diff --git a/lib/messages/ext_request.js b/lib/messages/ext_request.js
index 35ac072..3dc18d2 100644
--- a/lib/messages/ext_request.js
+++ b/lib/messages/ext_request.js
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ function ExtendedRequest(options) {
 
   this.requestName = options.requestName || '';
   this.requestValue = options.requestValue;
+
+  if(Buffer.isBuffer(this.requestValue)) {
+    this.requestValueBuffer = this.requestValue;
+  } else {
+    this.requestValueBuffer = new Buffer(this.requestValue || '', 'utf8');
+  }
 }
 util.inherits(ExtendedRequest, LDAPMessage);
 Object.defineProperties(ExtendedRequest.prototype, {
@@ -49,9 +55,27 @@ Object.defineProperties(ExtendedRequest.prototype, {
       if (!(Buffer.isBuffer(val) || typeof (val) === 'string'))
         throw new TypeError('value must be a buffer or a string');
 
+      if(Buffer.isBuffer(val)) {
+        this.requestValueBuffer = val;
+      } else {
+        this.requestValueBuffer = new Buffer(val, 'utf8');
+      }
+
       this.requestValue = val;
     },
     configurable: false
+  },
+  valueBuffer: {
+    get: function getValueBuffer() {
+      return this.requestValueBuffer;
+    },
+    set: function setValueBuffer(val) {
+      if(!Buffer.isBuffer(val))
+        throw new TypeError('valueBuffer must be a buffer');
+
+      this.value = val;
+    },
+    configurable: false
   }
 });
 
@@ -59,12 +83,10 @@ ExtendedRequest.prototype._parse = function (ber) {
   assert.ok(ber);
 
   this.requestName = ber.readString(0x80);
-  if (ber.peek() === 0x81)
-    try {
-      this.requestValue = ber.readString(0x81);
-    } catch (e) {
-      this.requestValue = ber.readBuffer(0x81);
-    }
+  if (ber.peek() === 0x81) {
+    this.requestValueBuffer = ber.readString(0x81, true);
+    this.requestValue = this.requestValueBuffer.toString('utf8');
+  }
 
   return true;
 };
diff --git a/test/messages/ext_request.test.js b/test/messages/ext_request.test.js
index 5056a71..5c2903e 100644
--- a/test/messages/ext_request.test.js
+++ b/test/messages/ext_request.test.js
@@ -4,6 +4,30 @@ var test = require('tape').test;
 
 var asn1 = require('asn1');
 
+var Buffer = require('buffer').Buffer;
+
+// Buffer.compare was only added on node 0.11.13
+var areBuffersEqual = function areBuffersEqual(bufA, bufB) {
+    if(!(Buffer.isBuffer(bufA) && Buffer.isBuffer(bufB))) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    if(typeof Buffer.compare === 'function') {
+      return Buffer.compare(bufA, bufB) === 0;
+    }
+
+    var len = bufA.length;
+    if (len !== bufB.length) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+        if (bufA.readUInt8(i) !== bufB.readUInt8(i)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+    return true;
+};
+
 
 ///--- Globals
 
@@ -37,6 +61,58 @@ test('new with args', function (t) {
   t.ok(req);
   t.equal(req.requestName, '1.2.3.4');
   t.equal(req.requestValue, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.requestValueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.equal(req.value, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.valueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.end();
+});
+
+
+test('new with buffer args', function (t) {
+  var req = new ExtendedRequest({
+    requestName: '1.2.3.4',
+    requestValue: new Buffer('test', 'utf8')
+  });
+  t.ok(req);
+  t.equal(req.requestName, '1.2.3.4');
+  t.equal(req.requestValue, req.requestValueBuffer);
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.requestValueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.equal(req.value, req.valueBuffer);
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.valueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.end();
+});
+
+
+test('new no args set args', function (t) {
+  var req = new ExtendedRequest();
+  t.ok(req);
+
+  req.name = '1.2.3.4';
+  t.equal(req.requestName, '1.2.3.4');
+
+  req.value = 'test';
+  t.equal(req.requestValue, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.requestValueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.equal(req.value, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.valueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+
+  t.end();
+});
+
+
+test('new no args set args buffer', function (t) {
+  var req = new ExtendedRequest();
+  t.ok(req);
+
+  req.name = '1.2.3.4';
+  t.equal(req.requestName, '1.2.3.4');
+
+  req.value = new Buffer('test', 'utf8');
+  t.equal(req.requestValue, req.requestValueBuffer);
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.requestValueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.equal(req.value, req.valueBuffer);
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.valueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+
   t.end();
 });
 
@@ -51,6 +127,9 @@ test('parse', function (t) {
   t.ok(req._parse(new BerReader(ber.buffer)));
   t.equal(req.requestName, '1.2.3.4');
   t.equal(req.requestValue, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.requestValueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
+  t.equal(req.value, 'test');
+  t.ok(areBuffersEqual(req.valueBuffer, new Buffer('test', 'utf8')));
   t.end();
 });
 
@@ -74,3 +153,24 @@ test('toBer', function (t) {
 
   t.end();
 });
+
+
+test('toBer from buffer', function (t) {
+  var req = new ExtendedRequest({
+    messageID: 123,
+    requestName: '1.2.3.4',
+    requestValue: new Buffer('test', 'utf8')
+  });
+
+  t.ok(req);
+
+  var ber = new BerReader(req.toBer());
+  t.ok(ber);
+  t.equal(ber.readSequence(), 0x30);
+  t.equal(ber.readInt(), 123);
+  t.equal(ber.readSequence(), 0x77);
+  t.equal(ber.readString(0x80), '1.2.3.4');
+  t.equal(ber.readString(0x81), 'test');
+
+  t.end();
+});