diff --git a/lib/modules/storage/embarkjs.js b/lib/modules/storage/embarkjs.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..20cf842ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/modules/storage/embarkjs.js
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/* global EmbarkJS */
+
+import {detectSeries} from 'async';
+
+let __embarkStorage = {};
+
+__embarkStorage.setProviders = async function (dappConnOptions) {
+    try {
+      await detectSeries(dappConnOptions, async (dappConn, callback) => {
+        if(dappConn === '$BZZ' || dappConn.provider === 'swarm'){
+          let options = dappConn;
+          if(dappConn === '$BZZ') options = {"useOnlyGivenProvider": true};
+          try{
+            await EmbarkJS.Storage.setProvider('swarm', options);
+            let isAvailable = await EmbarkJS.Storage.isAvailable();
+            callback(null, isAvailable);
+          }catch(err){
+            callback(null, false); // catch errors for when bzz object not initialised but config has requested it to be used
+          }
+        }
+        else if(dappConn.provider === 'ipfs') {
+          // set the provider then check the connection, if true, use that provider, else, check next provider
+          try{
+            await EmbarkJS.Storage.setProvider('ipfs', dappConn);
+            let isAvailable =  await EmbarkJS.Storage.isAvailable();
+            callback(null, isAvailable);
+          } catch(err) {
+            callback(null, false); // catch but keep looping by not passing err to callback
+          }
+        }
+      }, function(err, result){
+        if(!result) throw new Error('Could not connect to a storage provider using any of the dappConnections in the storage config');
+      });
+    } catch (err) {
+      throw new Error('Failed to connect to a storage provider: ' + err.message);
+    }
+  };
diff --git a/test_apps/test_app/embark.json b/test_apps/test_app/embark.json
index a4c2f1d27..e4a75559c 100644
--- a/test_apps/test_app/embark.json
+++ b/test_apps/test_app/embark.json
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
   "config": "config/",
   "versions": {
     "solc": "0.4.24",
-    "web3": "1.0.0-beta",
+    "web3": "1.0.0-beta.34",
     "ipfs-api": "17.2.7"
   },
   "plugins": {