diff --git a/daemon/dtls.c b/daemon/dtls.c
index ae530c57b..3c525dc95 100644
--- a/daemon/dtls.c
+++ b/daemon/dtls.c
@@ -401,13 +401,13 @@ int dtls_init() {
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void __dtls_timer(void *p) {
+static enum thread_looper_action __dtls_timer(void) {
 	struct dtls_cert *c;
 	long int left;
 
 	c = dtls_cert();
 	if (!c)
-		return;
+		return TLA_BREAK;
 
 	left = c->expires - rtpe_now.tv_sec;
 	if (left > CERT_EXPIRY_TIME/2)
@@ -417,10 +417,13 @@ static void __dtls_timer(void *p) {
 
 out:
 	obj_put(c);
+	return TLA_CONTINUE;
 }
 
-void dtls_timer(struct poller *p) {
-	poller_add_timer(p, __dtls_timer, NULL);
+void dtls_timer(void) {
+	thread_create_looper(__dtls_timer, rtpe_config.idle_scheduling,
+			rtpe_config.idle_priority, "DTLS refresh timer",
+			((long long) CERT_EXPIRY_TIME / 7) * 1000000);
 }
 
 static unsigned int generic_func(unsigned char *o, X509 *x, const EVP_MD *md) {
diff --git a/daemon/main.c b/daemon/main.c
index c1bf12576..ddfbe44f3 100644
--- a/daemon/main.c
+++ b/daemon/main.c
@@ -1134,7 +1134,7 @@ no_kernel:
 	if (!rtpe_poller_map)
 		die("poller map creation failed");
 
-	dtls_timer(rtpe_poller);
+	dtls_timer();
 
 	if (call_init())
 		abort();
diff --git a/include/dtls.h b/include/dtls.h
index 3a910b29e..7d0bb3f62 100644
--- a/include/dtls.h
+++ b/include/dtls.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ struct dtls_connection {
 
 
 int dtls_init(void);
-void dtls_timer(struct poller *);
+void dtls_timer(void);
 
 int dtls_verify_cert(struct packet_stream *ps);
 const struct dtls_hash_func *dtls_find_hash_func(const str *);