I think it's fine to use an external library such as Faye for websockets. That comes with the benefit of having many client libraries available. (JS, iOS, Android)
When did the principal benefit of Websockets (send and receive whatever instead of HTTP primitives) become a matter of client and server library availability?
I want to trace this profound moment in WebDev history. Amazing.
The principle of sending whatever is important, but in reality most modern consumption literally follows the ethos of 'go fast'. Perhaps dropping Websockets helps out; it's a freedom of choice to pick speed over compatibility.