diff --git a/daemon/call.c b/daemon/call.c
index de580e4ce..76866f077 100644
--- a/daemon/call.c
+++ b/daemon/call.c
@@ -1094,7 +1094,9 @@ retry:
 		for (i = 0; i < 100; i++)
 			close(i);
 
-		openlog("rtpengine/child", LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY, LOG_DAEMON);
+		if (!_log_stderr) {
+			openlog("rtpengine/child", LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY, LOG_DAEMON);
+		}
 		ilog(LOG_INFO, "Initiating XMLRPC call for tag "STR_FORMAT"", STR_FMT(tag));
 
 		alarm(5);
diff --git a/daemon/log.c b/daemon/log.c
index e3c2691cd..396fd65f9 100644
--- a/daemon/log.c
+++ b/daemon/log.c
@@ -19,7 +19,65 @@ volatile gint log_level = LOG_DEBUG;
 #define MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH 500
 #endif
 
+write_log_t write_log = (write_log_t) syslog;
+
+const _fac_code_t _facilitynames[] =
+	{
+		{ "auth", LOG_AUTH },
+		{ "authpriv", LOG_AUTHPRIV },
+		{ "cron", LOG_CRON },
+		{ "daemon", LOG_DAEMON },
+		{ "ftp", LOG_FTP },
+		{ "kern", LOG_KERN },
+		{ "lpr", LOG_LPR },
+		{ "mail", LOG_MAIL },
+		{ "news", LOG_NEWS },
+		{ "syslog", LOG_SYSLOG },
+		{ "user", LOG_USER },
+		{ "uucp", LOG_UUCP },
+		{ "local0", LOG_LOCAL0 },
+		{ "local1", LOG_LOCAL1 },
+		{ "local2", LOG_LOCAL2 },
+		{ "local3", LOG_LOCAL3 },
+		{ "local4", LOG_LOCAL4 },
+		{ "local5", LOG_LOCAL5 },
+		{ "local6", LOG_LOCAL6 },
+		{ "local7", LOG_LOCAL7 },
+		{ NULL, -1 }
+	};
+
+const char const* prio_str[] = {
+		"EMERG",
+		"ALERT",
+		"CRIT",
+		"ERR",
+		"WARNING",
+		"NOTICE",
+		"INFO",
+		"DEBUG"
+	};
+
+gboolean _log_stderr = 0;
+int _log_facility = LOG_DAEMON;
+
+void log_to_stderr(int facility_priority, char *format, ...) {
+	char *msg;
+	int ret;
+	va_list ap;
+
+	va_start(ap, format);
+	ret = vasprintf(&msg, format, ap);
+	va_end(ap);
+
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		fprintf(stderr,"ERR: Failed to print log message - message dropped\n");
+		return;
+	}
+
+	fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s\n", prio_str[facility_priority & LOG_PRIMASK], msg);
 
+	free(msg);
+}
 
 void ilog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...) {
 	char prefix[256];
@@ -60,20 +118,20 @@ void ilog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...) {
 	va_end(ap);
 
 	if (ret < 0) {
-		syslog(LOG_ERROR, "Failed to print syslog message - message dropped");
+		write_log(LOG_ERROR, "Failed to print syslog message - message dropped");
 		return;
 	}
 
 	piece = msg;
 
 	while (ret > MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH) {
-		syslog(xprio, "%s%s%.*s ...", prefix, infix, MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH, piece);
+		write_log(xprio, "%s%s%.*s ...", prefix, infix, MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH, piece);
 		ret -= MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH;
 		piece += MAX_LOG_LINE_LENGTH;
 		infix = "... ";
 	}
 
-	syslog(xprio, "%s%s%s", prefix, infix, piece);
+	write_log(xprio, "%s%s%s", prefix, infix, piece);
 
 	free(msg);
 }
diff --git a/daemon/log.h b/daemon/log.h
index fa6db2e1d..79c142e29 100644
--- a/daemon/log.h
+++ b/daemon/log.h
@@ -20,8 +20,21 @@ struct log_info {
 	} e;
 };
 
+extern gboolean _log_stderr;
+extern int _log_facility;
 
 
+typedef struct _fac_code {
+	char	*c_name;
+	int	c_val;
+} _fac_code_t;
+
+extern const _fac_code_t _facilitynames[];
+
+typedef void (* write_log_t) (int facility_priority, char *format, ...) __attribute__ ((format (printf, 2, 3)));
+extern write_log_t write_log;
+
+void log_to_stderr(int facility_priority, char *format, ...) __attribute__ ((format (printf, 2, 3)));
 
 extern struct log_info __thread log_info;
 extern volatile gint log_level;
diff --git a/daemon/main.c b/daemon/main.c
index b1120b0ad..6ae831362 100644
--- a/daemon/main.c
+++ b/daemon/main.c
@@ -232,6 +232,26 @@ fail:
 	return -1;
 }
 
