diff --git a/Gruntfile.js b/Gruntfile.js
index 643b29d7c64..5213af23bf7 100644
--- a/Gruntfile.js
+++ b/Gruntfile.js
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ module.exports = function(grunt) {
 								'The specified tag is not supported.\n\nExample: `grunt mocha:<tag>:<suite>:[section]` or `npm test -- mocha:<tag>:<suite>:[section]`\n\n- Where tag can be one of default | unstable | slow | extensive (required)\n- Where suite can be one of unit | integration | functional | network (required)\n- Where section can be one of get | post | ws (optional)'
 							);
 						}
-						return `./node_modules/.bin/_mocha --bail test/network/index.js ${filter}`;
+						return `./node_modules/.bin/_mocha test/network/index.js ${filter}`;
 					}
 					var toExecute = [tagFilter, suite, section]
 						.filter(val => val)
diff --git a/test/network/scenarios/common.js b/test/network/scenarios/common.js
index 30ea29f87a9..dd573242bec 100644
--- a/test/network/scenarios/common.js
+++ b/test/network/scenarios/common.js
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@
 const childProcess = require('child_process');
 const utils = require('../utils');
 
+const NODE_FINISHED_SYNC_REGEX = /Finished sync/;
+const NODE_FINISHED_SYNC_TIMEOUT = 40000;
+
 const getPeersStatus = peers => {
 	return Promise.all(
 		peers.map(peer => {
@@ -52,7 +55,7 @@ const getAllPeers = sockets => {
 	);
 };
 
-module.exports = {
+const common = {
 	setMonitoringSocketsConnections: (params, configurations) => {
 		// eslint-disable-next-line mocha/no-top-level-hooks
 		before(done => {
@@ -78,13 +81,60 @@ module.exports = {
 	getAllPeers,
 
 	stopNode: nodeName => {
-		return childProcess.execSync(`pm2 stop ${nodeName}`);
+		return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+			childProcess.exec(`node_modules/.bin/pm2 stop ${nodeName}`, err => {
+				if (err) {
+					return reject(
+						new Error(`Failed to stop node ${nodeName}: ${err.message}`)
+					);
+				}
+				resolve();
+			});
+		});
 	},
 	startNode: nodeName => {
-		childProcess.execSync(`pm2 start ${nodeName}`);
+		return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+			childProcess.exec(`node_modules/.bin/pm2 start ${nodeName}`, err => {
+				if (err) {
+					return reject(
+						new Error(`Failed to start node ${nodeName}: ${err.message}`)
+					);
+				}
+
+				const pm2LogProcess = childProcess.spawn('node_modules/.bin/pm2', [
+					'logs',
+					nodeName,
+				]);
+
+				const nodeReadyTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+					pm2LogProcess.stdout.removeAllListeners('data');
+					pm2LogProcess.removeAllListeners('error');
+					reject(new Error(`Failed to start node ${nodeName} before timeout`));
+				}, NODE_FINISHED_SYNC_TIMEOUT);
+
+				pm2LogProcess.once('error', err => {
+					clearTimeout(nodeReadyTimeout);
+					pm2LogProcess.stdout.removeAllListeners('data');
+					reject(new Error(`Failed to start node ${nodeName}: ${err.message}`));
+				});
+				pm2LogProcess.stdout.on('data', data => {
+					const dataString = data.toString();
+					// Make sure that all nodes have fully synced before we
+					// run the test cases.
+					if (NODE_FINISHED_SYNC_REGEX.test(dataString)) {
+						clearTimeout(nodeReadyTimeout);
+						pm2LogProcess.stdout.removeAllListeners('error');
+						pm2LogProcess.stdout.removeAllListeners('data');
+						resolve();
+					}
+				});
+			});
+		});
 	},
 	restartNode: nodeName => {
-		return childProcess.execSync(`pm2 restart ${nodeName}`);
+		return common.stopNode(nodeName).then(() => {
+			return common.startNode(nodeName);
+		});
 	},
 	getNodesStatus: (sockets, cb) => {
 		getAllPeers(sockets)
@@ -109,3 +159,5 @@ module.exports = {
 			});
 	},
 };
+
+module.exports = common;
diff --git a/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peer_disconnect.js b/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peer_disconnect.js
index 30b0bf69bac..c9b36d5e3d3 100644
--- a/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peer_disconnect.js
+++ b/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peer_disconnect.js
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ module.exports = function(
 
