diff --git a/Lidgren.Network/NetBitWriter.cs b/Lidgren.Network/NetBitWriter.cs
index ac9d0de..e07bfc7 100644
--- a/Lidgren.Network/NetBitWriter.cs
+++ b/Lidgren.Network/NetBitWriter.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-/* Copyright (c) 2010 Michael Lidgren
+//#define UNSAFE
+//#define BIGENDIAN
+/* Copyright (c) 2010 Michael Lidgren
 
 Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software
 and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without
@@ -169,6 +171,49 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 			return;
 		}
 
+		[CLSCompliant(false)]
+#if UNSAFE
+		public static unsafe ushort ReadUInt16(byte[] fromBuffer, int numberOfBits, int readBitOffset)
+		{
+			Debug.Assert(((numberOfBits > 0) && (numberOfBits <= 16)), "ReadUInt16() can only read between 1 and 16 bits");
+
+			if (numberOfBits == 16 && ((readBitOffset % 8) == 0))
+			{
+				fixed (byte* ptr = &(fromBuffer[readBitOffset / 8]))
+				{
+					return *(((ushort*)ptr));
+				}
+			}
+#else
+		public static ushort ReadUInt16(byte[] fromBuffer, int numberOfBits, int readBitOffset)
+		{
+			Debug.Assert(((numberOfBits > 0) && (numberOfBits <= 16)), "ReadUInt16() can only read between 1 and 16 bits");
+#endif
+			ushort returnValue;
+			if (numberOfBits <= 8)
+			{
+				returnValue = ReadByte(fromBuffer, numberOfBits, readBitOffset);
+				return returnValue;
+			}
+			returnValue = ReadByte(fromBuffer, 8, readBitOffset);
+			numberOfBits -= 8;
+			readBitOffset += 8;
+
+			if (numberOfBits <= 8)
+			{
+				returnValue |= (ushort)(ReadByte(fromBuffer, numberOfBits, readBitOffset) << 8);
+			}
+
+#if BIGENDIAN
+			// reorder bytes
+			uint retVal = returnValue;
+			retVal = ((retVal & 0x0000ff00) >> 8) | ((retVal & 0x000000ff) << 8);
+			return (ushort)retVal;
+#else
+			return returnValue;
+#endif
+		}
+
 		/// <summary>
 		/// Reads the specified number of bits into an UInt32
 		/// </summary>
@@ -226,18 +271,47 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 #if BIGENDIAN
 			// reorder bytes
 			return
-				((a & 0xff000000) >> 24) |
-				((a & 0x00ff0000) >> 8) |
-				((a & 0x0000ff00) << 8) |
-				((a & 0x000000ff) << 24);
-#endif
-
+				((returnValue & 0xff000000) >> 24) |
+				((returnValue & 0x00ff0000) >> 8) |
+				((returnValue & 0x0000ff00) << 8) |
+				((returnValue & 0x000000ff) << 24);
+#else
 			return returnValue;
+#endif
 		}
 
 		//[CLSCompliant(false)]
 		//public static ulong ReadUInt64(byte[] fromBuffer, int numberOfBits, int readBitOffset)
 
+		[CLSCompliant(false)]
+		public static int WriteUInt16(ushort source, int numberOfBits, byte[] destination, int destinationBitOffset)
+		{
+#if BIGENDIAN
+			// reorder bytes
+			uint intSource = source;
+			intSource = ((intSource & 0x0000ff00) >> 8) | ((intSource & 0x000000ff) << 8);
+			source = (ushort)intSource;
+#endif
+
+			int returnValue = destinationBitOffset + numberOfBits;
+			if (numberOfBits <= 8)
+			{
+				NetBitWriter.WriteByte((byte)source, numberOfBits, destination, destinationBitOffset);
+				return returnValue;
+			}
+			NetBitWriter.WriteByte((byte)source, 8, destination, destinationBitOffset);
+			destinationBitOffset += 8;
+			numberOfBits -= 8;
+
+			if (numberOfBits <= 8)
+			{
+				NetBitWriter.WriteByte((byte)(source >> 8), numberOfBits, destination, destinationBitOffset);
+				return returnValue;
+			}
+
+			return returnValue;
+		}
+
 		/// <summary>
 		/// Writes the specified number of bits into a byte array
 		/// </summary>
diff --git a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Peek.cs b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Peek.cs
index 7e18529..7c27e26 100644
--- a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Peek.cs
+++ b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Peek.cs
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public Int16 PeekInt16()
 		{
 			NetException.Assert(m_bitLength - m_readPosition >= 16, c_readOverflowError);
-			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt32(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
+			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt16(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
 			return (short)retval;
 		}
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public UInt16 PeekUInt16()
 		{
 			NetException.Assert(m_bitLength - m_readPosition >= 16, c_readOverflowError);
-			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt32(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
+			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt16(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
 			return (ushort)retval;
 		}
 
diff --git a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Read.cs b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Read.cs
index 019141c..aa51722 100644
--- a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Read.cs
+++ b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Read.cs
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public Int16 ReadInt16()
 		{
 			NetException.Assert(m_bitLength - m_readPosition >= 16, c_readOverflowError);
-			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt32(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
+			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt16(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
 			m_readPosition += 16;
 			return (short)retval;
 		}
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public UInt16 ReadUInt16()
 		{
 			NetException.Assert(m_bitLength - m_readPosition >= 16, c_readOverflowError);
-			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt32(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
+			uint retval = NetBitWriter.ReadUInt16(m_data, 16, m_readPosition);
 			m_readPosition += 16;
 			return (ushort)retval;
 		}
diff --git a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Write.cs b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Write.cs
index f591b20..eccbf4f 100644
--- a/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Write.cs
+++ b/Lidgren.Network/NetBuffer.Write.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-/* Copyright (c) 2010 Michael Lidgren
+//#define UNSAFE
+//#define BIGENDIAN
+/* Copyright (c) 2010 Michael Lidgren
 
 Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software
 and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without
@@ -146,7 +148,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public void Write(UInt16 source)
 		{
 			EnsureBufferSize(m_bitLength + 16);
-			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt32((uint)source, 16, m_data, m_bitLength);
+			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt16(source, 16, m_data, m_bitLength);
 			m_bitLength += 16;
 		}
 
@@ -158,7 +160,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		{
 			NetException.Assert((numberOfBits > 0 && numberOfBits <= 16), "Write(ushort, numberOfBits) can only write between 1 and 16 bits");
 			EnsureBufferSize(m_bitLength + numberOfBits);
-			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt32((uint)source, numberOfBits, m_data, m_bitLength);
+			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt16(source, numberOfBits, m_data, m_bitLength);
 			m_bitLength += numberOfBits;
 		}
 
@@ -168,7 +170,7 @@ namespace Lidgren.Network
 		public void Write(Int16 source)
 		{
 			EnsureBufferSize(m_bitLength + 16);
-			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt32((uint)source, 16, m_data, m_bitLength);
+			NetBitWriter.WriteUInt16((ushort)source, 16, m_data, m_bitLength);
 			m_bitLength += 16;
 		}