diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.java
index 0aa9677613..de6abb2698 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package io.netty.handler.codec.http.websocketx;
 
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPipeline;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelStateHandler;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpHeaders;
 
 import java.net.URI;
@@ -30,12 +31,31 @@ import java.net.URI;
  * the {@code handleCloseFrames} is {@code false}, default is {@code true}.
  *
  * This implementation will establish the websocket connection once the connection to the remote server was complete.
+ *
+ * To know once a handshake was done you can intercept the
+ * {@link ChannelStateHandler#userEventTriggered(ChannelHandlerContext, Object)} and check if the event was of type
+ * {@link ClientHandshakeStateEvent#HANDSHAKE_ISSUED} or {@link ClientHandshakeStateEvent#HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE}.
  */
 public class WebSocketClientProtocolHandler extends WebSocketProtocolHandler {
 
     private final WebSocketClientHandshaker handshaker;
     private final boolean handleCloseFrames;
 
+    /**
+     * Events that are fired to notify about handshake status
+     */
+    public enum ClientHandshakeStateEvent {
+        /**
+         * The Handshake was started but the server did not response yet to the request
+         */
+        HANDSHAKE_ISSUED,
+
+        /**
+         * The Handshake was complete succesful and so the channel was upgraded to websockets
+         */
+        HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE
+    }
+
     /**
      * Base constructor
      *
diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandshakeHandler.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
index 0463a0e3cb..cbe1bf7878 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketClientProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package io.netty.handler.codec.http.websocketx;
 
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelFuture;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelFutureListener;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelInboundMessageHandlerAdapter;
@@ -28,15 +29,27 @@ class WebSocketClientProtocolHandshakeHandler extends ChannelInboundMessageHandl
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void channelActive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
+    public void channelActive(final ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
         super.channelActive(ctx);
-        handshaker.handshake(ctx.channel()).addListener(ChannelFutureListener.FIRE_EXCEPTION_ON_FAILURE);
+        handshaker.handshake(ctx.channel()).addListener(new ChannelFutureListener() {
+            @Override
+            public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture future) throws Exception {
+                if (!future.isSuccess()) {
+                    ctx.fireExceptionCaught(future.cause());
+                } else {
+                    ctx.fireUserEventTriggered(
+                            WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.ClientHandshakeStateEvent.HANDSHAKE_ISSUED);
+                }
+            }
+        });
     }
 
     @Override
     public void messageReceived(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, FullHttpResponse msg) throws Exception {
         if (!handshaker.isHandshakeComplete()) {
             handshaker.finishHandshake(ctx.channel(), msg);
+            ctx.fireUserEventTriggered(
+                    WebSocketClientProtocolHandler.ClientHandshakeStateEvent.HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE);
             ctx.pipeline().removeAndForward(this);
             return;
         }
diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandler.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandler.java
index 1719b9d941..2fed4a3490 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandler.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandler.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import io.netty.channel.ChannelFutureListener;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelInboundMessageHandlerAdapter;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelStateHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPipeline;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.DefaultFullHttpResponse;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.FullHttpRequest;
@@ -40,9 +41,23 @@ import static io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpVersion.*;
  * The implementation of this handler assumes that you just want to run  a websocket server and not process other types
  * HTTP requests (like GET and POST). If you wish to support both HTTP requests and websockets in the one server, refer
  * to the <tt>io.netty.example.http.websocketx.server.WebSocketServer</tt> example.
+ *
+ * To know once a handshake was done you can intercept the
+ * {@link ChannelStateHandler#userEventTriggered(ChannelHandlerContext, Object)} and check if the event was of type
+ * {@link ServerHandshakeStateEvent#HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE}.
  */
 public class WebSocketServerProtocolHandler extends WebSocketProtocolHandler {
 
+    /**
+     * Events that are fired to notify about handshake status
+     */
+    public enum ServerHandshakeStateEvent {
+        /**
+         * The Handshake was complete succesful and so the channel was upgraded to websockets
+         */
+        HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE
+    }
+
     private static final AttributeKey<WebSocketServerHandshaker> HANDSHAKER_ATTR_KEY =
             new AttributeKey<WebSocketServerHandshaker>(WebSocketServerHandshaker.class.getName());
 
diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandshakeHandler.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
index 7c65f43f5a..c30fff92e4 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketServerProtocolHandshakeHandler.java
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ class WebSocketServerProtocolHandshakeHandler
                 public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture future) throws Exception {
                     if (!future.isSuccess()) {
                         ctx.fireExceptionCaught(future.cause());
+                    } else {
+                        ctx.fireUserEventTriggered(
+                                WebSocketServerProtocolHandler.ServerHandshakeStateEvent.HANDSHAKE_COMPLETE);
                     }
                 }
             });