diff --git a/binary/binary.go b/binary/binary.go
index 890ac76aa..1a5656937 100644
--- a/binary/binary.go
+++ b/binary/binary.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 func ReadBinary(o interface{}, r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) interface{} {
 	rv, rt := reflect.ValueOf(o), reflect.TypeOf(o)
 	if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
-		readReflectBinary(rv.Elem(), rt.Elem(), Options{}, r, n, err)
+		readReflectBinary(rv, rt, Options{}, r, n, err)
 		return o
 	} else {
 		ptrRv := reflect.New(rt)
@@ -18,12 +18,19 @@ func ReadBinary(o interface{}, r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) interface{} {
 	}
 }
 
+func ReadBinaryPtr(o interface{}, r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) interface{} {
+	rv, rt := reflect.ValueOf(o), reflect.TypeOf(o)
+	if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		readReflectBinary(rv.Elem(), rt.Elem(), Options{}, r, n, err)
+		return o
+	} else {
+		panic("ReadBinaryPtr expects o to be a pointer")
+	}
+}
+
 func WriteBinary(o interface{}, w io.Writer, n *int64, err *error) {
 	rv := reflect.ValueOf(o)
 	rt := reflect.TypeOf(o)
-	if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
-		rv, rt = rv.Elem(), rt.Elem()
-	}
 	writeReflectBinary(rv, rt, Options{}, w, n, err)
 }
 
diff --git a/binary/reflect.go b/binary/reflect.go
index 6eac5a46e..b497cf5f0 100644
--- a/binary/reflect.go
+++ b/binary/reflect.go
@@ -226,6 +226,9 @@ func readReflectBinary(rv reflect.Value, rt reflect.Type, opts Options, r io.Rea
 		typeInfo = GetTypeInfo(rt)
 		if typeInfo.Byte != 0x00 {
 			r = NewPrefixedReader([]byte{typeByte}, r)
+		} else if typeByte != 0x01 {
+			*err = errors.New(Fmt("Unexpected type byte %X for ptr of untyped thing", typeByte))
+			return
 		}
 		// continue...
 	}
@@ -250,7 +253,7 @@ func readReflectBinary(rv reflect.Value, rt reflect.Type, opts Options, r io.Rea
 		} else {
 			var sliceRv reflect.Value
 			// Read length
-			length := int(ReadUvarint(r, n, err))
+			length := ReadVarint(r, n, err)
 			log.Debug(Fmt("Read length: %v", length))
 			sliceRv = reflect.MakeSlice(rt, 0, 0)
 			// read one ReflectSliceChunk at a time and append
@@ -322,7 +325,7 @@ func readReflectBinary(rv reflect.Value, rt reflect.Type, opts Options, r io.Rea
 
 	case reflect.Uint64:
 		if opts.Varint {
-			num := ReadUvarint(r, n, err)
+			num := ReadVarint(r, n, err)
 			log.Debug(Fmt("Read num: %v", num))
 			rv.SetUint(uint64(num))
 		} else {
@@ -347,7 +350,7 @@ func readReflectBinary(rv reflect.Value, rt reflect.Type, opts Options, r io.Rea
 		rv.SetUint(uint64(num))
 
 	case reflect.Uint:
-		num := ReadUvarint(r, n, err)
+		num := ReadVarint(r, n, err)
 		log.Debug(Fmt("Read num: %v", num))
 		rv.SetUint(uint64(num))
 
diff --git a/binary/reflect_test.go b/binary/reflect_test.go
index 3fd3f765a..8d1b03861 100644
--- a/binary/reflect_test.go
+++ b/binary/reflect_test.go
@@ -72,13 +72,14 @@ func TestAnimalInterface(t *testing.T) {
 	ptr := reflect.New(rte).Interface()
 	fmt.Printf("ptr: %v", ptr)
 
-	// Make a binary byteslice that represents a snake.
-	snakeBytes := BinaryBytes(Snake([]byte("snake")))
+	// Make a binary byteslice that represents a *snake.
+	foo = Snake([]byte("snake"))
+	snakeBytes := BinaryBytes(foo)
 	snakeReader := bytes.NewReader(snakeBytes)
 
 	// Now you can read it.
 	n, err := new(int64), new(error)
-	it := *ReadBinary(ptr, snakeReader, n, err).(*Animal)
+	it := ReadBinary(foo, snakeReader, n, err).(Animal)
 	fmt.Println(it, reflect.TypeOf(it))
 }
 
@@ -374,7 +375,7 @@ func TestBinary(t *testing.T) {
 
 		// Read onto a pointer
 		n, err = new(int64), new(error)
-		res = ReadBinary(instancePtr, bytes.NewReader(data), n, err)
+		res = ReadBinaryPtr(instancePtr, bytes.NewReader(data), n, err)
 		if *err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed to read into instance: %v", *err)
 		}
diff --git a/binary/string.go b/binary/string.go
index c7ebd7f77..fb0bfc7d8 100644
--- a/binary/string.go
+++ b/binary/string.go
@@ -5,16 +5,16 @@ import "io"
 // String
 
 func WriteString(s string, w io.Writer, n *int64, err *error) {
-	WriteUvarint(uint(len(s)), w, n, err)
+	WriteVarint(len(s), w, n, err)
 	WriteTo([]byte(s), w, n, err)
 }
 
 func ReadString(r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) string {
-	length := ReadUvarint(r, n, err)
+	length := ReadVarint(r, n, err)
 	if *err != nil {
 		return ""
 	}
-	buf := make([]byte, int(length))
+	buf := make([]byte, length)
 	ReadFull(buf, r, n, err)
 	return string(buf)
 }
diff --git a/p2p/connection.go b/p2p/connection.go
index 856f40f30..a7bda8a98 100644
--- a/p2p/connection.go
+++ b/p2p/connection.go
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ FOR_LOOP:
 			log.Debug("Receive Pong")
 		case packetTypeMsg:
 			pkt, n, err := msgPacket{}, new(int64), new(error)
-			binary.ReadBinary(&pkt, c.bufReader, n, err)
+			binary.ReadBinaryPtr(&pkt, c.bufReader, n, err)
 			c.recvMonitor.Update(int(*n))
 			if *err != nil {
 				if atomic.LoadUint32(&c.stopped) != 1 {