diff --git a/contrib/menu_login.py b/contrib/menu_login.py
index 29bc159f8e..6700685a64 100644
--- a/contrib/menu_login.py
+++ b/contrib/menu_login.py
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class CmdUsernameSelect(Command):
         else:
             # store the player so next step can find it
             self.menutree.player = player
-            self.caller.msg("", switchecho="off")
+            self.caller.msg("", echo=False)
             self.menutree.goto("node1b")
 
 
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ class CmdPasswordSelectBack(Command):
     def func(self):
         "Execute the command"
         self.menutree.goto("node1a")
-        self.caller.msg("", switchecho="on")
+        self.caller.msg("", echo=True)
 
 
 class CmdPasswordSelect(Command):
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ class CmdPasswordSelect(Command):
 
     def func(self):
         "Execute the command"
-        self.caller.msg("", switchecho="on")
+        self.caller.msg("", echo=True)
         if not hasattr(self.menutree, "player"):
             self.caller.msg("{rSomething went wrong! The player was not remembered from last step!{n")
             self.menutree.goto("node1a")
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ its and @/./+/-/_ only.{n") # this echoes the restrictions made by django's auth
             return
         # store the name for the next step
         self.menutree.playername = playername
-        self.caller.msg("", switchecho="off")
+        self.caller.msg("", echo=False)
         self.menutree.goto("node2b")
 
 
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ class CmdPasswordCreateBack(Command):
 
     def func(self):
         "Execute the command"
-        self.caller.msg("", switchecho="on")
+        self.caller.msg("", echo=True)
         self.menutree.goto("node2a")
 
 
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ class CmdPasswordCreate(Command):
     def func(self):
         "Execute  the command"
         password = self.args
-        self.caller.msg("", switchecho="on")
+        self.caller.msg("", echo=False)
         if not hasattr(self.menutree, 'playername'):
             self.caller.msg("{rSomething went wrong! Playername not remembered from previous step!{n")
             self.menutree.goto("node2a")
diff --git a/src/server/portal/telnet.py b/src/server/portal/telnet.py
index 41cd2c1f21..4155a5c19d 100644
--- a/src/server/portal/telnet.py
+++ b/src/server/portal/telnet.py
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ class TelnetProtocol(Telnet, StatefulTelnetProtocol, Session):
                        not convert them into ansi tokens)
             prompt=<string> - supply a prompt text which gets sent without a
                               newline added to the end
-            switchecho="on"/"off"
+            echo=True/False
         The telnet ttype negotiation flags, if any, are used if no kwargs
         are given.
         """
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ class TelnetProtocol(Telnet, StatefulTelnetProtocol, Session):
         raw = kwargs.get("raw", False)
         nomarkup = kwargs.get("nomarkup", not (xterm256 or useansi))
         prompt = kwargs.get("prompt")
-        switchecho = kwargs.get("switchecho")
+        echo = kwargs.get("echo", None)
         #print "telnet kwargs=%s, message=%s" % (kwargs, text)
         #print "xterm256=%s, useansi=%s, raw=%s, nomarkup=%s, init_done=%s" % (xterm256, useansi, raw, nomarkup, ttype.get("init_done"))
         if raw:
@@ -252,9 +252,8 @@ class TelnetProtocol(Telnet, StatefulTelnetProtocol, Session):
             prompt = prompt.replace(IAC, IAC + IAC).replace('\n', '\r\n')
             prompt += IAC + GA
             self.transport.write(mccp_compress(self, prompt))
-        if switchecho:
-            if switchecho == "on": 
-                self.transport.write(mccp_compress(self, IAC+WONT+ECHO))
-            if switchecho == "off":
-                self.transport.write(mccp_compress(self, IAC+WILL+ECHO))
+        if echo:
+            self.transport.write(mccp_compress(self, IAC+WONT+ECHO))
+        elif echo== False:
+            self.transport.write(mccp_compress(self, IAC+WILL+ECHO))