diff --git a/src/app.config.ts b/src/app.config.ts
index fdc0e52..1b5b262 100644
--- a/src/app.config.ts
+++ b/src/app.config.ts
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ export const appConfig: AppConfig = {
           baseUrl: import.meta.env.VITE_LNBITS_BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:5000'
         },
         websocket: {
-          enabled: true,
-          reconnectDelay: 1000, // 1 second
-          maxReconnectAttempts: 5
+          enabled: import.meta.env.VITE_WEBSOCKET_ENABLED !== 'false', // Can be disabled via env var
+          reconnectDelay: 2000, // 2 seconds (increased from 1s to reduce server load)
+          maxReconnectAttempts: 3 // Reduced from 5 to avoid overwhelming server
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/modules/wallet/services/WalletWebSocketService.ts b/src/modules/wallet/services/WalletWebSocketService.ts
index 9fab90e..0192d19 100644
--- a/src/modules/wallet/services/WalletWebSocketService.ts
+++ b/src/modules/wallet/services/WalletWebSocketService.ts
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
    * Handle WebSocket connection opened
    */
   private handleOpen(_event: Event): void {
-    console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Connected')
+    console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Connected successfully')
     this.isConnected.value = true
     this.connectionStatus.value = 'connected'
     this.reconnectAttempts = 0
@@ -175,6 +175,9 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
       clearTimeout(this.reconnectTimer)
       this.reconnectTimer = null
     }
+
+    // Send a ping to test connection stability
+    this.sendPing()
   }
 
   /**
@@ -282,10 +285,16 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
     this.connectionStatus.value = 'disconnected'
     this.ws = null
 
-    // Schedule reconnection if not a normal closure
-    if (event.code !== 1000) {
-      this.scheduleReconnect()
+    // Handle specific close codes
+    if (event.code === 1006) {
+      console.warn('WalletWebSocketService: Abnormal closure detected - possible server issue')
+      // For code 1006, increase delay to avoid overwhelming server
+      this.scheduleReconnect(true)
+    } else if (event.code !== 1000) {
+      // Normal reconnection for other non-normal closures
+      this.scheduleReconnect(false)
     }
+    // Code 1000 = normal closure, don't reconnect
   }
 
   /**
@@ -300,16 +309,29 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
       console.error('WalletWebSocketService: WebSocket state:', this.ws.readyState)
       console.error('WalletWebSocketService: WebSocket URL:', this.ws.url)
     }
+
+    // Check if this is a network connectivity issue
+    if (!navigator.onLine) {
+      console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Network appears to be offline')
+      this.connectionStatus.value = 'offline'
+    }
   }
 
   /**
    * Schedule a reconnection attempt
    */
-  private scheduleReconnect(): void {
+  private scheduleReconnect(isAbnormalClosure = false): void {
     // Don't reconnect if we've exceeded max attempts
     if (this.reconnectAttempts >= this.config.maxReconnectAttempts) {
-      console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Max reconnection attempts reached')
+      console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Max reconnection attempts reached - disabling WebSocket')
       this.connectionStatus.value = 'failed'
+
+      // Show user notification about WebSocket issues
+      if (this.toast) {
+        this.toast.info('Real-time balance updates temporarily unavailable', {
+          description: 'WebSocket connection failed. Balance will update on page refresh.'
+        })
+      }
       return
     }
 
@@ -319,10 +341,16 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
     }
 
     // Calculate delay with exponential backoff
-    const delay = this.config.reconnectDelay * Math.pow(2, this.reconnectAttempts)
+    let delay = this.config.reconnectDelay * Math.pow(2, this.reconnectAttempts)
+
+    // For abnormal closures (1006), use longer delays to avoid overwhelming server
+    if (isAbnormalClosure) {
+      delay = Math.max(delay, 5000) // Minimum 5 second delay for 1006 errors
+    }
+
     this.reconnectAttempts++
 
-    console.log(`WalletWebSocketService: Reconnecting in ${delay}ms (attempt ${this.reconnectAttempts})`)
+    console.log(`WalletWebSocketService: Reconnecting in ${delay}ms (attempt ${this.reconnectAttempts}/${this.config.maxReconnectAttempts})${isAbnormalClosure ? ' [abnormal closure]' : ''}`)
     this.connectionStatus.value = 'reconnecting'
 
     this.reconnectTimer = setTimeout(() => {
@@ -372,12 +400,34 @@ export class WalletWebSocketService extends BaseService {
     this.disconnect()
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Send ping to test connection
+   */
+  private sendPing(): void {
+    if (this.ws && this.ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
+      try {
+        // Send a ping frame (most WebSocket implementations support this)
+        this.ws.ping?.()
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Ping not supported, connection seems stable')
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Manual reconnection method
    */
   public async reconnect(): Promise<void> {
+    console.log('WalletWebSocketService: Manual reconnection triggered')
     this.reconnectAttempts = 0
-    await this.connectIfNeeded()
+
+    // Disconnect current connection if any
+    this.disconnect()
+
+    // Wait a moment before reconnecting
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      this.connectIfNeeded()
+    }, 1000)
   }
 
   /**