diff --git a/src/comm/LinkManager.cc b/src/comm/LinkManager.cc
index f8d4771c2db354d85ee2b776204e55e8db824559..f7116385ee2a56c7feb2d835ef74a32759c48b8a 100644
--- a/src/comm/LinkManager.cc
+++ b/src/comm/LinkManager.cc
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ const char* LinkManager::_autoconnect3DRRadioKey =  "Autoconnect3DRRadio";
 const char* LinkManager::_autoconnectPX4FlowKey =   "AutoconnectPX4Flow";
 const char* LinkManager::_defaultUPDLinkName =      "Default UDP Link";
 
+const int LinkManager::_autoconnectUpdateTimerMSecs =   1000;
+#ifdef Q_OS_WIN
+// Have to manually let the bootloader go by on Windows to get a working connect
+const int LinkManager::_autoconnectConnectDelayMSecs =  6000;
+#else
+const int LinkManager::_autoconnectConnectDelayMSecs =  1000;
+#endif
+
 LinkManager::LinkManager(QGCApplication* app)
     : QGCTool(app)
     , _configUpdateSuspended(false)
@@ -96,7 +104,7 @@ void LinkManager::setToolbox(QGCToolbox *toolbox)
    connect(_mavlinkProtocol, &MAVLinkProtocol::vehicleHeartbeatInfo, this, &LinkManager::_vehicleHeartbeatInfo);
 
     connect(&_portListTimer, &QTimer::timeout, this, &LinkManager::_updateAutoConnectLinks);
-    _portListTimer.start(6000); // timeout must be long enough to get past bootloader on second pass
+    _portListTimer.start(_autoconnectUpdateTimerMSecs); // timeout must be long enough to get past bootloader on second pass
 
 }
 
@@ -220,10 +228,16 @@ void LinkManager::disconnectLink(LinkInterface* link)
 
     link->_disconnect();
     LinkConfiguration* config = link->getLinkConfiguration();
-    if(config) {
-        config->setLink(NULL);
+    if (config) {
+        if (_autoconnectConfigurations.contains(config)) {
+            config->setLink(NULL);
+        }
     }
     _deleteLink(link);
+    if (_autoconnectConfigurations.contains(config)) {
+        _autoconnectConfigurations.removeOne(config);
+        delete config;
+    }
 }
 
 void LinkManager::_deleteLink(LinkInterface* link)
@@ -465,11 +479,11 @@ void LinkManager::_updateAutoConnectLinks(void)
                 // are in the bootloader is flaky from a cross-platform standpoint. So by putting it on a wait list
                 // and only connect on the second pass we leave enough time for the board to boot up.
                 qCDebug(LinkManagerLog) << "Waiting for next autoconnect pass" << portInfo.systemLocation();
-                _autoconnectWaitList.append(portInfo.systemLocation());
-            } else {
+                _autoconnectWaitList[portInfo.systemLocation()] = 1;
+            } else if (++_autoconnectWaitList[portInfo.systemLocation()] * _autoconnectUpdateTimerMSecs > _autoconnectConnectDelayMSecs) {
                 SerialConfiguration* pSerialConfig = NULL;
 
-                _autoconnectWaitList.removeOne(portInfo.systemLocation());
+                _autoconnectWaitList.remove(portInfo.systemLocation());
 
                 switch (boardType) {
                 case QGCSerialPortInfo::BoardTypePX4FMUV1:
@@ -707,3 +721,8 @@ QStringList LinkManager::serialBaudRates(void)
     return SerialConfiguration::supportedBaudRates();
 #endif
 }
+
+bool LinkManager::isAutoconnectLink(LinkInterface* link)
+{
+    return _autoconnectConfigurations.contains(link->getLinkConfiguration());
+}
diff --git a/src/comm/LinkManager.h b/src/comm/LinkManager.h
index a93fa19880aca396cd9233cf8d1a3cb4736570cf..f38a4085ce1dece55bf9a178c6ba34d7c5bfe1a9 100644
--- a/src/comm/LinkManager.h
+++ b/src/comm/LinkManager.h
@@ -158,6 +158,9 @@ public:
     // Called to signal app shutdown. Disconnects all links while turning off auto-connect.
     void shutdown(void);
 
+    /// @return true: specified link is an autoconnect link
+    bool isAutoconnectLink(LinkInterface* link);
+
     // Override from QGCTool
     virtual void setToolbox(QGCToolbox *toolbox);
 
@@ -216,7 +219,7 @@ private:
     QmlObjectListModel  _linkConfigurations;
     QmlObjectListModel  _autoconnectConfigurations;
 
-    QStringList _autoconnectWaitList;
+    QMap<QString, int>  _autoconnectWaitList;   ///< key: QGCSerialPortInfo.systemLocation, value: wait count
     QStringList _commPortList;
 
     bool _autoconnectUDP;
@@ -224,12 +227,14 @@ private:
     bool _autoconnect3DRRadio;
     bool _autoconnectPX4Flow;
 
