diff --git a/scripts/net.sh b/scripts/net.sh
index 1aa1fbfb1..79a0e0088 100755
--- a/scripts/net.sh
+++ b/scripts/net.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-wget_or_curl=$( (command -v wget > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "wget -qO-") || \
-                (command -v curl > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "curl -skL"))
+# download commands with a 5min time-out to ensure things fail if the server stalls
+wget_or_curl=$( (command -v wget >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "wget -qO- --timeout=300 --tries=1") ||
+  (command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "curl -skL --max-time 300"))
 
-
-sha256sum=$( (command -v shasum > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "shasum -a 256") || \
-             (command -v sha256sum > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "sha256sum"))
+sha256sum=$( (command -v shasum >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "shasum -a 256") ||
+  (command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "sha256sum"))
 
 if [ -z "$sha256sum" ]; then
   >&2 echo "sha256sum not found, NNUE files will be assumed valid."
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ fetch_network() {
 
   if [ -z "$wget_or_curl" ]; then
     >&2 printf "%s\n" "Neither wget or curl is installed." \
-          "Install one of these tools to download NNUE files automatically."
+      "Install one of these tools to download NNUE files automatically."
     exit 1
   fi
 
@@ -52,14 +52,16 @@ fetch_network() {
     "https://tests.stockfishchess.org/api/nn/$_filename" \
     "https://github.com/official-stockfish/networks/raw/master/$_filename"; do
     echo "Downloading from $url ..."
-    if $wget_or_curl "$url" > "$_filename"; then
+    if $wget_or_curl "$url" >"$_filename"; then
       if validate_network "$_filename"; then
         echo "Successfully validated $_filename"
       else
-        echo "Downloaded $_filename is invalid"
+        rm -f $_filename
+        echo "Downloaded $_filename is invalid, and has been removed."
         continue
       fi
     else
+      rm -f $_filename
       echo "Failed to download from $url"
     fi
     if [ -f "$_filename" ]; then
@@ -72,5 +74,5 @@ fetch_network() {
   return 1
 }
 
-fetch_network EvalFileDefaultNameBig && \
-fetch_network EvalFileDefaultNameSmall
+fetch_network EvalFileDefaultNameBig &&
+  fetch_network EvalFileDefaultNameSmall