diff --git a/src/config/config.go b/src/config/config.go
index 5c0d5306..72ff6569 100644
--- a/src/config/config.go
+++ b/src/config/config.go
@@ -43,15 +43,15 @@ type NodeConfig struct {
 }
 
 type MulticastInterfaceConfig struct {
-	Regex string
-	Beacon bool
-	Listen bool
-	Port uint16
+	Regex    string
+	Beacon   bool
+	Listen   bool
+	Port     uint16
 	Priority uint64 // really uint8, but gobind won't export it
 }
 
 type NetworkDomainConfig struct {
-        Prefix [1]byte
+	Prefix string
 }
 
 // NewSigningKeys replaces the signing keypair in the NodeConfig with a new
diff --git a/src/core/address.go b/src/core/address.go
index 713fb920..3e0738db 100644
--- a/src/core/address.go
+++ b/src/core/address.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package core
 
 import (
 	"crypto/ed25519"
+	"encoding/hex"
 )
 
 // Address represents an IPv6 address in the mesh address range.
@@ -17,7 +18,13 @@ type Subnet [8]byte
 // The 8th bit of the last byte is used to signal nodes (0) or /64 prefixes (1).
 // Nodes that configure this differently will be unable to communicate with each other using IP packets, though routing and the DHT machinery *should* still work.
 func (c *Core) GetPrefix() [1]byte {
-	return c.config.networkdomain.Prefix
+	p, err := hex.DecodeString(c.config.networkdomain.Prefix)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	var prefix [1]byte
+	copy(prefix[:], p[:1])
+	return prefix
 }
 
 // IsValid returns true if an address falls within the range used by nodes in the network.
diff --git a/src/core/options.go b/src/core/options.go
index 80c374e8..318cc549 100644
--- a/src/core/options.go
+++ b/src/core/options.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ type Peer struct {
 type NodeInfo map[string]interface{}
 type NodeInfoPrivacy bool
 type NetworkDomain struct {
-	Prefix          [1]byte
+	Prefix string
 }
 type AllowedPublicKey ed25519.PublicKey
 
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_darwin.go b/src/defaults/defaults_darwin.go
index 660d7644..670fca88 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_darwin.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_darwin.go
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 		},
 
 		// Network domain
-                DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-                        Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
-                },
+		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
+			Prefix: "fc",
+		},
 
 		// TUN
 		MaximumIfMTU:  65535,
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_freebsd.go b/src/defaults/defaults_freebsd.go
index 15be4ffe..2a50c25c 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_freebsd.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_freebsd.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 			{Regex: ".*", Beacon: true, Listen: true},
 		},
 
-                // Network domain
-                DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-                        Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
-                },
+		// Network domain
+		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
+			Prefix: "fc",
+		},
 
 		// TUN
 		MaximumIfMTU:  32767,
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_linux.go b/src/defaults/defaults_linux.go
index 9fb40565..2c2690c7 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_linux.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_linux.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 			{Regex: ".*", Beacon: true, Listen: true},
 		},
 
-                // Network domain
-                DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-                        Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
-                },
+		// Network domain
+		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
+			Prefix: "fc",
+		},
 
 		// TUN
 		MaximumIfMTU:  65535,
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_openbsd.go b/src/defaults/defaults_openbsd.go
index ce5db723..3772d07b 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_openbsd.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_openbsd.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 			{Regex: ".*", Beacon: true, Listen: true},
 		},
 
-                // Network domain
-                DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-                        Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
-                },
+		// Network domain
+		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
+			Prefix: "fc",
+		},
 
 		// TUN
 		MaximumIfMTU:  16384,
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_other.go b/src/defaults/defaults_other.go
index 3adb05e7..21c32160 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_other.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_other.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 			{Regex: ".*", Beacon: true, Listen: true},
 		},
 
-                // Network domain
-                DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-                        Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
-                },
+		// Network domain
+		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
+			Prefix: "fc",
+		},
 
 		// TUN
 		MaximumIfMTU:  65535,
diff --git a/src/defaults/defaults_windows.go b/src/defaults/defaults_windows.go
index 79a2815f..95a8cc80 100644
--- a/src/defaults/defaults_windows.go
+++ b/src/defaults/defaults_windows.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func getDefaults() platformDefaultParameters {
 
 		// Network domain
 		DefaultNetworkDomain: NetworkDomainConfig{
-			Prefix: [...]byte{0xfc},
+			Prefix: "fc",
 		},
 
 		// TUN