {