diff --git a/tdi/remote/MdsConnect.fun b/tdi/remote/MdsConnect.fun
index f64cd602bc..7f1ef67bdb 100644
--- a/tdi/remote/MdsConnect.fun
+++ b/tdi/remote/MdsConnect.fun
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ call:	_host  = Host name eg elpp1.epfl.ch or elpp1.epfl.ch:9000
       write(*,"Host taken from MDS_HOST ["//_host//"]");
    }
    _status = TdiShrExt->rMdsConnect(ref(_host//char(0)));
-   if (present(_abort) && _status == 0) abort();
+   _invalid_id = -1;
+   if (present(_abort) && _status == _invalid_id) abort();
    return(_status);
 }
diff --git a/tdi/remote/remote_submit_helper.fun b/tdi/remote/remote_submit_helper.fun
index a113cc9fd8..0b36845c62 100644
--- a/tdi/remote/remote_submit_helper.fun
+++ b/tdi/remote/remote_submit_helper.fun
@@ -20,17 +20,25 @@ public fun remote_submit_helper(_host,_file,_shot)
   if (_host == "any")
   {
     _queues = remote_submit_queues();
-    _stat = 0;
-    while (_stat == 0)
+
+    _start = cvttime();
+    _elapsed = 0;
+    _max_seconds = 300;
+    _invalid_id = -1;
+
+    /* Note that mdsconnect() returns a connection id, not a status code */
+    _stat = _invalid_id;
+    while ((_stat == _invalid_id) AND (_elapsed < _max_seconds))
     {
       _host = _queues[long(random()*size(_queues))];
       write(*,"Trying ",_host);
       _stat = mdsconnect(_host);
+      _elapsed = cvttime() - _start;
     }
   }
   else
     _stat=mdsconnect(_host);
-  if (_stat > 0)
+  if (_stat > _invalid_id)
   {
     _stat=mdsvalue('tcl("spawn/nowait unix_submit '//_file//' '//_shot//'")');
   } else {