diff --git a/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/IOFSwitch.java b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/IOFSwitch.java
index 0d823d839a59ac5d705349bddc9fe67b9e71e538..6bc92c98fae1e9866c99606d352f6115d1b0c618 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/IOFSwitch.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/IOFSwitch.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ package net.floodlightcontroller.core;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
@@ -292,7 +293,7 @@ public interface IOFSwitch {
      * Retrieves the date the switch connected to this controller
      * @return the date
      */
-    public String getConnectedSince();
+    public Date getConnectedSince();
 
     /**
      * Returns the next available transaction id
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/OFSwitchBase.java b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/OFSwitchBase.java
index 8e00a08c82a02f8f2ddf275b20544ecb6fe9685e..465df255d6014fa12eebc41cd325e8c530e93865 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/OFSwitchBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/floodlightcontroller/core/OFSwitchBase.java
@@ -440,8 +440,8 @@ public abstract class OFSwitchBase implements IOFSwitch {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public String getConnectedSince() {
-        return connectedSince.toString();
+    public Date getConnectedSince() {
+        return connectedSince;
     }
 
     @JsonIgnore
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/floodlightcontroller/util/OFMessageDamperMockSwitch.java b/src/test/java/net/floodlightcontroller/util/OFMessageDamperMockSwitch.java
index c4f8b83dbdeaac97ead70ea85fd31fcaada827ab..29191365cddad3344d7390f4d363cfcd0eaf8820 100644
--- a/src/test/java/net/floodlightcontroller/util/OFMessageDamperMockSwitch.java
+++ b/src/test/java/net/floodlightcontroller/util/OFMessageDamperMockSwitch.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
 
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@ public class OFMessageDamperMockSwitch implements IOFSwitch {
     }
     
     @Override
-    public String getConnectedSince() {
+    public Date getConnectedSince() {
         assertTrue("Unexpected method call", false);
         return null;
     }