diff --git a/config/mainnet.go b/config/mainnet.go
index 9b28038c6e..b8472f8a76 100644
--- a/config/mainnet.go
+++ b/config/mainnet.go
@@ -136,11 +136,12 @@ func MainnetConfig() Config {
 		FETCH:    fetch.DefaultConfig(),
 		LOGGING:  logging,
 		Sync: syncer.Config{
-			Interval:         time.Minute,
-			EpochEndFraction: 0.8,
-			MaxStaleDuration: time.Hour,
-			Standalone:       false,
-			GossipDuration:   50 * time.Second,
+			Interval:                 time.Minute,
+			EpochEndFraction:         0.8,
+			MaxStaleDuration:         time.Hour,
+			Standalone:               false,
+			GossipDuration:           50 * time.Second,
+			OutOfSyncThresholdLayers: 36, // 3h
 		},
 		Recovery: checkpoint.DefaultConfig(),
 		Cache:    datastore.DefaultConfig(),
diff --git a/syncer/syncer.go b/syncer/syncer.go
index c840e69db9..faab996b59 100644
--- a/syncer/syncer.go
+++ b/syncer/syncer.go
@@ -21,31 +21,29 @@ import (
 
 // Config is the config params for syncer.
 type Config struct {
-	Interval         time.Duration
-	EpochEndFraction float64
-	HareDelayLayers  uint32
-	SyncCertDistance uint32
-	MaxStaleDuration time.Duration
-	Standalone       bool
-	GossipDuration   time.Duration
+	Interval                 time.Duration
+	EpochEndFraction         float64
+	HareDelayLayers          uint32
+	SyncCertDistance         uint32
+	MaxStaleDuration         time.Duration
+	Standalone               bool
+	GossipDuration           time.Duration
+	OutOfSyncThresholdLayers uint32 `mapstructure:"out-of-sync-threshold"`
 }
 
 // DefaultConfig for the syncer.
 func DefaultConfig() Config {
 	return Config{
-		Interval:         10 * time.Second,
-		EpochEndFraction: 0.8,
-		HareDelayLayers:  10,
-		SyncCertDistance: 10,
-		MaxStaleDuration: time.Second,
-		GossipDuration:   15 * time.Second,
+		Interval:                 10 * time.Second,
+		EpochEndFraction:         0.8,
+		HareDelayLayers:          10,
+		SyncCertDistance:         10,
+		MaxStaleDuration:         time.Second,
+		GossipDuration:           15 * time.Second,
+		OutOfSyncThresholdLayers: 3,
 	}
 }
 
-const (
-	outOfSyncThreshold uint32 = 3 // see notSynced
-)
-
 type syncState uint32
 
 const (
@@ -452,7 +450,7 @@ func (s *Syncer) syncAtx(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func isTooFarBehind(ctx context.Context, logger log.Log, current, lastSynced types.LayerID) bool {
+func isTooFarBehind(ctx context.Context, logger log.Log, current, lastSynced types.LayerID, outOfSyncThreshold uint32) bool {
 	if current.After(lastSynced) && current.Difference(lastSynced) >= outOfSyncThreshold {
 		logger.WithContext(ctx).With().Info("node is too far behind",
 			log.Stringer("current", current),
@@ -472,7 +470,7 @@ func (s *Syncer) setStateBeforeSync(ctx context.Context) {
 		}
 		return
 	}
-	if isTooFarBehind(ctx, s.logger, current, s.getLastSyncedLayer()) {
+	if isTooFarBehind(ctx, s.logger, current, s.getLastSyncedLayer(), s.cfg.OutOfSyncThresholdLayers) {
 		s.setSyncState(ctx, notSynced)
 	}
 }
@@ -492,7 +490,7 @@ func (s *Syncer) setStateAfterSync(ctx context.Context, success bool) {
 	// network outage.
 	switch currSyncState {
 	case synced:
-		if !success && isTooFarBehind(ctx, s.logger, current, s.getLastSyncedLayer()) {
+		if !success && isTooFarBehind(ctx, s.logger, current, s.getLastSyncedLayer(), s.cfg.OutOfSyncThresholdLayers) {
 			s.setSyncState(ctx, notSynced)
 		}
 	case gossipSync:
diff --git a/syncer/syncer_test.go b/syncer/syncer_test.go
index bd2d36c81a..1cdba9772b 100644
--- a/syncer/syncer_test.go
+++ b/syncer/syncer_test.go
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import (
 const (
 	layersPerEpoch = 3
 	never          = time.Second * 60 * 24
+
+	outOfSyncThreshold = 3
 )
 
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
@@ -93,11 +95,12 @@ func newTestSyncer(t *testing.T, interval time.Duration) *testSyncer {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	cfg := Config{
-		Interval:         interval,
-		GossipDuration:   5 * time.Millisecond,
-		EpochEndFraction: 0.66,
-		SyncCertDistance: 4,
-		HareDelayLayers:  5,
+		Interval:                 interval,
+		GossipDuration:           5 * time.Millisecond,
+		EpochEndFraction:         0.66,
+		SyncCertDistance:         4,
+		HareDelayLayers:          5,
+		OutOfSyncThresholdLayers: outOfSyncThreshold,
 	}
 	ts.syncer = NewSyncer(ts.cdb, ts.mTicker, ts.mBeacon, ts.msh, nil, nil, ts.mLyrPatrol, ts.mCertHdr,
 		WithConfig(cfg),
@@ -535,7 +538,7 @@ func TestNetworkHasNoData(t *testing.T) {
 		require.True(t, ts.syncer.IsSynced(context.Background()))
 	}
 	// the network hasn't received any data
-	require.Greater(t, ts.syncer.ticker.CurrentLayer()-ts.msh.LatestLayer(), outOfSyncThreshold)
+	require.Greater(t, int(ts.syncer.ticker.CurrentLayer()-ts.msh.LatestLayer()), outOfSyncThreshold)
 }
 
 // test the case where the node was originally synced, and somehow gets out of sync, but