diff --git a/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IMeshService.aidl b/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IMeshService.aidl
index 3535185c..61daff67 100644
--- a/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IMeshService.aidl
+++ b/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IMeshService.aidl
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ interface IMeshService {
     /// If a macaddress we will try to talk to our device, if null we will be idle.
     /// Any current connection will be dropped (even if the device address is the same) before reconnecting.
     /// Users should not call this directly, only used internally by the MeshUtil activity
-    void setDeviceAddress(String deviceAddr);
+    boolean setDeviceAddress(String deviceAddr);
 
     /// Get basic device hardware info about our connected radio.  Will never return NULL.  Will throw
     /// RemoteException if no my node info is available
diff --git a/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IRadioInterfaceService.aidl b/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IRadioInterfaceService.aidl
index 8485dfbc..6bd32d13 100644
--- a/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IRadioInterfaceService.aidl
+++ b/app/src/main/aidl/com/geeksville/mesh/IRadioInterfaceService.aidl
@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@ interface IRadioInterfaceService {
     /// If a macaddress we will try to talk to our device, if null we will be idle.
     /// Any current connection will be dropped (even if the device address is the same) before reconnecting.
     /// Users should not call this directly, called only by MeshService
-    void setDeviceAddress(String deviceAddr);
+    boolean setDeviceAddress(String deviceAddr);
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
index 51d30f5f..1b4de88e 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
@@ -608,6 +608,7 @@ class MeshService : Service(), Logging {
      * discard entire node db & message state - used when downloading a new db from the device
      */
     private fun discardNodeDB() {
+        debug("Discarding NodeDB")
         myNodeInfo = null
         nodeDBbyNodeNum.clear()
         nodeDBbyID.clear()
@@ -1508,8 +1509,12 @@ class MeshService : Service(), Logging {
 
         override fun setDeviceAddress(deviceAddr: String?) = toRemoteExceptions {
             debug("Passing through device change to radio service: $deviceAddr")
-            discardNodeDB()
-            radio.service.setDeviceAddress(deviceAddr)
+
+            val res = radio.service.setDeviceAddress(deviceAddr)
+            if (res) {
+                discardNodeDB()
+            }
+            res
         }
 
         // Note: bound methods don't get properly exception caught/logged, so do that with a wrapper
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/RadioInterfaceService.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/RadioInterfaceService.kt
index 1d79db20..c9bb0652 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/RadioInterfaceService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/RadioInterfaceService.kt
@@ -250,38 +250,49 @@ class RadioInterfaceService : Service(), Logging {
     }
 
 
+    /**
+     * Change to a new device
+     *
+     * @return true if the device changed, false if no change
+     */
     @SuppressLint("NewApi")
-    private fun setBondedDeviceAddress(address: String?) {
-        // Record that this use has configured a radio
-        GeeksvilleApplication.analytics.track(
-            "mesh_bond"
-        )
+    private fun setBondedDeviceAddress(address: String?): Boolean {
+        return if (getBondedDeviceAddress(this) == address && isConnected) {
+            warn("Ignoring setBondedDevice $address, because we are already using that device")
+            false
+        } else {
+            // Record that this use has configured a new radio
+            GeeksvilleApplication.analytics.track(
+                "mesh_bond"
+            )
 
-        // Ignore any errors that happen while closing old device
-        ignoreException {
-            stopInterface()
+            // Ignore any errors that happen while closing old device
+            ignoreException {
+                stopInterface()
+            }
+
+            // The device address "n" can be used to mean none
+
+            debug("Setting bonded device to $address")
+
+            getPrefs(this).edit(commit = true) {
+                this.remove(DEVADDR_KEY_OLD) // remove any old version of the key
+
+                if (address == null)
+                    this.remove(DEVADDR_KEY)
+                else
+                    putString(DEVADDR_KEY, address)
+            }
+
+            // Force the service to reconnect
+            startInterface()
+            true
         }
-
-        // The device address "n" can be used to mean none
-
-        debug("Setting bonded device to $address")
-
-        getPrefs(this).edit(commit = true) {
-            this.remove(DEVADDR_KEY_OLD) // remove any old version of the key
-
-            if (address == null)
-                this.remove(DEVADDR_KEY)
-            else
-                putString(DEVADDR_KEY, address)
-        }
-
-        // Force the service to reconnect
-        startInterface()
     }
 
     private val binder = object : IRadioInterfaceService.Stub() {
 
-        override fun setDeviceAddress(deviceAddr: String?) = toRemoteExceptions {
+        override fun setDeviceAddress(deviceAddr: String?): Boolean = toRemoteExceptions {
             setBondedDeviceAddress(deviceAddr)
         }