diff --git a/public/src/app.js b/public/src/app.js
index 54dc546630..2a76d2555a 100644
--- a/public/src/app.js
+++ b/public/src/app.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ var socket,
 							socket.emit('reconnected');
 
 							setTimeout(function() {
-								reconnectEl.removeClass('active');
+								reconnectEl.removeClass('active').addClass("hide");
 							}, 3000);
 						}
 
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ var socket,
 						reconnecting = true;
 
 						if (!reconnectEl.hasClass('active')) reconnectEl.html('<i class="fa fa-spinner fa-spin"></i>');
-						reconnectEl.addClass('active');
+						reconnectEl.addClass('active').removeClass("hide");
 
 						reconnectEl.tooltip({
 							placement: 'bottom'
diff --git a/public/src/forum/footer.js b/public/src/forum/footer.js
index 34e61d8cf0..d37c8cd604 100644
--- a/public/src/forum/footer.js
+++ b/public/src/forum/footer.js
@@ -5,14 +5,15 @@
 	});
 
 	socket.on('api:updateHeader', function(data) {
-		jQuery('#search-button').on('click', function() {
-			jQuery('#search-fields').removeClass('hide').show();
-			jQuery(this).hide();
-			jQuery('#search-fields input').focus()
-
-			jQuery('#search-form').on('submit', function() {
-				jQuery('#search-fields').hide();
-				jQuery('#search-button').show();
+
+		$('#search-button').on('click', function() {
+			$('#search-fields').removeClass('hide').show();
+			$(this).hide();
+			$('#search-fields input').focus();
+
+			$('#search-form').on('submit', function() {
+				$('#search-fields').hide();
+				$('#search-button').show();
 			});
 
 			$('#search-fields input').on('blur', function() {
@@ -22,16 +23,17 @@
 		});
 
 		var loggedInMenu = $('#logged-in-menu'),
-			isLoggedIn = data.uid > 0;
+			isLoggedIn = data.uid > 0,
+			allowGuestSearching = (data.config || {}).allowGuestSearching === '1';
 
 		if (isLoggedIn) {
-			jQuery('.nodebb-loggedin').show();
-			jQuery('.nodebb-loggedout').hide();
+			$('.nodebb-loggedin').show();
+			$('.nodebb-loggedout').hide();
 
 			$('#logged-out-menu').addClass('hide');
 			$('#logged-in-menu').removeClass('hide');
 
-			$('#search-button').show();
+			$('#search-button').removeClass("hide").show();
 
 			var userLabel = loggedInMenu.find('#user_label');
 
@@ -46,10 +48,14 @@
 				$('#logout-link').on('click', app.logout);
 			}
 		} else {
-			$('#search-button').hide();
+			if (allowGuestSearching) {
+				$('#search-button').removeClass("hide").show();
+			} else {
+				$('#search-button').addClass("hide").hide();
+			}
 
-			jQuery('.nodebb-loggedin').hide();
-			jQuery('.nodebb-loggedout').show();
+			$('.nodebb-loggedin').hide();
+			$('.nodebb-loggedout').show();
 
 			$('#logged-out-menu').removeClass('hide');
 			$('#logged-in-menu').addClass('hide');
diff --git a/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl b/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
index ea3655bd24..5d022cf19c 100644
--- a/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
@@ -99,6 +99,11 @@
 				<input type="checkbox" data-field="allowGuestPosting"> <strong>Allow guests to post without logging in</strong>
 			</label>
 		</div>
+		<div class="checkbox">
+			<label>
+				<input type="checkbox" data-field="allowGuestSearching"> <strong>Allow guests to search without logging in</strong>
+			</label>
+		</div>
 		<div class="checkbox">
 			<label>
 				<input type="checkbox" data-field="useOutgoingLinksPage"> <strong>Use Outgoing Links Warning Page</strong>
diff --git a/public/templates/header.tpl b/public/templates/header.tpl
index 17d1f98e6d..6a3418a63b 100644
--- a/public/templates/header.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/header.tpl
@@ -74,19 +74,7 @@
 
 				<ul id="logged-in-menu" class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right hide">
 					<li>
-						<a href="#" id="reconnect" title="Connection to {title} has been lost, attempting to reconnect..."><i class="fa fa-check"></i></a>
-					</li>
-
-					<li>
-						<form id="search-form" class="navbar-form navbar-right hidden-xs" role="search" method="GET" action="">
-							<div class="hide" id="search-fields">
-								<div class="form-group">
-									<input type="text" class="form-control" placeholder="Search" name="query" value="">
-								</div>
-								<button type="submit" class="btn btn-default hide">[[global:search]]</button>
-							</div>
-							<button id="search-button" type="button" class="btn btn-link"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></button>
-						</form>
+						<a href="#" id="reconnect" class="hide" title="Connection to {title} has been lost, attempting to reconnect..."><i class="fa fa-check"></i></a>
 					</li>
 
 					<li class="notifications dropdown text-center hidden-xs">
@@ -143,6 +131,20 @@
 					</li>
 				</ul>
 
