diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2bb3b21..f9c95c3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ custom_components/kamstrup_403/sensor.py
 ## Configuration
 
 Configuration is done in the UI. It's recommended to use devices as `/dev/serial/by-id` and not `/dev/ttyUSB1` as the port. This is because the first example is a stable identifier, while the second can change when USB devices are added or removed, or even when you perform a system reboot.<br>
-The port should look like this: `/dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI_FT230X_Basic_UART_D307PBVY-if00-port0`.
+The port should look like this: `/dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI_FT230X_Basic_UART_D307PBVY-if00-port0`. If the port is a remote port (e.g. by using ser2net) it's possible to use a socket connection too, by using something similar to `socket://192.168.1.101:20019`.
 
 Some meters contain a battery, and communicating with the meter does impact battery life. By default, this component updates every `3600` seconds (1 hour). This is configurable. Also, since version `2.0.1` you can also configure the serial timeout. The default value is `1.0` seconds, if you get the error `Finished update, No readings from the meter. Please check the IR connection` you can try to increase this value. Fractional numbers are allowed (eg. `0.5`).
 You can do this by pressing `configure` on the Integrations page:
diff --git a/custom_components/kamstrup_403/pykamstrup/kamstrup.py b/custom_components/kamstrup_403/pykamstrup/kamstrup.py
index b3ce960..bb17dbc 100644
--- a/custom_components/kamstrup_403/pykamstrup/kamstrup.py
+++ b/custom_components/kamstrup_403/pykamstrup/kamstrup.py
@@ -48,14 +48,20 @@ def _debug(self, msg: str, byte_array: bytearray):
             log += f" {byte:02x}"
         _LOGGER.debug(log)
 
+    def _make_sure_port_is_opened(self):
+        if not self.ser.is_open:
+            self.ser.open()
+
     def _write(self, data: tuple[int]):
         """Write directly to the meter"""
+        self._make_sure_port_is_opened()
         bytearray_data = bytearray(data)
         self._debug("Write", bytearray_data)
         self.ser.write(bytearray_data)
 
     def _read(self) -> int | None:
         """Read directly from the meter"""
+        self._make_sure_port_is_opened()
         data = self.ser.read(1)
         if len(data) == 0:
             _LOGGER.debug("Rx Timeout")