diff --git a/www/advanced-http.js b/www/advanced-http.js
index 8f779b0..9d340f2 100644
--- a/www/advanced-http.js
+++ b/www/advanced-http.js
@@ -110,6 +110,24 @@ var publicInterface = {
     validateDomainName: function (validate, success, failure) {
         failure(messages.DEPRECATED_VDN);
     },
+    sendRequest: function (url, options, success, failure) {
+        helpers.handleMissingCallbacks(success, failure);
+
+        options = helpers.handleMissingOptions(options, internals);
+
+        var headers = helpers.getMergedHeaders(url, options.headers, internals.headers);
+        var onSuccess = helpers.injectCookieHandler(url, success);
+        var onFail = helpers.injectCookieHandler(url, failure);
+        var payload;
+
+        if ([ 'get', 'delete', 'head' ].indexOf(method) < 0) {
+          payload = helpers.getProcessedData(options.data, options.serializer);
+        } else {
+          payload = params;
+        }
+
+        return exec(onSuccess, onFail, 'CordovaHttpPlugin', options.method, [ url, payload, options.serializer, headers, options.timeout ]);
+    },
     post: function (url, data, headers, success, failure) {
         helpers.handleMissingCallbacks(success, failure);
 
@@ -155,7 +173,6 @@ var publicInterface = {
 
         return exec(onSuccess, onFail, 'CordovaHttpPlugin', 'put', [url, data, internals.dataSerializer, headers, internals.timeoutInSeconds]);
     },
-
     patch: function (url, data, headers, success, failure) {
         helpers.handleMissingCallbacks(success, failure);
 
@@ -171,7 +188,6 @@ var publicInterface = {
 
         return exec(onSuccess, onFail, 'CordovaHttpPlugin', 'patch', [url, data, internals.dataSerializer, headers, internals.timeoutInSeconds]);
     },
-
     delete: function (url, params, headers, success, failure) {
         helpers.handleMissingCallbacks(success, failure);
 
diff --git a/www/helpers.js b/www/helpers.js
index ba65855..b8688c3 100644
--- a/www/helpers.js
+++ b/www/helpers.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ var cookieHandler = require(pluginId + '.cookie-handler');
 var messages = require(pluginId + '.messages');
 
 var validSerializers = [ 'urlencoded', 'json', 'utf8' ];
+var validHttpMethods = [ 'get', 'put', 'post', 'patch', 'head', 'delete'];
 
 module.exports = {
   b64EncodeUnicode: b64EncodeUnicode,
@@ -62,15 +63,60 @@ function onInvalidHeader(handler) {
   });
 }
 
-function checkSerializer(serializer) {
-  serializer = serializer || '';
-  serializer = serializer.trim().toLowerCase();
-
-  if (validSerializers.indexOf(serializer) > -1) {
-    return serializer;
+function checkForValidStringValue(list, value, onInvalidValueMessage) {
+  if (getTypeOf(value) !== 'String') {
+    throw new Error(onInvalidValueMessage + ' ' + list.join(', '));
   }
 
-  return serializer[0];
+  value = value.trim().toLowerCase();
+
+  if (list.indexOf(value) > -1) {
+    return value;
+  }
+
+  throw new Error(onInvalidValueMessage + ' ' + list.join(', '));
+}
+
+function checkKeyValuePairObject(obj, onInvalidValueMessage) {
+  if (getTypeOf(obj) !== 'Object') {
+    throw new Error(onInvalidValueMessage);
+  }
+
+  var keys = Object.keys(obj);
+
+  for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; i++) {
+    var key = keys[i];
+
+    if (getTypeOf(obj[key]) !== 'String') {
+      throw new Error(onInvalidValueMessage);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return obj;
+}
+
+function checkHttpMethod(method) {
+  return checkForValidStringValue(validHttpMethods, method, messages.INVALID_HTTP_METHOD);
+}
+
+function checkSerializer(serializer) {
+  return checkForValidStringValue(validSerializers, serializer, messages.INVALID_DATA_SERIALIZER);
+}
+
+function checkTimeoutValue(timeout) {
+  if (getTypeOf(timeout) !== 'Number' || timeout < 0) {
+    throw new Error(messages.INVALID_TIMEOUT_VALUE);
+  }
+
+  return timeout;
+}
+
+function checkHeadersObject(headers) {
+  checkKeyValuePairObject(headers, messages.INVALID_HEADERS_VALUE);
+}
+
+function checkParamsObject(params) {
+  checkKeyValuePairObject(params, messages.INVALID_PARAMS_VALUE);
 }
 
 function resolveCookieString(headers) {
@@ -194,3 +240,16 @@ function handleMissingCallbacks(successFn, failFn) {
     throw new Error(messages.MANDATORY_FAIL);
   }
 }
+
+function handleMissingOptions(options, globals) {
+  options = options || {};
+
+  return {
+    method: checkHttpMethod(options.method || validHttpMethods[0]);
+    serializer: checkSerializer(options.serializer || globals.dataSerializer);
+    timeout: checkTimeoutValue(options.timeout || globals.timeoutInSeconds);
+    headers: checkHeadersObject(options.headers || {});
+    params: checkParamsObject(options.params || {});
+    data: options.data || null;
+  };
+}
diff --git a/www/messages.js b/www/messages.js
index 6708841..0697320 100644
--- a/www/messages.js
+++ b/www/messages.js
@@ -4,5 +4,10 @@ module.exports = {
   DEPRECATED_VDN: 'advanced-http: "validateDomainName" is no more supported, please see change log for further info',
   HEADER_VALUE_MUST_BE_STRING: 'advanced-http: header values must be strings',
   MANDATORY_SUCCESS: 'advanced-http: missing mandatory "onSuccess" callback function',
-  MANDATORY_FAIL: 'advanced-http: missing mandatory "onFail" callback function'
+  MANDATORY_FAIL: 'advanced-http: missing mandatory "onFail" callback function',
+  INVALID_HTTP_METHOD: 'advanced-http: invalid HTTP method, supported methods are:',
+  INVALID_DATA_SERIALIZER: 'advanced-http: invalid serializer, supported serializers are:',
+  INVALID_TIMEOUT_VALUE: 'advanced-http: invalid timeout value, needs to be a positive float value',
+  INVALID_HEADERS_VALUE: 'advanced-http: invalid headers object, needs to be an object with strings',
+  INVALID_PARAMS_VALUE: 'advanced-http: invalid params object, needs to be an object with strings'
 };