diff --git a/stream/stream.py b/stream/stream.py
index 0412fc33..611a8589 100644
--- a/stream/stream.py
+++ b/stream/stream.py
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 def stream(func, *args, **kwargs):
     """Stream given API call using websocket"""
 
+    binary = kwargs.pop('binary', False)
+
     def _intercept_request_call(*args, **kwargs):
         # old generated code's api client has config. new ones has
         # configuration
@@ -23,6 +25,7 @@ def _intercept_request_call(*args, **kwargs):
             config = func.__self__.api_client.configuration
         except AttributeError:
             config = func.__self__.api_client.config
+        kwargs['binary'] = binary
 
         return ws_client.websocket_call(config, *args, **kwargs)
 
diff --git a/stream/ws_client.py b/stream/ws_client.py
index 1cc56cdd..0b7baa3f 100644
--- a/stream/ws_client.py
+++ b/stream/ws_client.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 
 class WSClient:
-    def __init__(self, configuration, url, headers):
+    def __init__(self, configuration, url, headers, binary=False):
         """A websocket client with support for channels.
 
             Exec command uses different channels for different streams. for
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ def __init__(self, configuration, url, headers):
         header = []
         self._connected = False
         self._channels = {}
-        self._all = ""
+        self._all = b"" if binary else ''
+        self.binary = binary
 
         # We just need to pass the Authorization, ignore all the other
         # http headers we get from the generated code
@@ -98,8 +99,8 @@ def readline_channel(self, channel, timeout=None):
         while self.is_open() and time.time() - start < timeout:
             if channel in self._channels:
                 data = self._channels[channel]
-                if "\n" in data:
-                    index = data.find("\n")
+                if b"\n" if self.binary else '\n' in data:
+                    index = data.find(b"\n" if self.binary else '\n')
                     ret = data[:index]
                     data = data[index+1:]
                     if data:
@@ -111,7 +112,9 @@ def readline_channel(self, channel, timeout=None):
 
     def write_channel(self, channel, data):
         """Write data to a channel."""
-        self.sock.send(chr(channel) + data)
+        if type(data) != bytes:
+            data = bytes(data, 'utf-8')
+        self.sock.send(bytearray((channel, )) + data)
 
     def peek_stdout(self, timeout=0):
         """Same as peek_channel with channel=1."""
@@ -147,7 +150,7 @@ def read_all(self):
         channels mapped for each input.
         """
         out = self._all
-        self._all = ""
+        self._all = b"" if self.binary else ''
         self._channels = {}
         return out
 
@@ -175,12 +178,15 @@ def update(self, timeout=0):
                 return
             elif op_code == ABNF.OPCODE_BINARY or op_code == ABNF.OPCODE_TEXT:
                 data = frame.data
-                if six.PY3:
-                    data = data.decode("utf-8")
                 if len(data) > 1:
-                    channel = ord(data[0])
+                    if six.PY2:
+                        channel = ord(data[0])
+                    else:
+                        channel = int(data[0])
                     data = data[1:]
                     if data:
+                        if not self.binary and six.PY3:
+                            data = data.decode('utf-8')
                         if channel in [STDOUT_CHANNEL, STDERR_CHANNEL]:
                             # keeping all messages in the order they received for
                             # non-blocking call.
@@ -232,6 +238,7 @@ def websocket_call(configuration, *args, **kwargs):
     _request_timeout = kwargs.get("_request_timeout", 60)
     _preload_content = kwargs.get("_preload_content", True)
     headers = kwargs.get("headers")
+    binary = kwargs.pop("binary", False)
 
     # Expand command parameter list to indivitual command params
     query_params = []
@@ -246,10 +253,13 @@ def websocket_call(configuration, *args, **kwargs):
         url += '?' + urlencode(query_params)
 
     try:
-        client = WSClient(configuration, get_websocket_url(url), headers)
+        client = WSClient(configuration, get_websocket_url(url), headers, binary)
         if not _preload_content:
             return client
         client.run_forever(timeout=_request_timeout)
-        return WSResponse('%s' % ''.join(client.read_all()))
+        if binary:
+            return WSResponse(b''.join(client.read_all()))
+        else:
+            return WSResponse('%s' % ''.join(client.read_all()))
     except (Exception, KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit) as e:
         raise ApiException(status=0, reason=str(e))