diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
index 15dc88e5..2a6af5b7 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
@@ -228,6 +228,10 @@ class MyMesh : public BaseChatMesh {
   void loadMainIdentity() {
     if (!_identity_store->load("_main", self_id)) {
       self_id = radio_new_identity();  // create new random identity
+      int count = 0;
+      while (count < 10 && (self_id.pub_key[0] == 0x00 || self_id.pub_key[0] == 0xFF)) {  // reserved id hashes
+        self_id = radio_new_identity(); count++;
+      }
       saveMainIdentity(self_id);
     }
   }
diff --git a/examples/simple_repeater/main.cpp b/examples/simple_repeater/main.cpp
index 8ac1e8a7..1c76264e 100644
--- a/examples/simple_repeater/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/simple_repeater/main.cpp
@@ -643,6 +643,10 @@ void setup() {
   if (!store.load("_main", the_mesh.self_id)) {
     MESH_DEBUG_PRINTLN("Generating new keypair");
     the_mesh.self_id = radio_new_identity();   // create new random identity
+    int count = 0;
+    while (count < 10 && (the_mesh.self_id.pub_key[0] == 0x00 || the_mesh.self_id.pub_key[0] == 0xFF)) {  // reserved id hashes
+      the_mesh.self_id = radio_new_identity(); count++;
+    }
     store.save("_main", the_mesh.self_id);
   }
 
diff --git a/examples/simple_room_server/main.cpp b/examples/simple_room_server/main.cpp
index 36938ef6..daf8b497 100644
--- a/examples/simple_room_server/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/simple_room_server/main.cpp
@@ -872,6 +872,10 @@ void setup() {
 #endif
   if (!store.load("_main", the_mesh.self_id)) {
     the_mesh.self_id = radio_new_identity();   // create new random identity
+    int count = 0;
+    while (count < 10 && (the_mesh.self_id.pub_key[0] == 0x00 || the_mesh.self_id.pub_key[0] == 0xFF)) {  // reserved id hashes
+      the_mesh.self_id = radio_new_identity(); count++;
+    }
     store.save("_main", the_mesh.self_id);
   }
 
diff --git a/examples/simple_secure_chat/main.cpp b/examples/simple_secure_chat/main.cpp
index 4b71811c..f5cbc743 100644
--- a/examples/simple_secure_chat/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/simple_secure_chat/main.cpp
@@ -300,6 +300,10 @@ public:
       ((StdRNG *)getRNG())->begin(millis());
 
       self_id = mesh::LocalIdentity(getRNG());  // create new random identity
+      int count = 0;
+      while (count < 10 && (self_id.pub_key[0] == 0x00 || self_id.pub_key[0] == 0xFF)) {  // reserved id hashes
+        self_id = mesh::LocalIdentity(getRNG()); count++;
+      }
       store.save("_main", self_id);
     }