diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 08436b7..6c290e9 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
   private bootstrapped: boolean;
   private graph: any;
   private connectedTo: Set<any>;
+  private heartBeatInterval: number;
 
   protected flood: DHTFlood;
 
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
     swarm: any,
     {
       id = swarm.keyPair.publicKey,
+      heartBeatInterval = 15,
       ...opts
     }: { id?: Buffer; [key: string]: any } = {}
   ) {
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
     this.bootstrapped = false;
     this.graph = new DiGraph();
     this.connectedTo = new Set();
+    this.heartBeatInterval = heartBeatInterval;
     this._cache = new Set();
     this._online = new Set([this._maybeHexify(this.id)]);
     this.swarm = swarm;
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
 
     this._ensurePeer(this.id);
     setInterval(() => this._heartbeatCheck(), 5 * 1000);
-    setInterval(() => this._emitHeartbeat(), 60 * 1000);
+    setInterval(() => this._emitHeartbeat(), this.heartBeatInterval * 1000);
   }
 
   private _cache: Set<string>;
@@ -482,7 +485,9 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
 
       const conn = this.swarm._allConnections.get(pubkey);
       const online =
-        conn && heartbeat > 0 && Date.now() - heartbeat <= 60 * 1000;
+        conn &&
+        heartbeat > 0 &&
+        Date.now() - heartbeat <= this.heartBeatInterval * 1000;
 
       if (node?.online !== online) {
         changed = true;