+static int parse_log_facility(char *name, int *dst) {
+	int i;
+	for (i = 0 ; _facilitynames[i].c_name; i++) {
+		if (strcmp(_facilitynames[i].c_name, name) == 0) {
+			*dst = _facilitynames[i].c_val;
+			return 1;
+		}
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static void print_available_log_facilities () {
+	int i;
+
+	fprintf(stderr, "available facilities:");
+	for (i = 0 ; _facilitynames[i].c_name; i++) {
+		fprintf(stderr, " %s",  _facilitynames[i].c_name);
+	}
+	fprintf(stderr, "\n");
+}
 
 
 static void options(int *argc, char ***argv) {
@@ -243,6 +263,7 @@ static void options(int *argc, char ***argv) {
 	char *listenudps = NULL;
 	char *listenngs = NULL;
 	char *redisps = NULL;
+	char *log_facility_s = NULL;
 	int version = 0;
 
 	GOptionEntry e[] = {
@@ -267,6 +288,8 @@ static void options(int *argc, char ***argv) {
 		{ "redis-db",	'R', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_INT,	&redis_db,	"Which Redis DB to use",	"INT"	},
 		{ "b2b-url",	'b', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING,	&b2b_url,	"XMLRPC URL of B2B UA"	,	"STRING"	},
 		{ "log-level",	'L', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_INT,	(void *)&log_level,	"Mask log priorities above this level",	"INT"	},
+		{ "log-facility",	0,	0,	G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &log_facility_s, "Syslog facility to use for logging", "daemon|local0|...|local7"},
+		{ "log-stderr",	'E', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE,	&_log_stderr,	"Log on stderr instead of syslog",	NULL		},
 		{ "xmlrpc-format",	'x', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_INT,	&xmlrpc_fmt,	"XMLRPC timeout request format to use. 0: SEMS DI, 1: call-id only",	"INT"	},
 		{ NULL, }
 	};
@@ -341,6 +364,17 @@ static void options(int *argc, char ***argv) {
 	if ((log_level < LOG_EMERG) || (log_level > LOG_DEBUG))
 	        die("Invalid log level (--log_level)\n");
 	setlogmask(LOG_UPTO(log_level));
+
+	if (log_facility_s) {
+		if (!parse_log_facility(log_facility_s, &_log_facility)) {
+			print_available_log_facilities();
+			die ("Invalid log facility '%s' (--log-facility)\n", log_facility_s);
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (_log_stderr) {
+		write_log = log_to_stderr;
+	}
 }
 
 
@@ -378,7 +412,8 @@ static void init_everything() {
 #if !GLIB_CHECK_VERSION(2,32,0)
 	g_thread_init(NULL);
 #endif
-	openlog("rtpengine", LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY, LOG_DAEMON);
+	if (!_log_stderr)
+		openlog("rtpengine", LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY, _log_facility);
 	signals();
 	resources();
 	sdp_init();
@@ -556,8 +591,8 @@ static void poller_loop(void *d) {
 int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	struct main_context ctx;
 
-	init_everything();
 	options(&argc, &argv);
+	init_everything();
 	create_everything(&ctx);
 
 	ilog(LOG_INFO, "Startup complete, version %s", RTPENGINE_VERSION);
diff --git a/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.default b/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.default
index ed554e141..72a36ce9b 100644
--- a/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.default
+++ b/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.default
@@ -19,3 +19,4 @@ TABLE=0
 # REDIS_DB=1
 # B2B_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8090/
 # LOG_LEVEL=6
+# LOG_FACILITY=daemon
diff --git a/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.init b/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.init
index 13f8b78ca..423fc0e34 100755
--- a/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.init
+++ b/debian/ngcp-rtpengine-daemon.init
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ OPTIONS=""
 [ -z "$NO_FALLBACK" -o \( "$NO_FALLBACK" != "1" -a "$NO_FALLBACK" != "yes" \) ] || OPTIONS="$OPTIONS --no-fallback"
 OPTIONS="$OPTIONS --table=$TABLE"
 [ -z "$LOG_LEVEL" ] || OPTIONS="$OPTIONS --log-level=$LOG_LEVEL"
+[ -z "$LOG_FACILITY" ] || OPTIONS="$OPTIONS --log-facility=$LOG_FACILITY"
 if test "$FORK" = "no" ; then
 	OPTIONS="$OPTIONS --foreground"
 fi
diff --git a/el/rtpengine.init b/el/rtpengine.init
index ef6418b7d..4b6f3e756 100644
--- a/el/rtpengine.init
+++ b/el/rtpengine.init
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ build_opts() {
 	then
 		OPTS+=" --log-level=$LOG_LEVEL"
 	fi
+
+	if [[ -n "$LOG_FACILITY" ]]
+        then
+                OPTS+=" --log-facility=$LOG_FACILITY"
+        fi
 }
 
 start() {
diff --git a/el/rtpengine.sysconfig b/el/rtpengine.sysconfig
index 00c500e5b..eee9846cf 100644
--- a/el/rtpengine.sysconfig
+++ b/el/rtpengine.sysconfig
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ LISTEN_UDP=127.0.0.1:2222	# IP address and port combination for UDP
 			#     traffic. Default: 40000 
 #
 #LOG_LEVEL=6		# Log level to use
+#LOG_FACILITY=daemon    # Syslog facility to use
+
 # The following items are for use with NGCP
 #REDIS=127.0.0.1:6379
 #REDIS_DB=0