diff --git a/packages/core/scripts/test-components/src/components/page-one/page-one.tsx b/packages/core/scripts/test-components/src/components/page-one/page-one.tsx
index fa460b3f67..dc7d31b48c 100644
--- a/packages/core/scripts/test-components/src/components/page-one/page-one.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/scripts/test-components/src/components/page-one/page-one.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export class PageOne {
         </ion-header>
         <ion-content>
           page one
+          <a href='#/two/second-page'>Ir a la page 2</a>
         </ion-content>
       </ion-page>
     ];
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
index 31156be6cf..f4fe878fc0 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/nav/nav.tsx
@@ -193,13 +193,25 @@ export class Nav implements PublicNav, NavOutlet {
   }
 
   @Method()
-  setRouteId(id: string, _: any = {}): Promise<any> {
-    assert(this.useRouter, 'routing is disabled');
+  setRouteId(id: string, _: any = {}, direction: number): Promise<boolean> {
     const active = this.getActive();
     if (active && active.component === id) {
-      return Promise.resolve(null);
+      return Promise.resolve(false);
     }
-    return this.setRoot(id);
+    if (direction === 1) {
+      return this.push(id).then(() => true);
+    } else if (direction === -1 && this._canGoBack(id)) {
+      return this.pop().then(() => true);
+    }
+    return this.setRoot(id).then(() => true);
+  }
+
+  private _canGoBack(id: any) {
+    if (!this.canGoBack()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    const view = this.views[this.views.length - 1];
+    return view.component === id;
   }
 
   @Method()
@@ -215,7 +227,7 @@ export class Nav implements PublicNav, NavOutlet {
   getContentElement(): HTMLElement {
     const active = getActiveImpl(this);
     if (active) {
-      active.element;
+      return active.element;
     }
     return null;
   }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/router/router-utils.ts b/packages/core/src/components/router/router-utils.ts
index 36e4815dae..1bc9cb5a51 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/router/router-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/router/router-utils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export interface NavOutlet {
-  setRouteId(id: any, data?: any): Promise<any>;
+  setRouteId(id: any, data: any, direction: number): Promise<boolean>;
   getRouteId(): string;
   getContentElement(): HTMLElement | null;
 }
@@ -28,22 +28,24 @@ export class RouterSegments {
   }
 }
 
-export function writeNavState(root: HTMLElement, chain: RouterEntries, index = 0): Promise<void> {
+export function writeNavState(root: HTMLElement, chain: RouterEntries, index: number, direction: number): Promise<void> {
   if (index >= chain.length) {
     return Promise.resolve();
   }
-
   const route = chain[index];
   const node = breadthFirstSearch(root);
   if (!node) {
     return Promise.resolve();
   }
   return node.componentOnReady()
-    .then(() => node.setRouteId(route.id, route.props))
-    .then(() => {
+    .then(() => node.setRouteId(route.id, route.props, direction))
+    .then(changed => {
+      if (changed) {
+        direction = 0;
+      }
       const nextEl = node.getContentElement();
       if (nextEl) {
-        return writeNavState(nextEl, chain, index + 1);
+        return writeNavState(nextEl, chain, index + 1, direction);
       }
       return null;
     });
@@ -199,18 +201,20 @@ export function breadthFirstSearch(root: HTMLElement): NavOutletElement | null {
   return null;
 }
 
-export function writePath(history: History, base: string, usePath: boolean, path: string[], isPop: boolean) {
+export function writePath(history: History, base: string, usePath: boolean, path: string[], isPop: boolean, state: number) {
   path = [base, ...path];
   let url = generatePath(path);
   if (usePath) {
     url = '#' + url;
   }
+  state++;
   if (isPop) {
     history.back();
-    history.replaceState(null, null, url);
+    history.replaceState(state, null, url);
   } else {
-    history.pushState(null, null, url);
+    history.pushState(state, null, url);
   }
+  return state;
 }
 
 export function readPath(loc: Location, base: string, useHash: boolean): string[] | null {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/router/router.tsx b/packages/core/src/components/router/router.tsx
index 1f1de328cd..2929316bca 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/router/router.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/router/router.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export class Router {
 
   private routes: RouterEntries;
   private busy = false;
+  private state = 0;
 
