diff --git a/messaging/__init__.py b/messaging/__init__.py
index 0eb926f79f68c1..a1f20ed93fe1bf 100644
--- a/messaging/__init__.py
+++ b/messaging/__init__.py
@@ -131,7 +131,8 @@ def recv_one_retry(sock: SubSocket) -> capnp.lib.capnp._DynamicStructReader:
 
 class SubMaster():
   def __init__(self, services: List[str], poll: Optional[List[str]] = None,
-               ignore_alive: Optional[List[str]] = None, check_average_freq: bool = True, addr: str = "127.0.0.1"):
+               ignore_alive: Optional[List[str]] = None, ignore_avg_freq: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+               addr: str = "127.0.0.1"):
     self.frame = -1
     self.updated = {s: False for s in services}
     self.rcv_time = {s: 0. for s in services}
@@ -143,16 +144,13 @@ def __init__(self, services: List[str], poll: Optional[List[str]] = None,
     self.data = {}
     self.valid = {}
     self.logMonoTime = {}
-    self.check_average_freq = check_average_freq and (not SIMULATION)
 
     self.poller = Poller()
     self.non_polled_services = [s for s in services if poll is not None and
                                 len(poll) and s not in poll]
 
-    if ignore_alive is not None:
-      self.ignore_alive = ignore_alive
-    else:
-      self.ignore_alive = []
+    self.ignore_average_freq = [] if ignore_avg_freq is None else ignore_avg_freq
+    self.ignore_alive = [] if ignore_alive is None else ignore_alive
 
     for s in services:
       if addr is not None:
@@ -192,7 +190,8 @@ def update_msgs(self, cur_time: float, msgs: List[capnp.lib.capnp._DynamicStruct
       s = msg.which()
       self.updated[s] = True
 
-      if self.check_average_freq and self.rcv_time[s] > 1e-5 and self.freq[s] > 1e-5 and (s not in self.non_polled_services):
+      if self.rcv_time[s] > 1e-5 and self.freq[s] > 1e-5 and (s not in self.non_polled_services) \
+        and (s not in self.ignore_average_freq) and (not SIMULATION):
         self.recv_dts[s].append(cur_time - self.rcv_time[s])
 
       self.rcv_time[s] = cur_time
@@ -207,11 +206,10 @@ def update_msgs(self, cur_time: float, msgs: List[capnp.lib.capnp._DynamicStruct
         # alive if delay is within 10x the expected frequency
         self.alive[s] = (cur_time - self.rcv_time[s]) < (10. / self.freq[s])
 
-        if self.check_average_freq:
-          # alive if average frequency is higher than 90% of expected frequency
-          avg_dt = sum(self.recv_dts[s]) / AVG_FREQ_HISTORY
-          expected_dt = 1 / (self.freq[s] * 0.90)
-          self.alive[s] = self.alive[s] and (avg_dt < expected_dt)
+        # alive if average frequency is higher than 90% of expected frequency
+        avg_dt = sum(self.recv_dts[s]) / AVG_FREQ_HISTORY
+        expected_dt = 1 / (self.freq[s] * 0.90)
+        self.alive[s] = self.alive[s] and (avg_dt < expected_dt)
       else:
         self.alive[s] = True