-    static const char* _settingsGroup;
-    static const char* _autoconnectUDPKey;
-    static const char* _autoconnectPixhawkKey;
-    static const char* _autoconnect3DRRadioKey;
-    static const char* _autoconnectPX4FlowKey;
-    static const char* _defaultUPDLinkName;
+    static const char*  _settingsGroup;
+    static const char*  _autoconnectUDPKey;
+    static const char*  _autoconnectPixhawkKey;
+    static const char*  _autoconnect3DRRadioKey;
+    static const char*  _autoconnectPX4FlowKey;
+    static const char*  _defaultUPDLinkName;
+    static const int    _autoconnectUpdateTimerMSecs;
+    static const int    _autoconnectConnectDelayMSecs;
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/comm/SerialLink.cc b/src/comm/SerialLink.cc
index 0e27ae7d1a1adea7eceb2da35674344f769b426f..e1d06a33897f50568443eb626d00fc5a2cb09153 100644
--- a/src/comm/SerialLink.cc
+++ b/src/comm/SerialLink.cc
@@ -154,28 +154,30 @@ bool SerialLink::_connect(void)
     qgcApp()->toolbox()->linkManager()->suspendConfigurationUpdates(true);
 #endif
 
+    QSerialPort::SerialPortError    error;
+    QString                         errorString;
+
     // Initialize the connection
-    if (!_hardwareConnect(_type)) {
-        // Need to error out here.
-        QString err("Could not create port.");
-        if (_port) {
-            err = _port->errorString();
+    if (!_hardwareConnect(error, errorString)) {
+        if (qgcApp()->toolbox()->linkManager()->isAutoconnectLink(this)) {
+            // Be careful with spitting out open error related to trying to open a busy port using autoconnect
+            if (error == QSerialPort::PermissionError) {
+                // Device already open, ignore and fail connect
+                return false;
+            }
         }
-        _emitLinkError("Error connecting: " + err);
+
+        _emitLinkError(QString("Error connecting: Could not create port. %1").arg(errorString));
         return false;
     }
     return true;
 }
 
-/**
- * @brief This function is called indirectly by the _connect() call.
- *
- * The _connect() function starts the thread and indirectly calls this method.
- *
- * @return True if the connection could be established, false otherwise
- * @see _connect() For the right function to establish the connection.
- **/
-bool SerialLink::_hardwareConnect(QString &type)
+/// Performs the actual hardware port connection.
+///     @param[out] error if failed
+///     @param[out] error string if failed
+/// @return success/fail
+bool SerialLink::_hardwareConnect(QSerialPort::SerialPortError& error, QString& errorString)
 {
     if (_port) {
         qCDebug(SerialLinkLog) << "SerialLink:" << QString::number((long)this, 16) << "closing port";
@@ -235,6 +237,9 @@ bool SerialLink::_hardwareConnect(QString &type)
     }
 #endif
     if (!_port->isOpen() ) {
+        qDebug() << "open failed" << _port->errorString() << _port->error() << getName() << qgcApp()->toolbox()->linkManager()->isAutoconnectLink(this);
+        error = _port->error();
+        errorString = _port->errorString();
         emit communicationUpdate(getName(),"Error opening port: " + _port->errorString());
         _port->close();
         delete _port;
@@ -252,7 +257,7 @@ bool SerialLink::_hardwareConnect(QString &type)
     emit communicationUpdate(getName(), "Opened port!");
     emit connected();
 
-    qCDebug(SerialLinkLog) << "CONNECTING LINK: " << __FILE__ << __LINE__ << "type:" << type << "with settings" << _config->portName()
+    qCDebug(SerialLinkLog) << "Connection SeriaLink: " << "with settings" << _config->portName()
              << _config->baud() << _config->dataBits() << _config->parity() << _config->stopBits();
 
     return true; // successful connection
diff --git a/src/comm/SerialLink.h b/src/comm/SerialLink.h
index 12d02b0dcc8975e07b1fe1dbbada535314a14175..d9ab7faad2c9175d50f571bcc3afee3d876a864a 100644
--- a/src/comm/SerialLink.h
+++ b/src/comm/SerialLink.h
@@ -152,7 +152,6 @@ protected:
     int     _timeout;
     QMutex  _dataMutex;       // Mutex for reading data from _port
     QMutex  _writeMutex;      // Mutex for accessing the _transmitBuffer.
-    QString _type;
 
 private slots:
     void _readBytes(void);
@@ -168,7 +167,7 @@ private:
 
     // Internal methods
     void _emitLinkError(const QString& errorMsg);
-    bool _hardwareConnect(QString &_type);
+    bool _hardwareConnect(QSerialPort::SerialPortError& error, QString& errorString);
     bool _isBootloader();
     void _resetConfiguration();