diff --git a/relp_handler.go b/relp_handler.go
index bf0dcd8..6b88229 100644
--- a/relp_handler.go
+++ b/relp_handler.go
@@ -66,6 +66,14 @@ func NewRELPHandler(relpURL string) (*RELPHandler, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func (r *RELPHandler) connectToRELPServer() (net.Conn, error) {
+	conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", r.relpServerURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return conn, nil
+}
+
 func (r *RELPHandler) Startup() error {
 	var err error
 	r.conn, err = r.connectToRELPServer()