diff --git a/sshuttle/assembler.py b/sshuttle/assembler.py
index f0ab8d2..011baa2 100644
--- a/sshuttle/assembler.py
+++ b/sshuttle/assembler.py
@@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ sshuttle.helpers.verbose = verbosity
 
 import sshuttle.cmdline_options as options  # noqa: E402
 from sshuttle.server import main  # noqa: E402
-main(options.latency_control, options.auto_hosts, options.to_nameserver,
+main(options.latency_control, options.latency_buffer_size,
+     options.auto_hosts, options.to_nameserver,
      options.auto_nets)
diff --git a/sshuttle/client.py b/sshuttle/client.py
index 99e6092..aa8d568 100644
--- a/sshuttle/client.py
+++ b/sshuttle/client.py
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ def ondns(listener, method, mux, handlers):
 
 
 def _main(tcp_listener, udp_listener, fw, ssh_cmd, remotename,
-          python, latency_control,
+          python, latency_control, latency_buffer_size,
           dns_listener, seed_hosts, auto_hosts, auto_nets, daemon,
           to_nameserver):
 
@@ -458,6 +458,7 @@ def _main(tcp_listener, udp_listener, fw, ssh_cmd, remotename,
             ssh_cmd, remotename, python,
             stderr=ssyslog._p and ssyslog._p.stdin,
             options=dict(latency_control=latency_control,
+                         latency_buffer_size=latency_buffer_size,
                          auto_hosts=auto_hosts,
                          to_nameserver=to_nameserver,
                          auto_nets=auto_nets))
@@ -650,7 +651,8 @@ def _main(tcp_listener, udp_listener, fw, ssh_cmd, remotename,
 
 
 def main(listenip_v6, listenip_v4,
-         ssh_cmd, remotename, python, latency_control, dns, nslist,
+         ssh_cmd, remotename, python, latency_control,
+         latency_buffer_size, dns, nslist,
          method_name, seed_hosts, auto_hosts, auto_nets,
          subnets_include, subnets_exclude, daemon, to_nameserver, pidfile,
          user, sudo_pythonpath, tmark):
@@ -984,8 +986,9 @@ def main(listenip_v6, listenip_v4,
     # start the client process
     try:
         return _main(tcp_listener, udp_listener, fw, ssh_cmd, remotename,
-                     python, latency_control, dns_listener,
-                     seed_hosts, auto_hosts, auto_nets, daemon, to_nameserver)
+                     python, latency_control, latency_buffer_size,
+                     dns_listener, seed_hosts, auto_hosts, auto_nets,
+                     daemon, to_nameserver)
     finally:
         try:
             if daemon:
diff --git a/sshuttle/cmdline.py b/sshuttle/cmdline.py
index c7438ad..19d4b8d 100644
--- a/sshuttle/cmdline.py
+++ b/sshuttle/cmdline.py
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ def main():
                                       remotename,
                                       opt.python,
                                       opt.latency_control,
+                                      opt.latency_buffer_size,
                                       opt.dns,
                                       nslist,
                                       opt.method,
diff --git a/sshuttle/server.py b/sshuttle/server.py
index ccebc72..2ce4767 100644
--- a/sshuttle/server.py
+++ b/sshuttle/server.py
@@ -271,13 +271,17 @@ class UdpProxy(Handler):
         self.mux.send(self.chan, ssnet.CMD_UDP_DATA, hdr + data)
 
 
-def main(latency_control, auto_hosts, to_nameserver, auto_nets):
+def main(latency_control, latency_buffer_size, auto_hosts, to_nameserver,
+         auto_nets):
     try:
         helpers.logprefix = ' s: '
         debug1('Starting server with Python version %s'
                % platform.python_version())
 
         debug1('latency control setting = %r' % latency_control)
+        if latency_buffer_size:
+            import sshuttle.ssnet as ssnet
+            ssnet.LATENCY_BUFFER_SIZE = latency_buffer_size
 
         # synchronization header
         sys.stdout.write('\0\0SSHUTTLE0001')
diff --git a/sshuttle/ssnet.py b/sshuttle/ssnet.py
index 783f643..b120d61 100644
--- a/sshuttle/ssnet.py
+++ b/sshuttle/ssnet.py
@@ -461,7 +461,10 @@ class Mux(Handler):
             flags |= os.O_NONBLOCK
             flags = fcntl.fcntl(self.rfile.fileno(), fcntl.F_SETFL, flags)
         try:
-            read = _nb_clean(os.read, self.rfile.fileno(), LATENCY_BUFFER_SIZE)
+            # If LATENCY_BUFFER_SIZE is inappropriately large, we will
+            # get a MemoryError here. Read no more than 1MiB.
+            read = _nb_clean(os.read, self.rfile.fileno(),
+                             min(1048576, LATENCY_BUFFER_SIZE))
         except OSError:
             _, e = sys.exc_info()[:2]
             raise Fatal('other end: %r' % e)