diff --git a/packages/authentication/lib/hooks/connection.js b/packages/authentication/lib/hooks/connection.js
index da0fa31196..1deab628be 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/lib/hooks/connection.js
+++ b/packages/authentication/lib/hooks/connection.js
@@ -5,23 +5,21 @@ module.exports = (strategy = 'jwt') => {
     const {
       method,
       result: { accessToken },
-      params: { provider, connection }
+      params: { connection }
     } = context;
 
-    if (!connection && (provider === 'socketio' || provider === 'primus')) {
-      throw new Error(`No connection object found. Please make sure you are using the latest version of '@feathersjs/${provider}' and params.connection is set.`);
+    if (!connection) {
+      return context;
     }
 
-    if (connection) {
-      const { authentication: { accessToken: currentToken } = {} } = connection;
+    const { authentication = {} } = connection;
 
-      if (method === 'remove' && accessToken === currentToken) {
-        debug('Removing authentication information from real-time connection');
-        delete connection.authentication;
-      } else if (method === 'create' && accessToken) {
-        debug('Adding authentication information to real-time connection');
-        connection.authentication = { strategy, accessToken };
-      }
+    if (method === 'remove' && accessToken === authentication.accessToken) {
+      debug('Removing authentication information from real-time connection');
+      delete connection.authentication;
+    } else if (method === 'create' && accessToken) {
+      debug('Adding authentication information to real-time connection');
+      connection.authentication = { strategy, accessToken };
     }
 
     return context;
diff --git a/packages/authentication/test/hooks/connection.test.js b/packages/authentication/test/hooks/connection.test.js
index 5a2efbdc29..2f545362b6 100644
--- a/packages/authentication/test/hooks/connection.test.js
+++ b/packages/authentication/test/hooks/connection.test.js
@@ -29,16 +29,6 @@ describe('authentication/hooks/connection', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it('throws error if connection is not set for expected provider', () => {
-    return service.create({}, { provider: 'socketio' })
-      .then(() => assert.fail('Should never get here'))
-      .catch(error => {
-        assert.strictEqual(error.message, `No connection object found. ` +
-        `Please make sure you are using the latest version of '@feathersjs/socketio' ` +
-        `and params.connection is set.`);
-      });
-  });
-
   it('create does nothing when there is no connection', () => {
     return service.create({}, {}).then(result => {
       assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {