diff --git a/serial/tools/miniterm.py b/serial/tools/miniterm.py
index c0e4dc0..2e6865f 100644
--- a/serial/tools/miniterm.py
+++ b/serial/tools/miniterm.py
@@ -134,11 +134,15 @@
 elif os.name == 'posix':
     import atexit
     import termios
+    import select
 
     class Console(ConsoleBase):
         def __init__(self):
             super(Console, self).__init__()
             self.fd = sys.stdin.fileno()
+            # an additional pipe is used in getkey, so that the cancel method
+            # can abort the waiting getkey method
+            self.pipe_r, self.pipe_w = os.pipe()
             self.old = termios.tcgetattr(self.fd)
             atexit.register(self.cleanup)
             if sys.version_info < (3, 0):
@@ -154,11 +158,18 @@
             termios.tcsetattr(self.fd, termios.TCSANOW, new)
 
         def getkey(self):
+            ready, _, _ = select.select([self.enc_stdin, self.pipe_r], [], [], None)
+            if self.pipe_r in ready:
+                os.read(self.pipe_r, 1)
+                return
             c = self.enc_stdin.read(1)
             if c == unichr(0x7f):
                 c = unichr(8)    # map the BS key (which yields DEL) to backspace
             return c
 
+        def cancel(self):
+            os.write(self.pipe_w, "x")
+
         def cleanup(self):
             termios.tcsetattr(self.fd, termios.TCSAFLUSH, self.old)