diff --git a/onionr/onionrutils.py b/onionr/onionrutils.py
index 4e7b05bb..02d26592 100644
--- a/onionr/onionrutils.py
+++ b/onionr/onionrutils.py
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class OnionrUtils:
                     if len(key[0]) > 60 or len(key[1]) > 1000:
                         logger.warn(key[0] + ' or its pow value is too large.')
                         continue
-                    if self._core._crypto.blake2bHash(base64.b64decode(key[1]) + key[0]).startswith('0000'):
+                    if self._core._crypto.blake2bHash(base64.b64decode(key[1]) + key[0].encode()).startswith('0000'):
                         if not key[0] in self._core.listPeers(randomOrder=False) and type(key) != None and key[0] != self._core._crypto.pubKey:
                             if self._core.addPeer(key[0], key[1]):
                                 retVal = True
diff --git a/onionr/tests.py b/onionr/tests.py
index 7eea62d3..d78b128d 100755
--- a/onionr/tests.py
+++ b/onionr/tests.py
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class OnionrTests(unittest.TestCase):
         myCore = core.Core()
         if not os.path.exists('data/peers.db'):
             myCore.createPeerDB()
-        if myCore.addPeer('6M5MXL237OK57ITHVYN5WGHANPGOMKS5C3PJLHBBNKFFJQOIDOJA====') and not myCore.addPeer('NFXHMYLMNFSAU==='):
+        if myCore.addPeer('6M5MXL237OK57ITHVYN5WGHANPGOMKS5C3PJLHBBNKFFJQOIDOJA====', '1cSix9Ao/yQSdo0sNif8cm2uTcYnSphb4JdZL/3WkN4=') and not myCore.addPeer('NFXHMYLMNFSAU===', '1cSix9Ao/yQSdo0sNif8cm2uTcYnSphb4JdZL/3WkN4='):
             self.assertTrue(True)
         else:
             self.assertTrue(False)