diff --git a/src/WebSockets.h b/src/WebSockets.h
index 592dda8..1265ca1 100644
--- a/src/WebSockets.h
+++ b/src/WebSockets.h
@@ -270,6 +270,7 @@ typedef struct {
     String plainAuthorization;     ///< Base64 encoded Auth request
 
     String extraHeaders;
+    String userAgentHeader;
 
     bool cHttpHeadersValid;           ///< non-websocket http header validity indicator
     size_t cMandatoryHeadersCount;    ///< non-websocket mandatory http headers present count
diff --git a/src/WebSocketsClient.cpp b/src/WebSocketsClient.cpp
index db15e5b..aaaec28 100644
--- a/src/WebSocketsClient.cpp
+++ b/src/WebSocketsClient.cpp
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ void WebSocketsClient::beginSSL(const char * host, uint16_t port, const char * u
     _client.isSSL = true;
     _fingerprint  = fingerprint;
     _CA_cert      = NULL;
+    _isSecure     = true;
 }
 
 void WebSocketsClient::beginSSL(String host, uint16_t port, String url, String fingerprint, String protocol) {
@@ -110,7 +111,16 @@ void WebSocketsClient::beginSslWithCA(const char * host, uint16_t port, const ch
     _client.isSSL = true;
     _fingerprint  = "";
     _CA_cert      = CA_cert;
+    _isSecure     = true;
 }
+
+/**
+ * disables certificate checks for SSL connections.
+ */
+void WebSocketsClient::setInsecure() {
+   _isSecure     = false;
+}
+
 #endif
 
 void WebSocketsClient::beginSocketIO(const char * host, uint16_t port, const char * url, const char * protocol) {
@@ -128,6 +138,7 @@ void WebSocketsClient::beginSocketIOSSL(const char * host, uint16_t port, const
     _client.isSocketIO = true;
     _client.isSSL      = true;
     _fingerprint       = "";
+    _isSecure          = true;
 }
 
 void WebSocketsClient::beginSocketIOSSL(String host, uint16_t port, String url, String protocol) {
@@ -140,6 +151,7 @@ void WebSocketsClient::beginSocketIOSSLWithCA(const char * host, uint16_t port,
     _client.isSSL      = true;
     _fingerprint       = "";
     _CA_cert           = CA_cert;
+    _isSecure          = true;
 }
 #endif
 
@@ -164,6 +176,11 @@ void WebSocketsClient::loop(void) {
             }
             _client.ssl = new WEBSOCKETS_NETWORK_SSL_CLASS();
             _client.tcp = _client.ssl;
+
+            if (!_isSecure) {
+                _client.ssl->setInsecure();
+            }
+
             if(_CA_cert) {
                 DEBUG_WEBSOCKETS("[WS-Client] setting CA certificate");
 #if defined(ESP32)
@@ -343,6 +360,14 @@ void WebSocketsClient::setExtraHeaders(const char * extraHeaders) {
     _client.extraHeaders = extraHeaders;
 }
 
+/**
+ * set an user agent which will override the default user agent.
+ * @param userAgent the user agent header to set
+ */
+void WebSocketsClient::setUserAgent(const char * userAgent) {
+    _client.userAgentHeader = userAgent;
+}
+
 /**
  * set the reconnect Interval
  * how long to wait after a connection initiate failed
@@ -571,7 +596,12 @@ void WebSocketsClient::sendHeader(WSclient_t * client) {
         handshake += client->extraHeaders + NEW_LINE;
     }
 
-    handshake += WEBSOCKETS_STRING("User-Agent: arduino-WebSocket-Client\r\n");
+    if (client->userAgentHeader.length() > 0) {
+        handshake += WEBSOCKETS_STRING("User-Agent: ") + client->userAgentHeader;
+    } else {
+        handshake += WEBSOCKETS_STRING("User-Agent: arduino-WebSocket-Client\r\n");
+    }
+    
 
     if(client->base64Authorization.length() > 0) {
         handshake += WEBSOCKETS_STRING("Authorization: Basic ");
diff --git a/src/WebSocketsClient.h b/src/WebSocketsClient.h
index ed3f630..787474c 100644
--- a/src/WebSocketsClient.h
+++ b/src/WebSocketsClient.h
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ class WebSocketsClient : protected WebSockets {
     void beginSocketIOSSL(const char * host, uint16_t port, const char * url = "/socket.io/?EIO=3", const char * protocol = "arduino");
     void beginSocketIOSSL(String host, uint16_t port, String url = "/socket.io/?EIO=3", String protocol = "arduino");
     void beginSocketIOSSLWithCA(const char * host, uint16_t port, const char * url = "/socket.io/?EIO=3", const char * CA_cert = NULL, const char * protocol = "arduino");
+    void setInsecure();
 #endif
 
 #if(WEBSOCKETS_NETWORK_TYPE != NETWORK_ESP8266_ASYNC)
@@ -85,9 +86,10 @@ class WebSocketsClient : protected WebSockets {
     void setAuthorization(const char * auth);
 
     void setExtraHeaders(const char * extraHeaders = NULL);
-
+    void setUserAgent(const char * userAgent);
+    
     void setReconnectInterval(unsigned long time);
-
+        
     void enableHeartbeat(uint32_t pingInterval, uint32_t pongTimeout, uint8_t disconnectTimeoutCount);
     void disableHeartbeat();
 
@@ -100,6 +102,7 @@ class WebSocketsClient : protected WebSockets {
 #if defined(HAS_SSL)
     String _fingerprint;
     const char * _CA_cert;
+    bool _isSecure;
 #endif
     WSclient_t _client;