diff --git a/include/tty.h b/include/tty.h
index ab43c1414f9..0aebf9d790f 100644
--- a/include/tty.h
+++ b/include/tty.h
@@ -32,10 +32,12 @@ struct tty_serial {
 };
 
 /**
- * @brief Initialize buffered serial port (classically known as tty).
+ * @brief Initialize serial port object (classically known as tty).
  *
- * "tty" device provides buffered, interrupt-driver access to an
- * underlying UART device.
+ * "tty" device provides support for buffered, interrupt-driven,
+ * timeout-controlled access to an underlying UART device. For
+ * completeness, it also support non-interrupt-driven, busy-polling
+ * access mode.
  *
  * @param tty tty device structure to initialize
  * @param uart_dev underlying UART device to use (should support
@@ -79,6 +81,34 @@ static inline void tty_set_tx_timeout(struct tty_serial *tty, s32_t timeout)
 	tty->tx_timeout = timeout;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Set receive buffer for tty device.
+ *
+ * Set receive buffer or switch to unbuffered operation for receive.
+ *
+ * @param tty tty device structure
+ * @param buf buffer, or NULL for unbuffered operation
+ * @param size buffer buffer size, 0 for unbuffered operation
+ * @return 0 on success, error code (<0) otherwise:
+ *    EINVAL: unsupported buffer (size)
+ */
+int tty_set_rx_buf(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Set transmit buffer for tty device.
+ *
+ * Set transmit buffer or switch to unbuffered operation for transmit.
+ * Note that unbuffered mode is implicitly blocking, i.e. behaves as
+ * if tty_set_tx_timeout(K_FOREVER) was set.
+ *
+ * @param tty tty device structure
+ * @param buf buffer, or NULL for unbuffered operation
+ * @param size buffer buffer size, 0 for unbuffered operation
+ * @return 0 on success, error code (<0) otherwise:
+ *    EINVAL: unsupported buffer (size)
+ */
+int tty_set_tx_buf(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size);
+
 /**
  * @brief Read data from a tty device.
  *
diff --git a/subsys/console/tty.c b/subsys/console/tty.c
index 257102cf127..39e9f28bd23 100644
--- a/subsys/console/tty.c
+++ b/subsys/console/tty.c
@@ -104,6 +104,17 @@ ssize_t tty_write(struct tty_serial *tty, const void *buf, size_t size)
 	size_t out_size = 0;
 	int res = 0;
 
+	if (tty->tx_ringbuf_sz == 0) {
+		/* Unbuffered operation, implicitly blocking. */
+		out_size = size;
+
+		while (size--) {
+			uart_poll_out(tty->uart_dev, *p++);
+		}
+
+		return out_size;
+	}
+
 	while (size--) {
 		res = tty_putchar(tty, *p++);
 		if (res < 0) {
@@ -149,12 +160,59 @@ static int tty_getchar(struct tty_serial *tty)
 	return c;
 }
 
+static ssize_t tty_read_unbuf(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	u8_t *p = buf;
+	size_t out_size = 0;
+	int res = 0;
+	u32_t timeout = tty->rx_timeout;
+
+	while (size) {
+		u8_t c;
+		res = uart_poll_in(tty->uart_dev, &c);
+		if (res <= -2) {
+			/* Error occured, best we can do is to return
+			 * accumulated data w/o error, or return error
+			 * directly if none.
+			 */
+			if (out_size == 0) {
+				errno = res;
+				return -1;
+			}
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (res == 0) {
+			*p++ = c;
+			out_size++;
+			size--;
+		}
+
+		if (size == 0 || (timeout != K_FOREVER && timeout-- == 0)) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		/* Avoid 100% busy-polling, and yet try to process bursts
+		 * of data without extra delays.
+		 */
+		if (res == -1) {
+			k_sleep(1);
+		}
+	}
+
+	return out_size;
+}
+
 ssize_t tty_read(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size)
 {
 	u8_t *p = buf;
 	size_t out_size = 0;
 	int res = 0;
 
+	if (tty->rx_ringbuf_sz == 0) {
+		return tty_read_unbuf(tty, buf, size);
+	}
+
 	while (size--) {
 		res = tty_getchar(tty);
 		if (res < 0) {
@@ -199,3 +257,31 @@ void tty_init(struct tty_serial *tty, struct device *uart_dev,
 	uart_irq_callback_user_data_set(uart_dev, tty_uart_isr, tty);
 	uart_irq_rx_enable(uart_dev);
 }
+
+int tty_set_rx_buf(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	uart_irq_rx_disable(tty->uart_dev);
+
+	tty->rx_ringbuf = buf;
+	tty->rx_ringbuf_sz = size;
+
+	if (size > 0) {
+		uart_irq_rx_enable(tty->uart_dev);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int tty_set_tx_buf(struct tty_serial *tty, void *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	uart_irq_tx_disable(tty->uart_dev);
+
+	tty->tx_ringbuf = buf;
+	tty->tx_ringbuf_sz = size;
+
+	/* New buffer is initially empty, no need to re-enable interrupts,
+	 * it will be done when needed (on first output char).
+	 */
+
+	return 0;
+}