diff --git a/src/ophyd_async/core/async_status.py b/src/ophyd_async/core/async_status.py
index 474dd1eb15..96113208bb 100644
--- a/src/ophyd_async/core/async_status.py
+++ b/src/ophyd_async/core/async_status.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
     Awaitable,
     Callable,
     Generic,
+    Optional,
     SupportsFloat,
     Type,
     TypeVar,
@@ -106,18 +107,19 @@ class WatchableAsyncStatus(AsyncStatusBase, Generic[T]):
     def __init__(
         self,
         iterator: AsyncIterator[WatcherUpdate[T]],
-        timeout_s: float = 0.0,
+        timeout: Optional[SupportsFloat] = None,
     ):
         self._watchers: list[Watcher] = []
         self._start = time.monotonic()
-        self._timeout = self._start + timeout_s if timeout_s else None
         self._last_update: WatcherUpdate[T] | None = None
-        super().__init__(self._notify_watchers_from(iterator))
+        if isinstance(timeout, SupportsFloat):
+            timeout = float(timeout)
+        super().__init__(
+            asyncio.wait_for(self._notify_watchers_from(iterator), timeout)
+        )
 
     async def _notify_watchers_from(self, iterator: AsyncIterator[WatcherUpdate[T]]):
         async for update in iterator:
-            if self._timeout and time.monotonic() > self._timeout:
-                raise TimeoutError()
             self._last_update = (
                 update
                 if update.time_elapsed is None
@@ -141,10 +143,9 @@ def watch(self, watcher: Watcher):
     def wrap(
         cls: Type[WAS],
         f: Callable[P, AsyncIterator[WatcherUpdate[T]]],
-        timeout_s: float = 0.0,
     ) -> Callable[P, WAS]:
         """Wrap an AsyncIterator in a WatchableAsyncStatus. If it takes
-        'timeout_s' as an argument, this must be a float and it will be propagated
+        'timeout' as an argument, this must be a float and it will be propagated
         to the status."""
 
         @functools.wraps(f)
@@ -152,9 +153,8 @@ def wrap_f(*args: P.args, **kwargs: P.kwargs) -> WAS:
             # We can't type this more properly because Concatenate/ParamSpec doesn't
             # yet support keywords
             # https://peps.python.org/pep-0612/#concatenating-keyword-parameters
-            _timeout = kwargs.get("timeout_s")
-            assert isinstance(_timeout, SupportsFloat) or _timeout is None
-            timeout = _timeout or 0.0
-            return cls(f(*args, **kwargs), timeout_s=float(timeout))
+            timeout = kwargs.get("timeout")
+            assert isinstance(timeout, SupportsFloat) or timeout is None
+            return cls(f(*args, **kwargs), timeout=timeout)
 
         return cast(Callable[P, WAS], wrap_f)
diff --git a/src/ophyd_async/core/detector.py b/src/ophyd_async/core/detector.py
index d0f6ddf9cd..100aacc203 100644
--- a/src/ophyd_async/core/detector.py
+++ b/src/ophyd_async/core/detector.py
@@ -300,10 +300,10 @@ async def _prepare(self, value: T) -> None:
             exposure=self._trigger_info.livetime,
         )
 
-    def kickoff(self, timeout_s=0.0):
+    def kickoff(self, timeout: Optional[float] = None):
         self._fly_start = time.monotonic()
         self._fly_status = WatchableAsyncStatus(
-            self._observe_writer_indicies(self._last_frame), timeout_s
+            self._observe_writer_indicies(self._last_frame), timeout
         )
         return self._fly_status
 
diff --git a/src/ophyd_async/epics/motion/motor.py b/src/ophyd_async/epics/motion/motor.py
index 09345c40a8..a0e2648d14 100644
--- a/src/ophyd_async/epics/motion/motor.py
+++ b/src/ophyd_async/epics/motion/motor.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def move(self, new_position: float, timeout: Optional[float] = None):
         call_in_bluesky_event_loop(self._move(new_position), timeout)  # type: ignore
 
     @WatchableAsyncStatus.wrap
-    async def set(self, new_position: float, timeout_s: float = 0.0):
+    async def set(self, new_position: float, timeout: float = 0.0):
         update = await self._move(new_position)
         start = time.monotonic()
         async for current_position in observe_value(self.user_readback):
diff --git a/tests/core/test_async_status_wrapper.py b/tests/core/test_async_status_wrapper.py
index 36fc3ec95a..c62af78df8 100644
--- a/tests/core/test_async_status_wrapper.py
+++ b/tests/core/test_async_status_wrapper.py
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ async def set(self, val):
 
 class ASTestDeviceTimeoutSet(ASTestDevice):
     @WatchableAsyncStatus.wrap
-    async def set(self, val, timeout_s=0.01):
+    async def set(self, val, timeout=0.01):
         assert self._staged
         await asyncio.sleep(0.01)
         self.sig._backend._set_value(val - 1)  # type: ignore
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ async def test_asyncstatus_times_out(RE):
     td = ASTestDeviceTimeoutSet()
     await td.connect()
     await td.stage()
-    st = td.set(6, timeout_s=0.01)
+    st = td.set(6, timeout=0.01)
     while not st.done:
         await asyncio.sleep(0.01)
     assert not st.success
diff --git a/tests/epics/motion/test_motor.py b/tests/epics/motion/test_motor.py
index b75adcd6ac..fa52f4da43 100644
--- a/tests/epics/motion/test_motor.py
+++ b/tests/epics/motion/test_motor.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ async def wait_for_eq(item, attribute, comparison, timeout):
 async def test_motor_moving_well(sim_motor: motor.Motor) -> None:
     set_sim_put_proceeds(sim_motor.user_setpoint, False)
     set_sim_value(sim_motor.motor_done_move, False)
-    s = sim_motor.set(0.55, timeout_s=1)
+    s = sim_motor.set(0.55, timeout=1)
     watcher = Mock(spec=Watcher)
     s.watch(watcher)
     done = Mock()