diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 0882c4f5d25b9a..061d7b959d300e 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -63,6 +63,25 @@ function isPipeName(s) {
   return util.isString(s) && toNumber(s) === false;
 }
 
+// format exceptions
+function detailedException(err, syscall, address, port, additional) {
+  var details;
+  if (port && port > 0) {
+    details = address + ':' + port;
+  } else {
+    details = address;
+  }
+
+  if (additional) {
+    details += ' - Local (' + additional + ')';
+  }
+  var ex = errnoException(err, syscall, details);
+  ex.address = address;
+  if (port) {
+    ex.port = port;
+  }
+  return ex;
+}
 
 exports.createServer = function() {
   return new Server(arguments[0], arguments[1]);
@@ -755,7 +774,7 @@ function afterWrite(status, handle, req, err) {
   }
 
   if (status < 0) {
-    var ex = errnoException(status, 'write', err);
+    var ex = detailedException(status, 'write', req.address, req.port);
     debug('write failure', ex);
     self._destroy(ex, req.cb);
     return;
@@ -817,28 +836,46 @@ function connect(self, address, port, addressType, localAddress, localPort) {
     err = bind(localAddress, localPort);
 
     if (err) {
-      self._destroy(errnoException(err, 'bind'));
+      var ex = detailedException(err, 'bind', localAddress, localPort);
+      self._destroy(ex);
       return;
     }
   }
 
-  var req = { oncomplete: afterConnect };
+  var req = {
+    oncomplete: afterConnect,
+    port: undefined,
+    address: undefined,
+    localAddress: undefined,
+    localPort: undefined
+  };
   if (addressType === 6 || addressType === 4) {
     port = port | 0;
     if (port <= 0 || port > 65535)
       throw new RangeError('Port should be > 0 and < 65536');
 
+    req.port = port;
+    req.address = address;
     if (addressType === 6) {
       err = self._handle.connect6(req, address, port);
     } else if (addressType === 4) {
       err = self._handle.connect(req, address, port);
     }
   } else {
+    req.address = address;
     err = self._handle.connect(req, address, afterConnect);
   }
 
   if (err) {
-    self._destroy(errnoException(err, 'connect'));
+    self._getsockname();
+    var details;
+    if (self._sockname) {
+      ex.localAddress = self._sockname.address;
+      ex.localPort = self._sockname.port;
+      details = ex.localAddress + ':' + ex.localPort;
+    }
+    var ex = detailedException(err, 'connect', address, port, details);
+    self._destroy(ex);
   }
 }
 
@@ -921,6 +958,9 @@ Socket.prototype.connect = function(options, cb) {
         // There are no event listeners registered yet so defer the
         // error event to the next tick.
         process.nextTick(function() {
+          err.host = options.host;
+          err.port = options.port;
+          err.message = err.message + ' ' + options.host + ':' + options.port;
           self.emit('error', err);
           self._destroy();
         });
@@ -988,7 +1028,18 @@ function afterConnect(status, handle, req, readable, writable) {
 
   } else {
     self._connecting = false;
-    self._destroy(errnoException(status, 'connect'));
+    var details;
+    if (req.localAddress && req.localPort) {
+      ex.localAddress = req.localAddress;
+      ex.localPort = req.localPort;
+      details = ex.localAddress + ':' + ex.localPort;
+    }
+    var ex = detailedException(status,
+                               'connect',
+                               req.address,
+                               req.port,
+                               details);
+    self._destroy(ex);
   }
 }
 
@@ -1117,7 +1168,7 @@ Server.prototype._listen2 = function(address, port, addressType, backlog, fd) {
     debug('_listen2: create a handle');
     var rval = createServerHandle(address, port, addressType, fd);
     if (util.isNumber(rval)) {
-      var error = errnoException(rval, 'listen');
+      var error = detailedException(rval, 'listen', address, port);
       process.nextTick(function() {
         self.emit('error', error);
       });
@@ -1134,7 +1185,7 @@ Server.prototype._listen2 = function(address, port, addressType, backlog, fd) {
   var err = _listen(self._handle, backlog);
 
   if (err) {
-    var ex = errnoException(err, 'listen');
+    var ex = detailedException(err, 'listen', address, port);
     self._handle.close();
     self._handle = null;
     process.nextTick(function() {
@@ -1182,8 +1233,10 @@ function listen(self, address, port, addressType, backlog, fd, exclusive) {
         err = uv.UV_EADDRINUSE;
     }
 
-    if (err)
-      return self.emit('error', errnoException(err, 'bind'));
+    if (err) {
+      var ex = detailedException(err, 'bind', address, port);
+      return self.emit('error', ex);
+    }
 
     self._handle = handle;
     self._listen2(address, port, addressType, backlog, fd);
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen-path.js b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen-path.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..fcc3062a814f68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen-path.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+var common = require('../common');
+var assert = require('assert');
+var net = require('net');
+var fp = '/blah/fadfa';
+var server = net.createServer(assert.fail);
+server.listen(fp, assert.fail);
+server.on('error', common.mustCall(function(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.address, fp)
+}));
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen.js b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..9c7766bd4f4e3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-listen.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+var common = require('../common');
+var assert = require('assert');
+var net = require('net');
+
+var server = net.createServer(assert.fail);
+server.listen(1, '1.1.1.1', assert.fail);
+server.on('error', common.mustCall(function(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.address, '1.1.1.1');
+  assert.equal(e.port, 1);
+  assert.equal(e.syscall, 'listen');
+}));
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-path.js b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-path.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..dea4a10459edab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-path.js
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+var common = require('../common');
+var net = require('net');
+var assert = require('assert');
+var fp = '/tmp/fadagagsdfgsdf';
+var c = net.connect(fp);
+
+c.on('connect', assert.fail);
+
+c.on('error', common.mustCall(function(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.code, 'ENOENT');
+  assert.equal(e.message, 'connect ENOENT ' + fp);
+}));
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port-hostname.js b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port-hostname.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..3817dbb92ff1e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port-hostname.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+var common = require('../common');
+var net = require('net');
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var c = net.createConnection(common.PORT, 'blah.blah');
+
+c.on('connect', assert.fail);
+
+c.on('error', common.mustCall(function(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.code, 'ENOTFOUND');
+  assert.equal(e.port, common.PORT);
+  assert.equal(e.hostname, 'blah.blah');
+}));
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port.js b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..a8c16a70385bb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-better-error-messages-port.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+var common = require('../common');
+var net = require('net');
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var c = net.createConnection(common.PORT);
+
+c.on('connect', assert.fail);
+
+c.on('error', common.mustCall(function(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.code, 'ECONNREFUSED');
+  assert.equal(e.port, common.PORT);
+  assert.equal(e.address, '127.0.0.1');
+}));