+				<ul id="logged-conditional-menu" class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right">
+					<li>
+						<form id="search-form" class="navbar-form navbar-right hidden-xs" role="search" method="GET" action="">
+							<div class="hide" id="search-fields">
+								<div class="form-group">
+									<input type="text" class="form-control" placeholder="Search" name="query" value="">
+								</div>
+								<button type="submit" class="btn btn-default hide">[[global:search]]</button>
+							</div>
+							<button id="search-button" type="button" class="btn btn-link hide"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></button>
+						</form>
+					</li>
+				</ul>
+
 				<ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right pagination-block">
 					<li class="active">
 						<a href="#">
diff --git a/src/install.js b/src/install.js
index dd65779b92..93e5364e0b 100644
--- a/src/install.js
+++ b/src/install.js
@@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ var async = require('async'),
 						}, {
 							field: 'allowGuestPosting',
 							value: 0
+						}, {
+							field: 'allowGuestSearching',
+							value: 0
 						}, {
 							field: 'minimumTitleLength',
 							value: 3
diff --git a/src/routes/api.js b/src/routes/api.js
index 8eee0fe789..6f05f46bec 100644
--- a/src/routes/api.js
+++ b/src/routes/api.js
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 			});
 
 			app.get('/search', function (req, res) {
-				if (req.user && req.user.uid) {
+				if ((req.user && req.user.uid) || meta.config.allowGuestSearching === '1') {
 					return res.json({
 						show_no_topics: 'hide',
 						show_no_posts: 'hide',
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 					});
 				}
 
-				if (req.user && req.user.uid) {
+				if ((req.user && req.user.uid) || meta.config.allowGuestSearching === '1') {
 					async.parallel([searchPosts, searchTopics], function (err, results) {
 						if (err) {
 							return next();
diff --git a/src/upgrade.js b/src/upgrade.js
index dac9e4a015..9876a76a8c 100644
--- a/src/upgrade.js
+++ b/src/upgrade.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ var db = require('./database'),
 
 Upgrade.check = function(callback) {
 	// IMPORTANT: REMEMBER TO UPDATE VALUE OF latestSchema
-	var	latestSchema = new Date(2013, 11, 2).getTime();
+	var	latestSchema = new Date(2013, 11, 11).getTime();
 
 	db.get('schemaDate', function(err, value) {
 		if (parseInt(value, 10) >= latestSchema) {
@@ -303,6 +303,23 @@ Upgrade.upgradeRedis = function(callback) {
 				winston.info('[2013/12/2] Update to global keys skipped');
 				next();
 			}
+		},
+		function(next) {
+			thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 11, 11).getTime();
+			if (schemaDate < thisSchemaDate) {
+				updatesMade = true;
+
+				RDB.hset('config', 'allowGuestSearching', '0', function(err){
+					if (err) {
+						return next(err);
+					}
+					winston.info('[2013/12/11] Updated guest search config.');
+					next();
+				});
+			} else {
+				winston.info('[2013/12/11] Update to guest search skipped');
+				next();
+			}
 		}
 		// Add new schema updates here
 		// IMPORTANT: REMEMBER TO UPDATE VALUE OF latestSchema IN LINE 12!!!
@@ -333,7 +350,9 @@ Upgrade.upgradeRedis = function(callback) {
 };
 
 Upgrade.upgradeMongo = function(callback) {
-	var MDB = db.client;
+	// why can't we just use the abstracted db module here? and in upgradeRedis()?
+	var MDB = db.client,
+		updatesMade = false;
 
 	winston.info('Beginning Mongo database schema update');
 
@@ -344,6 +363,24 @@ Upgrade.upgradeMongo = function(callback) {
 				thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 11, 6).getTime();
 				next();
 			});
+		},
+		function(next) {
+
+			thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 11, 11).getTime();
+			if (schemaDate < thisSchemaDate) {
+				updatesMade = true;
+
+				db.setObjectField('config', 'allowGuestSearching', '0', function(err){
+					if (err) {
+						return next(err);
+					}
+					winston.info('[2013/12/11] Updated guest search config.');
+					next();
+				});
+			} else {
+				winston.info('[2013/12/11] Update to guest search skipped');
+				next();
+			}
 		}
 		// Add new schema updates here
 
@@ -351,7 +388,11 @@ Upgrade.upgradeMongo = function(callback) {
 		if (!err) {
 			db.set('schemaDate', thisSchemaDate, function(err) {
 				if (!err) {
-					winston.info('[upgrade] Mongo schema update complete!');
+					if(updatesMade) {
+						winston.info('[upgrade] Mongo schema update complete!');
+					} else {
+						winston.info('[upgrade] Mongo schema already up to date!');
+					}
 					if (callback) {
 						callback(err);
 					} else {
diff --git a/src/webserver.js b/src/webserver.js
index 15f4d10a6f..4136c7d3db 100644
--- a/src/webserver.js
+++ b/src/webserver.js
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 		// Basic Routes (entirely client-side parsed, goal is to move the rest of the crap in this file into this one section)
 		(function () {
 			var routes = ['login', 'register', 'account', 'recent', '403', '404', '500'],
-				loginRequired = ['unread', 'search', 'notifications'];
+				loginRequired = ['unread', 'notifications'];
 
 			async.each(routes.concat(loginRequired), function(route, next) {
 				app.get('/' + route, function (req, res) {
@@ -741,7 +741,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 		});
 
 		app.get('/search/:term', function (req, res) {
-			if (!req.user) {
+			if (!req.user && meta.config.allowGuestSearching !== '1') {
 				return res.redirect('/403');
 			}
 
diff --git a/src/websockets.js b/src/websockets.js
index db66b407b3..bcbc1cc370 100644
--- a/src/websockets.js
+++ b/src/websockets.js
@@ -236,7 +236,10 @@ websockets.init = function(io) {
 					email: '',
 					picture: gravatar.url('', {
 						s: '24'
-					}, nconf.get('https'))
+					}, nconf.get('https')),
+					config: {
+						allowGuestSearching: meta.config.allowGuestSearching
+					}
 				});
 			}