diff --git a/lib/client/client.js b/lib/client/client.js
index a765735..6dc9cde 100644
--- a/lib/client/client.js
+++ b/lib/client/client.js
@@ -454,8 +454,8 @@ Client.prototype.exop = function exop(name, value, controls, callback) {
     controls = [];
     value = '';
   }
-  if (typeof (value) !== 'string')
-    throw new TypeError('value (string) required');
+  if (!(Buffer.isBuffer(value) || typeof (value) === 'string'))
+    throw new TypeError('value (Buffer || string) required');
   if (typeof (controls) === 'function') {
     callback = controls;
     controls = [];
diff --git a/lib/messages/ext_request.js b/lib/messages/ext_request.js
index 0329cdc..6147279 100644
--- a/lib/messages/ext_request.js
+++ b/lib/messages/ext_request.js
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ function ExtendedRequest(options) {
       throw new TypeError('options must be an object');
     if (options.requestName && typeof (options.requestName) !== 'string')
       throw new TypeError('options.requestName must be a string');
-    if (options.requestValue && typeof (options.requestValue) !== 'string')
-      throw new TypeError('options.requestValue must be a string');
+    if (options.requestValue && !(Buffer.isBuffer(options.requestValue) || typeof (options.requestValue) === 'string'))
+      throw new TypeError('options.requestValue must be a buffer or a string');
   } else {
     options = {};
   }
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ function ExtendedRequest(options) {
     this.requestName = name;
   });
   this.__defineSetter__('value', function (val) {
-    if (typeof (val) !== 'string')
-      throw new TypeError('value must be a string');
+    if (!(Buffer.isBuffer(val) || typeof (val) === 'string'))
+      throw new TypeError('value must be a buffer or a string');
 
     this.requestValue = val;
   });
@@ -69,7 +69,11 @@ ExtendedRequest.prototype._parse = function (ber) {
 
   this.requestName = ber.readString(0x80);
   if (ber.peek() === 0x81)
-    this.requestValue = ber.readString(0x81);
+    try {
+      this.requestValue = ber.readString(0x81);
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.requestValue = ber.readBuffer(0x81);
+    }
 
   return true;
 };
@@ -79,7 +83,9 @@ ExtendedRequest.prototype._toBer = function (ber) {
   assert.ok(ber);
 
   ber.writeString(this.requestName, 0x80);
-  if (this.requestValue)
+  if (Buffer.isBuffer(this.requestValue))
+    ber.writeBuffer(this.requestValue, 0x81);
+  else
     ber.writeString(this.requestValue, 0x81);
 
   return ber;
@@ -90,7 +96,7 @@ ExtendedRequest.prototype._json = function (j) {
   assert.ok(j);
 
   j.requestName = this.requestName;
-  j.requestValue = this.requestValue;
+  j.requestValue = (Buffer.isBuffer(this.requestValue)) ? this.requestValue.toString('hex') : this.requestValue;
 
   return j;
 };