diff --git a/tests/backend/loadSettings.js b/tests/backend/loadSettings.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f208fe3d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/backend/loadSettings.js
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+var jsonminify = require(__dirname+"/../../src/node_modules/jsonminify");
+
+function loadSettings(){
+  var settingsStr = fs.readFileSync(__dirname+"/../../settings.json").toString();
+  // try to parse the settings
+  var settings;
+  try {
+    if(settingsStr) {
+      settingsStr = jsonminify(settingsStr).replace(",]","]").replace(",}","}");
+      return JSON.parse(settingsStr);
+    }
+  }catch(e){
+    console.error("whoops something is bad with settings");
+  }
+}
+
+exports.loadSettings = loadSettings;
diff --git a/tests/backend/specs/api/chat.js b/tests/backend/specs/api/chat.js
index 59b7edc0a..2bcd9783a 100644
--- a/tests/backend/specs/api/chat.js
+++ b/tests/backend/specs/api/chat.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var assert = require('assert')
  supertest = require(__dirname+'/../../../../src/node_modules/supertest'),
         fs = require('fs'),
-       api = supertest('http://localhost:9001');
+  settings = require(__dirname+'/../../loadSettings').loadSettings(),
+       api = supertest('http://'+settings.ip+":"+settings.port),
       path = require('path');
 
 var filePath = path.join(__dirname, '../../../../APIKEY.txt');
diff --git a/tests/backend/specs/api/pad.js b/tests/backend/specs/api/pad.js
index cbfcfe302..1b6e883aa 100644
--- a/tests/backend/specs/api/pad.js
+++ b/tests/backend/specs/api/pad.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var assert = require('assert')
  supertest = require(__dirname+'/../../../../src/node_modules/supertest'),
         fs = require('fs'),
-       api = supertest('http://localhost:9001');
+  settings = require(__dirname+'/../../loadSettings').loadSettings(),
+       api = supertest('http://'+settings.ip+":"+settings.port),
       path = require('path'),
      async = require(__dirname+'/../../../../src/node_modules/async');
 
diff --git a/tests/backend/specs/api/sessionsAndGroups.js b/tests/backend/specs/api/sessionsAndGroups.js
index 4742852ff..4089656ac 100644
--- a/tests/backend/specs/api/sessionsAndGroups.js
+++ b/tests/backend/specs/api/sessionsAndGroups.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var assert = require('assert')
  supertest = require(__dirname+'/../../../../src/node_modules/supertest'),
         fs = require('fs'),
-       api = supertest('http://localhost:9001');
+  settings = require(__dirname+'/../../loadSettings').loadSettings(),
+       api = supertest('http://'+settings.ip+":"+settings.port),
       path = require('path');
 
 var filePath = path.join(__dirname, '../../../../APIKEY.txt');