diff --git a/monk_tf/serial_io.py b/monk_tf/serial_io.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc5c3d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/monk_tf/serial_io.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+#
+# MONK automated test framework
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2013 DResearch Fahrzeugelektronik GmbH
+# Written and maintained by MONK Developers <project-monk@dresearch-fe.de>
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+# modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+# as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version
+# 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+#
+
+import os
+import time
+import logging
+
+import serial
+
+class SerialIO(serial.Serial):
+    """ console like interface on top of pyserial
+
+    The job of this class is to allow a console like input-output behaviour
+    between the user of this class and a serial interface. To achieve this some
+    abstraction layers are necessary.
+    """
+
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        """
+        :param prompt: set a prompt for the communication
+        """
+        self._logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+        if "linesep" in args:
+            self.linesep = args["linesep"]
+            args.pop("linesep")
+        super(SerialIO,self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+
+
+    def cmd(self, msg):
+        """ send a command and receive it's output
+
+        :param msg: the command that shall be sent, with or without line
+                    separator in the end
+        :return: the output of the command as created by target device
+        """
+        # a command will only be executed, if it ends in a linebreak
+        self.write(msg.strip() + self.linesep)
+        # remove first line (the cmd itself), last line (the next prompt)
+        # and unnecesary \r characters from the output
+        return self.linesep.join(self.readall().replace("\r","").split("\n")[1:-1])
+
+    @property
+    def linesep(self):
+        """ In most cases ``os.linesep``.
+        """
+        try:
+            return self._linesep
+        except AttributeError:
+            self.linesep = os.linesep
+            return self._linesep
+
+    @linesep.setter
+    def linesep(self, lsep):
+        self._linesep = lsep
diff --git a/test/test_serial_io.py b/test/test_serial_io.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f6535b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_serial_io.py
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+#
+# MONK Automated Testing Framework
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2012-2013 DResearch Fahrzeugelektronik GmbH, project-monk@dresearch-fe.de
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+# modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+# as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version
+# 3 of the License, or (at you option) any later version.
+#
+
+import logging
+
+from nose import tools as nt
+
+from monk_tf import serial_io as sio
+
+
+def test_simple():
+    """serial_io: check wether creating a SerialIO object works
+    """
+    #nothing to prepare
+    #
+    #execute
+    sut = sio.SerialIO()
+    #assert
+    nt.ok_(sut, "should contain a monk_tf.serial_io.SerialIO object, but instead contains this: '{}'".format(sut))
+
+
+def test_cmd_set_attribs():
+    """serial_io: check wether cmd automatically updates the attributes
+    """
+    # prepare
+    send_cmd = "qwer"
+    expected_calls = ['write', 'read_until']
+    expected_cmd = send_cmd + "\n"
+    expected_confidence = True
+    expected_output = 'abcd'
+    sut = MockSerialIOCmd((True, expected_output))
+    # execute
+    sut.cmd(send_cmd)
+    # evaluate
+    nt.eq_(expected_calls, sut.calls)
+    nt.eq_(expected_cmd, sut.last_cmd)
+    nt.eq_(expected_confidence, sut.last_confidence)
+    nt.eq_(expected_output, sut.last_output)
+    # clean up
+    # not needed
+
+
+def test_read_until_strips_end():
+    """serial_io: check wether reading really strips end_strip
+    """
+    # prepare
+    expected_calls = ["read"]
+    expected_out = "trewq\n"
+    expected_confidence = True
+    in_strip = "abcd"
+    in_sleep = 0.0
+    in_mock_output = expected_out + in_strip
+    sut = MockSerialIORead(in_mock_output)
+    # execute
+    out_confidence, output = sut.read_until(in_strip, sleep_time=in_sleep)
+    # evalute
+    nt.eq_(expected_calls, sut.calls)
+    nt.eq_(expected_confidence, out_confidence)
+    nt.eq_(expected_out, output)
+    # clean up
+    # not needed
+
+
+def test_read_until_strips_start():
+    """serial_io: check wether reading really strips start_strip
+    """
+    # prepare
+    expected_calls = ["read", "read"]
+    expected_out = "trewq\n"
+    expected_confidence = True
+    in_start_strip = "abcd\n"
+    in_stop_strip = "dcba"
+    in_sleep = 0.0
+    in_mock_output = in_start_strip + expected_out + in_stop_strip
+    sut = MockSerialIORead(in_mock_output)
+    # execute
+    out_confidence, output = sut.read_until(
+            in_stop_strip,
+            start_strip=in_start_strip,
+            sleep_time=in_sleep
+    )
+    # evalute
+    nt.eq_(expected_calls, sut.calls)
+    nt.eq_(expected_confidence, out_confidence)
+    nt.eq_(expected_out, output)
+    # clean up
+    # not needed
+
+
+class MockSerialIOCmd(sio. SerialIO):
+    """ mocks specifically for testing the cmd() method
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, readout=None):
+        self.calls = []
+        self.readout = readout
+        super(MockSerialIOCmd, self).__init__()
+
+
+    def write(self,cmd=None):
+        self.calls.append("write")
+
+
+    def read_until(self, cmd=None, prompt=None, sleep_time=None, timeout=None,
+            start_strip=None):
+        self.calls.append("read_until")
+        return self.readout
+
+
+class MockSerialIORead(sio.SerialIO):
+
+    def __init__(self, readout=None):
+        self.calls = []
+        self.readout = readout
+        super(MockSerialIORead, self).__init__()
+
+
+    def write(self,cmd=None):
+        self.calls.append("write")
+
+
+    def read(self, number=None):
+        self.calls.append("read")
+        return self.readout
+
+    def inWaiting(self):
+        return 0