diff --git a/node/lux_node_sync.go b/node/lux_node_sync.go
index 5fe85ad..feb4325 100644
--- a/node/lux_node_sync.go
+++ b/node/lux_node_sync.go
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 package node
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"lux/proto"
-	"net/netip"
 
 	ipnet "net"
 )
@@ -48,25 +46,10 @@ func (sync *LuxNodeSync) Read(rd *proto.LuxBuffer) error {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		ipOctets, err := rd.ReadVarBlock()
+		addrPort, err := rd.ReadIPPort()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		portNum, err := rd.ReadUint16()
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		// TODO: move this to proto
-		var addrPort netip.AddrPort
-		switch len(ipOctets) {
-		case ipnet.IPv4len:
-			addrPort = netip.AddrPortFrom(netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte(ipOctets)), portNum)
-		case ipnet.IPv6len:
-			addrPort = netip.AddrPortFrom(netip.AddrFrom16([16]byte(ipOctets)), portNum)
-		default:
-			return fmt.Errorf("received wrong sized neighbor ip len %d", len(ipOctets))
-		}
 
 		sync.Neighbors[id] = ipnet.UDPAddrFromAddrPort(addrPort)
 	}
diff --git a/proto/lux_buffer.go b/proto/lux_buffer.go
index edd33ed..f9e708e 100644
--- a/proto/lux_buffer.go
+++ b/proto/lux_buffer.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package proto
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"net/netip"
 )
 
 var NO = binary.BigEndian
@@ -191,3 +193,56 @@ func (buf *LuxBuffer) ReadString() (string, error) {
 func (buf *LuxBuffer) WriteString(val string) {
 	buf.WriteVarBlock([]byte(val))
 }
+
+func (buf *LuxBuffer) ReadIP() (netip.Addr, error) {
+	var addr netip.Addr
+
+	ipOctets, err := buf.ReadVarBlock()
+	if err != nil {
+		return addr, err
+	}
+
+	switch len(ipOctets) {
+	case net.IPv4len:
+		addr = netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte(ipOctets))
+	case net.IPv6len:
+		addr = netip.AddrFrom16([16]byte(ipOctets))
+	default:
+		return addr, fmt.Errorf("wrong ip size %d", len(ipOctets))
+	}
+
+	return addr, nil
+}
+
+func (buf *LuxBuffer) WriteIP(addr netip.Addr) {
+	if addr.Is4() {
+		octets := addr.As4()
+		buf.WriteVarBlock(octets[:])
+	} else if addr.Is6() {
+		octets := addr.As16()
+		buf.WriteVarBlock(octets[:])
+	} else {
+		panic("WriteIP addr is neither IPv4 nor IPv6")
+	}
+}
+
+func (buf *LuxBuffer) ReadIPPort() (netip.AddrPort, error) {
+	var addrPort netip.AddrPort
+
+	addr, err := buf.ReadIP()
+	if err != nil {
+		return addrPort, err
+	}
+
+	portNum, err := buf.ReadUint16()
+	if err != nil {
+		return addrPort, err
+	}
+
+	return netip.AddrPortFrom(addr, portNum), nil
+}
+
+func (buf *LuxBuffer) WriteIPPort(addrPort netip.AddrPort) {
+	buf.WriteIP(addrPort.Addr())
+	buf.WriteUint16(addrPort.Port())
+}