diff --git a/docs/architecture.txt b/docs/architecture.txt
index daa56730..4b0de429 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.txt
+++ b/docs/architecture.txt
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ Router:
   the known locations of peers as they're discovered and is informed
   when connections we have made die. It proactively tries to create
   connections to remote peers we're not connected to using a random
-  binary exponential backoff to regulate the period between connection
+  exponential backoff to regulate the period between connection
   attempts.
 
 - Local Peer
diff --git a/router/connection_maker.go b/router/connection_maker.go
index 4f5b542d..a7c4d409 100644
--- a/router/connection_maker.go
+++ b/router/connection_maker.go
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	InitialInterval = 5 * time.Second
-	MaxInterval     = 10 * time.Minute
+	InitialInterval = 2 * time.Second
+	MaxInterval     = 6 * time.Minute
 )
 
 type peerAddrs map[string]*net.TCPAddr
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ type Target struct {
 	attempting  bool          // are we currently attempting to connect there?
 	lastError   error         // reason for disconnection last time
 	tryAfter    time.Time     // next time to try this address
-	tryInterval time.Duration // backoff time on next failure
+	tryInterval time.Duration // retry delay on next failure
 }
 
 type ConnectionMakerAction func() bool
@@ -304,14 +304,16 @@ func (cm *ConnectionMaker) attemptConnection(address string, acceptNewPeer bool)
 }
 
 func tryImmediately() (time.Time, time.Duration) {
-	interval := time.Duration(rand.Int63n(int64(InitialInterval)))
-	return time.Now(), interval
+	return time.Now(), InitialInterval
 }
 
+// The delay at the nth retry is a random value in the range
+// [i-i/2,i+i/2], where i = InitialInterval * 1.5^(n-1).
 func tryAfter(interval time.Duration) (time.Time, time.Duration) {
-	interval += time.Duration(rand.Int63n(int64(interval)))
-	if interval > MaxInterval {
-		interval = MaxInterval
+	delay := interval/2 + time.Duration(rand.Int63n(int64(interval)))
+	nextInterval := interval * 3 / 2
+	if nextInterval > MaxInterval {
+		nextInterval = MaxInterval
 	}
-	return time.Now().Add(interval), interval
+	return time.Now().Add(delay), nextInterval
 }