diff --git a/HueAPI.cabal b/HueAPI.cabal
--- a/HueAPI.cabal
+++ b/HueAPI.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                HueAPI
-version:             0
+version:             0.1
 synopsis:            API for controlling Philips Hue lights
 description:
 homepage:            https://github.com/sjoerdvisscher/HueAPI
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
   exposed-modules:     HueAPI
   build-depends:       base ==4.6.*,
                        aeson ==0.6.*,
-                       bytestring ==0.10.*,
+                       utf8-string ==0.3.*,
                        http-conduit ==1.8.*,
                        network ==2.4.*,
                        containers ==0.5.*,
diff --git a/HueAPI.hs b/HueAPI.hs
--- a/HueAPI.hs
+++ b/HueAPI.hs
@@ -7,9 +7,10 @@
   , Group(..)
   , Name
   
-  , HueMonad
-  , runHueMonad
+  , Hue
+  , runHue
   
+  , getState
   , getLightState
   , updateLight
   , initLight
@@ -18,8 +19,7 @@
 
 import GHC.Generics
 import Data.Aeson
-import qualified Data.ByteString as B (breakSubstring, null)
-import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as B hiding (null)
+import Data.ByteString.Lazy.UTF8 (fromString)
 import Network.HTTP.Conduit
 import Network
 import Data.Map.Strict (Map, toList, (!), adjust)
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 import Control.Monad.Reader (ReaderT(..), ask)
 import Control.Concurrent
 
+
 type Name = String
 
 data HueData = Hue
@@ -63,28 +64,43 @@
 instance FromJSON Group where
   parseJSON (Object v) = Group <$> v .: "action" <*> v .: "name" <*> v .: "lights"
 
+data HueResult = HueResult HueError deriving Show
+instance FromJSON HueResult where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = HueResult <$> v .: "error"
+data HueError = HueError Int String deriving Show
+instance FromJSON HueError where
+  parseJSON (Object v) = HueError <$> v .: "type" <*> v .: "description"
 
-type HueMonad = StateT HueData (ReaderT String IO)
 
-runHueMonad :: String -> String -> HueMonad a -> IO a
-runHueMonad host key api =
-  let url = "http://" ++ host ++ "/api/" ++ key ++ "/" in
-  withSocketsDo $ do
-    connect key host
-    request' <- parseUrl url
-    let request = request' { responseTimeout = Nothing }
-    resp <- withManager $ httpLbs request
-    d <- either fail return (eitherDecode (responseBody resp))
-    runReaderT (fst <$> runStateT api d) url
+type Hue = StateT HueData (ReaderT String IO)
 
+runHue :: String -> String -> Hue a -> IO a
+runHue host key hm = do
+    hueData <- withSocketsDo go
+    runReaderT (fst <$> runStateT hm hueData) url
+  where
+    url = "http://" ++ host ++ "/api/" ++ key ++ "/"
+    go = do
+      request' <- parseUrl url
+      let request = request' { responseTimeout = Nothing }
+      resp <- withManager $ httpLbs request
+      either doConnect return (eitherDecode (responseBody resp))
+    doConnect _ = do
+      putStrLn "Press the link button on the base station"
+      connect key host
+      go
+      
 
-getLightState :: Name -> HueMonad LightState
+getState :: Hue HueData
+getState = get
+
+getLightState :: Name -> Hue LightState
 getLightState name = do
   d <- get
   return $ state $ lights d ! name
 
 
-updateLight :: Name -> LightState -> HueMonad ()
+updateLight :: Name -> LightState -> Hue ()
 updateLight name l = do
   l' <- getLightState name
   when (on l /= on l') $
@@ -100,7 +116,7 @@
   put $ d { lights = adjust (\light -> light { state = if on l then l else l' { on = False } }) name (lights d) }
 
 
-initLight :: Name -> LightState -> HueMonad ()
+initLight :: Name -> LightState -> Hue ()
 initLight name l = do
   updateLightProp name "on" "true"
   updateLightProp name "bri" (show $ bri l)
@@ -111,33 +127,37 @@
   put $ d { lights = adjust (\light -> light { state = l }) name (lights d) }
   
   
-updateLightProp :: Name -> String -> String -> HueMonad ()
+updateLightProp :: Name -> String -> String -> Hue ()
 updateLightProp name prop value = do
   url <- ask
   resp <- liftIO $ withSocketsDo $ do
     initReq <- parseUrl $ url ++ "lights/" ++ name ++ "/state"
     let request = initReq {
-        requestBody = RequestBodyLBS (B.pack $ map(toEnum.fromEnum) $ "{\"" ++ prop ++ "\":" ++ value ++ "}")
+        requestBody = RequestBodyLBS (fromString $ "{\"" ++ prop ++ "\":" ++ value ++ "}")
       , method = "PUT"
       , responseTimeout = Nothing
       }
     withManager (httpLbs request)
-  if B.null . snd . B.breakSubstring "Internal error, 503" . B.toStrict $ responseBody resp then return () else do
-    liftIO $ print resp
-    liftIO $ threadDelay 100000
-    updateLightProp name prop value
+  case eitherDecode $ responseBody resp of
+    Right [HueResult (HueError 901 _)] -> do
+      liftIO $ threadDelay 100000
+      updateLightProp name prop value
+    Right [HueResult (HueError i m)] -> fail $ "Error " ++ show i ++ ": " ++ m
+    _ -> return ()
 
 connect :: String -> String -> IO ()
 connect key host = do
   initReq <- parseUrl $ "http://" ++ host ++ "/api/"
   let request = initReq {
-      requestBody = RequestBodyLBS (B.pack $ map(toEnum.fromEnum) $
+      requestBody = RequestBodyLBS (fromString $
         "{\"username\":\"" ++ key ++ "\",\"devicetype\":\"Unknown\"}")
     , method = "POST"
     , responseTimeout = Nothing
     }
   resp <- withManager (httpLbs request)
-  if B.null . snd . B.breakSubstring "error" . B.toStrict $ responseBody resp then return () else do
-    liftIO $ print resp
-    liftIO $ threadDelay 100000
-    connect key host
+  case eitherDecode $ responseBody resp of
+    Right [HueResult (HueError 101 _)] -> do
+      liftIO $ threadDelay 100000
+      connect key host
+    Right [HueResult (HueError i m)] -> fail $ "Error " ++ show i ++ ": " ++ m
+    _ -> return ()