diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index c71deff..c90b31a 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
         "react": "^18.2.0",
         "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
         "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
+        "react-use-websocket": "^4.5.0",
         "typescript": "^4.9.5",
         "web-vitals": "^2.1.4"
       }
@@ -14586,6 +14587,15 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/react-use-websocket": {
+      "version": "4.5.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/react-use-websocket/-/react-use-websocket-4.5.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-oxYVLWM3Lv0InCfjW7hG/Hk0hkE0P1SiLd5/I3d5x0W4riAnDUkD4VEu7qNVAqxNjBF3nU7k0jLMOetLXpwfsA==",
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "react": ">= 18.0.0",
+        "react-dom": ">= 18.0.0"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/read-cache": {
       "version": "1.0.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/read-cache/-/read-cache-1.0.0.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bd809a8..fabd12b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
     "react": "^18.2.0",
     "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
     "react-scripts": "5.0.1",
+    "react-use-websocket": "^4.5.0",
     "typescript": "^4.9.5",
     "web-vitals": "^2.1.4"
   },
diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index 75a5685..84234b7 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 import React from "react";
 import ChatWrapper from "./Chat/Chat";
 const App = (): React.ReactElement => {
+    var username: string | null = prompt("Username: ")
+    if (!username) {
+        alert("Invalid username!")
+        var username: string | null = prompt("Username: ")
+    }
     return (
         <div className="App">
             <h1>Local Area Network Chat Application</h1>
             <pre>This web application was built for the purposes of an EPQ project.</pre>
-            <ChatWrapper user="testuser" brokerURL=""/>
+            <ChatWrapper user={username as string} brokerURL=""/>
         </div>
     )
 }
diff --git a/src/Chat/Chat.tsx b/src/Chat/Chat.tsx
index 0956858..817ada2 100644
--- a/src/Chat/Chat.tsx
+++ b/src/Chat/Chat.tsx
@@ -2,9 +2,8 @@ import React, { useState } from "react";
 import { Message } from "./Message";
 import { Client, Stomp } from "@stomp/stompjs";
 import { MessageType } from "./types";
-const domain = "localhost"
-const port = "8080"
-const connectionAddress = `ws://${domain}:${port}/ws`
+import useWebSocket from "react-use-websocket";
+
 const ChatWrapper = (
     {
         user,
@@ -15,6 +14,9 @@ const ChatWrapper = (
         brokerURL: string,
     }
 ): React.ReactElement => {
+    const domain = "localhost"
+    const port = "8080"
+    const connectionAddress = `ws://${domain}:${port}/ws`
     const stompClient = new Client({
         brokerURL: connectionAddress
     })
@@ -22,13 +24,14 @@ const ChatWrapper = (
     const [connected, setConnected] = useState(false)
     const [subscribe, setSubscribe] = useState("/sub/chat")
     const [username, setUsername] = useState<string>(user)
-    const [children, setChildren] = useState<React.ReactElement[]>([])
+    const [children, setChildren] = useState<React.ReactElement>()
     stompClient.onConnect = (frame) => {
         setConnected(true);
         stompClient.subscribe(subscribe, (message) => {
+            console.log(`Collected new message: ${message.body}`);
             const {from, to, content} = JSON.parse(message.body) as MessageType
             const messageElement = <Message sender={from} text={content} />
-            children.push(messageElement)
+            setChildren(messageElement)
         })
     }
     stompClient.onWebSocketError = (error) => {
@@ -39,7 +42,6 @@ const ChatWrapper = (
         console.error('Broker reported error: ' + frame.headers['message']);
         console.error('Additional details: ' + frame.body);
     };
-    
     const sendDataButtonHandler = (ev: React.MouseEvent) => {
         console.log("WebSockets handler invoked.")
         ev.preventDefault()
@@ -50,10 +52,14 @@ const ChatWrapper = (
             to: "everyone",
             content: entryElement.value
         }
-        stompClient.publish({
-            body: JSON.stringify(messageData),
-            destination: destination
-        })
+        console.log(`STOMP connection status: ${stompClient.connected}`);
+        
+        if (stompClient.connected) {
+            stompClient.publish({
+                body: JSON.stringify(messageData),
+                destination: destination
+            })
+        } else {alert("STOMP not activated!")}
     }
     const connect = () => {
         stompClient.activate()
@@ -84,9 +90,9 @@ const ChatWrapper = (
     // })
     return (
         <div className="chat">
-            <button onClick={ev => connect()}>Connect</button>
-            <button onClick={ev => disconnect()}>Disconnect</button>
-            <div className="chat-inner">
+            <button onClick={ev => connect()} disabled={false}>Connect</button>
+            <button onClick={ev => disconnect()} disabled={!connected}>Disconnect</button>
+            <div id="chat-inner">
             {children}
             </div>
             <span><input id="data-entry"></input><button onClick={ev => sendDataButtonHandler(ev)}>Send</button></span>
diff --git a/src/Chat/Message.tsx b/src/Chat/Message.tsx
index ec89348..9299ff8 100644
--- a/src/Chat/Message.tsx
+++ b/src/Chat/Message.tsx
@@ -9,5 +9,5 @@ export const Message = (
     }
 ): React.ReactElement<{ sender: string; text: string; }> => {
 
-    return (<p>Message from {sender}: {text}</p>);
+    return (<p>Message from {sender} @ {}: {text}</p>);
 };