   @Prop({ context: 'config' }) config: Config;
   @Prop({ context: 'dom' }) dom: DomController;
@@ -30,8 +31,12 @@ export class Router {
     });
   }
 
-  @Listen('window:hashchange')
+  @Listen('window:popstate')
   protected onURLHashChanged() {
+    if (window.history.state === null) {
+      this.state++;
+      window.history.replaceState(this.state, document.title, document.location.href);
+    }
     if (!this.busy) {
       console.debug('[OUT] hash changed -> write nav state');
       this.writeNavStateRoot();
@@ -43,35 +48,34 @@ export class Router {
     if (this.busy) {
       return;
     }
-
     console.debug('[IN] nav changed -> update URL');
     const { stack, pivot } = this.readNavState();
-    const { path, routes} = matchPath(stack, this.routes);
+    const { path, routes } = matchPath(stack, this.routes);
     if (pivot) {
       // readNavState() found a pivot that is not initialized
       console.debug('[IN] pivot uninitialized -> write partial nav state');
-      this.writeNavState(pivot, [], routes);
+      this.writeNavState(pivot, [], routes, 0);
     }
 
     const isPop = ev.detail.isPop === true;
     this.writePath(path, isPop);
   }
 
-
   private writeNavStateRoot(): Promise<any> {
     const node = document.querySelector('ion-app') as HTMLElement;
     const currentPath = this.readPath();
+    const direction = window.history.state >= this.state ? 1 : -1;
     if (currentPath) {
-      return this.writeNavState(node, currentPath, this.routes);
+      return this.writeNavState(node, currentPath, this.routes, direction);
     }
     return Promise.resolve();
   }
 
-  private writeNavState(node: any, path: string[], routes: RouterEntries): Promise<any> {
+  private writeNavState(node: any, path: string[], routes: RouterEntries, direction: number): Promise<any> {
     const chain = matchRouteChain(path, routes);
 
     this.busy = true;
-    return writeNavState(node, chain)
+    return writeNavState(node, chain, 0, direction)
       .catch(err => console.error(err))
       .then(() => this.busy = false);
   }
@@ -82,7 +86,7 @@ export class Router {
   }
 
   private writePath(path: string[], isPop: boolean) {
-    writePath(window.history, this.base, this.useHash, path, isPop);
+    this.state = writePath(window.history, this.base, this.useHash, path, isPop, this.state);
   }
 
   private readPath(): string[] | null {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/router/test/basic/index.html b/packages/core/src/components/router/test/basic/index.html
index 2633b7a9e0..eb68becf89 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/router/test/basic/index.html
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/router/test/basic/index.html
@@ -14,12 +14,17 @@
 
     <ion-router>
       <ion-route path="/" sel="tab1"> </ion-route>
+
       <ion-route path="/two" sel="tab2">
         <ion-route path="/" sel="page-one"> </ion-route>
         <ion-route path="/second-page" sel="page-two"> </ion-route>
+        <ion-route path="/thee-page" sel="page-three"> </ion-route>
       </ion-route>
+
       <ion-route path="/three" sel="tab-three"> </ion-route>
-      <ion-route path="/four" sel="tab4"> </ion-route>
+      <ion-route path="/four" sel="tab4">
+        <ion-route path="/" sel="page-two"> </ion-route>
+      </ion-route>
     </ion-router>
 
     <ion-tabs>
@@ -43,7 +48,7 @@
         title="Messages"
         icon="chatboxes"
         name="tab-four">
-        INLINE CONTENT
+          <ion-nav></ion-nav>
       </ion-tab>
     </ion-tabs>
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/tab/tab.tsx b/packages/core/src/components/tab/tab.tsx
index 1ee4f0f7d0..0ecf1c60ee 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/tab/tab.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/tab/tab.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { FrameworkDelegate } from '../..';
 })
 export class Tab {
 
-  // private loaded = false;
+  private loaded = false;
   @Element() el: HTMLElement;
 
