diff --git a/router/handshake.go b/router/handshake.go
index 3e42633a..8e6d9467 100644
--- a/router/handshake.go
+++ b/router/handshake.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (conn *LocalConnection) handshake(enc *gob.Encoder, dec *gob.Decoder, accep
 	if existingConn, found := conn.Router.Ourself.ConnectionTo(name); found && existingConn.Established() {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Already have connection to %s at %s", existingConn.Remote(), existingConn.RemoteTCPAddr())
 	}
-	uid, err := strconv.ParseUint(uidStr, 10, 64)
+	uid, err := ParsePeerUID(uidStr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/router/json.go b/router/json.go
index 9461c014..966ef2fe 100644
--- a/router/json.go
+++ b/router/json.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func (peers *Peers) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 	type p struct {
 		Name        string
 		NickName    string
-		UID         uint64
+		UID         PeerUID
 		Version     uint64
 		Connections []Connection
 	}
diff --git a/router/peer.go b/router/peer.go
index 3305e01a..afab53b6 100644
--- a/router/peer.go
+++ b/router/peer.go
@@ -3,13 +3,21 @@ package router
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
+	"strconv"
 )
 
+type PeerUID uint64
+
+func ParsePeerUID(s string) (PeerUID, error) {
+	uid, err := strconv.ParseUint(s, 10, 64)
+	return PeerUID(uid), err
+}
+
 type Peer struct {
 	Name          PeerName
 	NameByte      []byte
 	NickName      string
-	UID           uint64
+	UID           PeerUID
 	version       uint64
 	localRefCount uint64 // maintained by Peers
 	connections   map[PeerName]Connection
@@ -17,9 +25,9 @@ type Peer struct {
 
 type ConnectionSet map[Connection]struct{}
 
-func NewPeer(name PeerName, nickName string, uid uint64, version uint64) *Peer {
+func NewPeer(name PeerName, nickName string, uid PeerUID, version uint64) *Peer {
 	if uid == 0 {
-		uid = randUint64()
+		uid = PeerUID(randUint64())
 	}
 	return &Peer{
 		Name:        name,
diff --git a/router/peers.go b/router/peers.go
index ab921c17..a8d73880 100644
--- a/router/peers.go
+++ b/router/peers.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ type PeerNameSet map[PeerName]struct{}
 type PeerSummary struct {
 	NameByte []byte
 	NickName string
-	UID      uint64
+	UID      PeerUID
 	Version  uint64
 }