 			describe('when a node is stopped', () => {
 				before(done => {
-					common.stopNode('node_1');
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						done();
-					}, 2000);
+					common
+						.stopNode('node_1')
+						.then(done)
+						.catch(done);
 				});
 
 				it(`peer manager should remove peer from the list and there should be ${EXPECTED_TOTAL_CONNECTIONS_AFTER_REMOVING_PEER} established connections from 500[0-9] ports`, done => {
@@ -85,10 +85,10 @@ module.exports = function(
 
 			describe('when a stopped node is started', () => {
 				before(done => {
-					common.startNode('node_1');
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						done();
-					}, 2000);
+					common
+						.startNode('node_1')
+						.then(done)
+						.catch(done);
 				});
 
 				it(`there should be ${EXPECTED_TOTAL_CONNECTIONS} established connections from 500[0-9] ports`, done => {
@@ -115,24 +115,22 @@ module.exports = function(
 				// To validate peers holding socket connection
 				// Need to keep one peer so that we can validate
 				// Duplicate socket connection exists or not
-				it('stop all the nodes in the network except node_0', done => {
+				it('stop all the nodes in the network except node_0', () => {
+					const peersPromises = [];
 					for (let i = 1; i < TOTAL_PEERS; i++) {
-						common.stopNode(`node_${i}`);
+						peersPromises.push(common.stopNode(`node_${i}`));
 					}
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						console.info('Wait for nodes to be stopped');
-						done();
-					}, 10000);
+					console.info('Wait for nodes to be stopped');
+					return Promise.all(peersPromises);
 				});
 
-				it('start all nodes that were stopped', done => {
+				it('start all nodes that were stopped', () => {
+					const peersPromises = [];
 					for (let i = 1; i < TOTAL_PEERS; i++) {
-						common.startNode(`node_${i}`);
+						peersPromises.push(common.startNode(`node_${i}`));
 					}
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						console.info('Wait for nodes to be started');
-						done();
-					}, 10000);
+					console.info('Wait for nodes to be started');
+					return Promise.all(peersPromises);
 				});
 
 				describe('after all the node restarts', () => {
diff --git a/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peers_blacklist.js b/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peers_blacklist.js
index c6c7be47106..00c2ff251ff 100644
--- a/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peers_blacklist.js
+++ b/test/network/scenarios/p2p/peers_blacklist.js
@@ -82,10 +82,14 @@ module.exports = function(
 						JSON.stringify(params.configurations[0], null, 4)
 					);
 					// Restart the node to load the just changed configuration
-					common.restartNode('node_0');
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						blockchainReady(done, null, null, 'http://127.0.0.1:4000');
-					}, 8000);
+					common
+						.restartNode('node_0')
+						.then(() => {
+							blockchainReady(done, null, null, 'http://127.0.0.1:4000');
+						})
+						.catch(err => {
+							done(err.message);
+						});
 				});
 
 				it(`there should be ${EXPECTED_TOTAL_CONNECTIONS_AFTER_BLACKLISTING} established connections from 500[0-9] ports`, done => {
@@ -153,10 +157,14 @@ module.exports = function(
 						JSON.stringify(params.configurations[0], null, 4)
 					);
 					// Restart the node to load the just changed configuration
-					common.restartNode('node_0');
-					setTimeout(() => {
-						blockchainReady(done, null, null, 'http://127.0.0.1:4000');
-					}, 8000);
+					common
+						.restartNode('node_0')
+						.then(() => {
+							blockchainReady(done, null, null, 'http://127.0.0.1:4000');
+						})
+						.catch(err => {
+							done(err.message);
+						});
 				});
 
 				it(`there should be ${EXPECTED_TOTAL_CONNECTIONS} established connections from 500[0-9] ports`, done => {