diff --git a/realsense2_camera/launch/includes/nodelet.launch.xml b/realsense2_camera/launch/includes/nodelet.launch.xml
index 82fa3203f5..8452b4259d 100644
--- a/realsense2_camera/launch/includes/nodelet.launch.xml
+++ b/realsense2_camera/launch/includes/nodelet.launch.xml
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@
   <arg name="linear_accel_cov"         default="0.01"/>
   <arg name="initial_reset"            default="false"/>
   <arg name="reconnect_timeout"        default= "6.0"/>
+  <arg name="wait_for_device_timeout"  default= "-1.0"/>
   <arg name="unite_imu_method"         default="none"/> <!-- Options are: [none, copy, linear_interpolation] -->
   
 
@@ -209,7 +210,8 @@
     <param name="clip_distance"            type="double" value="$(arg clip_distance)"/>
     <param name="linear_accel_cov"         type="double" value="$(arg linear_accel_cov)"/>
     <param name="initial_reset"            type="bool"   value="$(arg initial_reset)"/>
-    <param name="reconnect_timeout"        type="double"    value="$(arg reconnect_timeout)"/>
+    <param name="reconnect_timeout"        type="double" value="$(arg reconnect_timeout)"/>
+    <param name="wait_for_device_timeout"  type="double" value="$(arg wait_for_device_timeout)"/>
     <param name="unite_imu_method"         type="str"    value="$(arg unite_imu_method)"/>
 
   </node>
diff --git a/realsense2_camera/launch/rs_camera.launch b/realsense2_camera/launch/rs_camera.launch
index b721247bf4..75b0026bef 100644
--- a/realsense2_camera/launch/rs_camera.launch
+++ b/realsense2_camera/launch/rs_camera.launch
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
   <arg name="linear_accel_cov"          default="0.01"/>
   <arg name="initial_reset"             default="false"/>
   <arg name="reconnect_timeout"         default="6.0"/>
+  <arg name="wait_for_device_timeout"   default="-1.0"/>
   <arg name="unite_imu_method"          default=""/>
   <arg name="topic_odom_in"             default="odom_in"/>
   <arg name="calib_odom_file"           default=""/>
@@ -131,6 +132,7 @@
       <arg name="linear_accel_cov"         value="$(arg linear_accel_cov)"/>
       <arg name="initial_reset"            value="$(arg initial_reset)"/>
       <arg name="reconnect_timeout"        value="$(arg reconnect_timeout)"/>
+      <arg name="wait_for_device_timeout"  value="$(arg wait_for_device_timeout)"/>
       <arg name="unite_imu_method"         value="$(arg unite_imu_method)"/>
       <arg name="topic_odom_in"            value="$(arg topic_odom_in)"/>
       <arg name="calib_odom_file"          value="$(arg calib_odom_file)"/>
diff --git a/realsense2_camera/src/realsense_node_factory.cpp b/realsense2_camera/src/realsense_node_factory.cpp
index c86488ce85..3eb7e96183 100644
--- a/realsense2_camera/src/realsense_node_factory.cpp
+++ b/realsense2_camera/src/realsense_node_factory.cpp
@@ -292,7 +292,10 @@ void RealSenseNodeFactory::initialize(const ros::WallTimerEvent &ignored)
 						{
 							double reconnect_timeout;
 							privateNh.param("reconnect_timeout", reconnect_timeout, 6.0);
-							std::chrono::duration<double> timespan(reconnect_timeout);
+							double wait_for_device_timeout;
+							privateNh.param("wait_for_device_timeout", wait_for_device_timeout, -1.0);
+							std::chrono::milliseconds timespan(static_cast<int>(reconnect_timeout*1e3));
+							ros::Time first_try_time = ros::Time::now();
 							while (_is_alive && !_device)
 							{
 								getDevice(_ctx.query_devices());
@@ -304,7 +307,22 @@ void RealSenseNodeFactory::initialize(const ros::WallTimerEvent &ignored)
 								}
 								else
 								{
-									std::this_thread::sleep_for(timespan);
+									std::chrono::milliseconds actual_timespan(timespan);
+									if (wait_for_device_timeout > 0)
+									{
+										auto time_to_timeout(wait_for_device_timeout - (ros::Time::now() - first_try_time).toSec());
+										if (time_to_timeout < 0)
+										{
+											ROS_ERROR_STREAM("wait for device timeout of " << wait_for_device_timeout << " secs expired");
+											exit(1);
+										}
+										else
+										{
+											double max_timespan_secs(std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(timespan).count());
+											actual_timespan = std::chrono::milliseconds (static_cast<int>(std::min(max_timespan_secs, time_to_timeout) * 1e3));
+										}
+									}
+									std::this_thread::sleep_for(actual_timespan);
 								}
 							}
 						});