   @State() init = false;
@@ -81,36 +81,12 @@ export class Tab {
   @Method()
   setActive(active: boolean): Promise<any> {
     this.active = active;
-    if (active) {
-      const nav = getNavAsChildIfExists(this.el);
-      if (nav) {
-        // the tab's nav has been initialized externally
-
-        return ensureExternalRounterController().then((externalRouterController) => {
-          if (externalRouterController.getExternalNavPromise()) {
-            return (externalRouterController.getExternalNavPromise() as Promise<any>).then(() => {
-              externalRouterController.clearExternalNavPromise();
-            });
-          }
-
-          // the tab's nav has not been initialized externally, so
-          // check if we need to initiailize it
-          return (nav as any).componentOnReady().then(() => {
-            return nav.onAllTransitionsComplete();
-          }).then(() => {
-            if (!nav.getViews().length && !nav.isTransitioning() && !nav.initialized) {
-              return nav.setRoot(nav.root);
-            }
-            return Promise.resolve();
-          });
-        });
-      }
-    }
-
-    /*if (this.loaded || !active) {
+    if (!active) {
       return Promise.resolve();
     }
-
+    if (this.loaded) {
+      return this.configChildgNav();
+    }
     this.loaded = true;
 
     let promise: Promise<any>;
@@ -122,9 +98,7 @@ export class Tab {
     } else {
       promise = Promise.resolve();
     }
-    return promise.then(() => this.fireChildren());
-    */
-    return Promise.resolve();
+    return promise.then(() => this.configChildgNav());
   }
 
   @Method()
@@ -138,16 +112,32 @@ export class Tab {
     return null;
   }
 
-  /*private fireChildren() {
+  private configChildgNav(): Promise<any|void> {
     const nav = getNavAsChildIfExists(this.el);
-    if (nav && nav.getViews().length === 0 && nav.root) {
-      // we need to initialize
-      return nav.setRoot(nav.root);
+    if (nav) {
+      // the tab's nav has been initialized externally
+      return ensureExternalRounterController().then<void|any>((externalRouterController) => {
+        const externalNavPromise = externalRouterController.getExternalNavPromise();
+        if (externalNavPromise) {
+          return externalNavPromise.then(() => {
+            externalRouterController.clearExternalNavPromise();
+          });
+        }
+
+        // the tab's nav has not been initialized externally, so
+        // check if we need to initiailize it
+        return nav.componentOnReady()
+        .then(() => nav.onAllTransitionsComplete())
+        .then<any>(() => {
+          if (nav.getViews().length === 0 && !nav.isTransitioning() && !nav.initialized) {
+            return nav.setRoot(nav.root);
+          }
+          return Promise.resolve();
+        });
+      });
     }
-    // it's already been initialized if it exists
     return Promise.resolve();
   }
-  */
 
   hostData() {
     const visible = this.active && this.selected;
@@ -166,7 +156,7 @@ export class Tab {
   }
 }
 
-/*function attachViewToDom(container: HTMLElement, cmp: string): Promise<any> {
+function attachViewToDom(container: HTMLElement, cmp: string): Promise<any> {
   const el = document.createElement(cmp) as HTMLStencilElement;
   container.appendChild(el);
   if (el.componentOnReady) {
@@ -174,4 +164,3 @@ export class Tab {
   }
   return Promise.resolve();
 }
-*/
diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx b/packages/core/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
index bbab8341c1..72ed8d1cec 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/tabs/tabs.tsx
@@ -160,12 +160,12 @@ export class Tabs implements NavOutlet {
   }
 
   @Method()
-  setRouteId(id: any, _: any = {}): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.selectedTab === id) {
-      return Promise.resolve();
+  setRouteId(id: any): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (this.selectedTab && this.selectedTab.getRouteId() === id) {
+      return Promise.resolve(false);
     }
     const tab = this.tabs.find(t => id === t.getRouteId());
-    return this.select(tab);
+    return this.select(tab).then(() => true);
   }
 
 
@@ -185,13 +185,13 @@ export class Tabs implements NavOutlet {
 
   private initTabs() {
     const tabs = this.tabs = Array.from(this.el.querySelectorAll('ion-tab'));
-    const tabPromises: Promise<any>[] = [];
-    for (const tab of tabs) {
+    const tabPromises = tabs.map(tab => {
       const id = `t-${this.tabsId}-${++this.ids}`;
       tab.btnId = 'tab-' + id;
       tab.id = 'tabpanel-' + id;
-      tabPromises.push((tab as any).componentOnReady());
-    }
+      return tab.componentOnReady();
+    });
+
     return Promise.all(tabPromises);
   }