diff --git a/include/opendht/default_types.h b/include/opendht/default_types.h
index bef2f659..58595163 100644
--- a/include/opendht/default_types.h
+++ b/include/opendht/default_types.h
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public:
     static Value::Filter getFilter() {
         return Value::Filter::chain(
             BaseClass::getFilter(),
-            [](const Value& v){ return v.recipient != InfoHash(); }
+            [](const Value& v) { return static_cast<bool>(v.recipient); }
         );
     }
 
diff --git a/include/opendht/infohash.h b/include/opendht/infohash.h
index ab50d5a7..57671186 100644
--- a/include/opendht/infohash.h
+++ b/include/opendht/infohash.h
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ using PkId = h256;
  */
 class OPENDHT_PUBLIC InfoHash final : public std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN> {
 public:
-    constexpr InfoHash() : std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN>() {}
+    constexpr InfoHash() : std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN>({{0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0}}) {}
     constexpr InfoHash(const std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN>& h) : std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN>(h) {}
     InfoHash(const uint8_t* h, size_t h_len) : std::array<uint8_t, HASH_LEN>() {
         if (h_len < HASH_LEN)
@@ -267,6 +267,16 @@ public:
         return false;
     }
 
+    explicit operator bool() const {
+        auto a = reinterpret_cast<const uint32_t*>(data());
+        auto b = reinterpret_cast<const uint32_t*>(data() + size());
+        for (; a != b; a++) {
+            if (*a)
+                return true;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     static inline InfoHash get(const std::string& data) {
         return get((const uint8_t*)data.data(), data.size());
     }
diff --git a/include/opendht/value.h b/include/opendht/value.h
index 9fd10dfa..6e5a33db 100644
--- a/include/opendht/value.h
+++ b/include/opendht/value.h
@@ -424,11 +424,11 @@ struct OPENDHT_PUBLIC Value
     void msgpack_pack_to_sign(Packer& pk) const
     {
         bool has_owner = owner && *owner;
-        pk.pack_map((user_type.empty()?0:1) + (has_owner?(recipient == InfoHash() ? 4 : 5):2));
+        pk.pack_map((user_type.empty()?0:1) + (has_owner?(recipient ? 5 : 4):2));
         if (has_owner) { // isSigned
             pk.pack(std::string("seq"));   pk.pack(seq);
             pk.pack(std::string("owner")); owner->msgpack_pack(pk);
-            if (recipient != InfoHash()) {
+            if (recipient) {
                 pk.pack(std::string("to")); pk.pack(recipient);
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/dht.cpp b/src/dht.cpp
index 46f8326b..6dec3b26 100644
--- a/src/dht.cpp
+++ b/src/dht.cpp
@@ -1655,7 +1655,7 @@ Dht::~Dht()
 Dht::Dht() : store(), scheduler(DHT_LOG), network_engine(DHT_LOG, scheduler) {}
 
 Dht::Dht(int s, int s6, Config config)
-    : myid(config.node_id != zeroes ? config.node_id : InfoHash::getRandom()),
+    : myid(config.node_id ? config.node_id : InfoHash::getRandom()),
     is_bootstrap(config.is_bootstrap),
     maintain_storage(config.maintain_storage), store(), store_quota(),
     scheduler(DHT_LOG),
@@ -2102,7 +2102,7 @@ Dht::onFindNode(Sp<Node> node, const InfoHash& target, want_t want)
 net::RequestAnswer
 Dht::onGetValues(Sp<Node> node, const InfoHash& hash, want_t, const Query& query)
 {
-    if (hash == zeroes) {
+    if (not hash) {
         DHT_LOG.w("[node %s] Eek! Got get_values with no info_hash", node->toString().c_str());
         throw net::DhtProtocolException {
             net::DhtProtocolException::NON_AUTHORITATIVE_INFORMATION,
@@ -2199,7 +2199,7 @@ void Dht::onGetValuesDone(const Sp<Node>& node,
 net::RequestAnswer
 Dht::onListen(Sp<Node> node, const InfoHash& hash, const Blob& token, size_t socket_id, const Query& query)
 {
-    if (hash == zeroes) {
+    if (not hash) {
         DHT_LOG.w(node->id, "[node %s] listen with no info_hash", node->toString().c_str());
         throw net::DhtProtocolException {
             net::DhtProtocolException::NON_AUTHORITATIVE_INFORMATION,
@@ -2238,7 +2238,7 @@ Dht::onAnnounce(Sp<Node> n,
         const time_point& creation_date)
 {
     auto& node = *n;
-    if (hash == zeroes) {
+    if (not hash) {
         DHT_LOG.w(node.id, "put with no info_hash");
         throw net::DhtProtocolException {
             net::DhtProtocolException::NON_AUTHORITATIVE_INFORMATION,
diff --git a/src/network_engine.cpp b/src/network_engine.cpp
index cab07ec1..93a6cf88 100644
--- a/src/network_engine.cpp
+++ b/src/network_engine.cpp
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ NetworkEngine::requestStep(Sp<Request> sreq)
     if (req.isExpired(now)) {
         DHT_LOG.e(node.id, "[node %s] expired !", node.toString().c_str());
         node.setExpired();
-        if (node.id == zeroes)
+        if (not node.id)
             requests.erase(req.tid);
         return;
     } else if (req.attempt_count == 1) {
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ NetworkEngine::requestStep(Sp<Request> sreq)
         err == EAFNOSUPPORT)
     {
         node.setExpired();
-        if (node.id == zeroes)
+        if (not node.id)
             requests.erase(req.tid);
     } else {
         if (err != EAGAIN) {
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ void
 NetworkEngine::sendRequest(const Sp<Request>& request)
 {
     auto& node = request->node;
-    if (node->id == zeroes)
+    if (not node->id)
         requests.emplace(request->tid, request);
     request->start = scheduler.time();
     node->requested(request);
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ NetworkEngine::processMessage(const uint8_t *buf, size_t buflen, const SockAddr&
         return;
     }
 
-    if (msg->id == myid || msg->id == zeroes) {
+    if (msg->id == myid or not msg->id) {
         DHT_LOG.d("Received message from self");
         return;
     }
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ NetworkEngine::process(std::unique_ptr<ParsedMessage>&& msg, const SockAddr& fro
         /* either response for a request or data for an opened socket */
         if (not req and not rsocket) {
             auto req_it = requests.find(msg->tid);
-            if (req_it != requests.end() and req_it->second->node->id == zeroes) {
+            if (req_it != requests.end() and not req_it->second->node->id) {
                 req = req_it->second;
                 req->node = node;
                 requests.erase(req_it);
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ NetworkEngine::process(std::unique_ptr<ParsedMessage>&& msg, const SockAddr& fro
 
         switch (msg->type) {
         case MessageType::Error: {
-            if (msg->id != zeroes and req and (
+            if (msg->id and req and (
                 (msg->error_code == DhtProtocolException::NOT_FOUND    and req->getType() == MessageType::Refresh) or
                 (msg->error_code == DhtProtocolException::UNAUTHORIZED and (req->getType() == MessageType::AnnounceValue
                                                                          or req->getType() == MessageType::Listen))))
diff --git a/src/node_cache.cpp b/src/node_cache.cpp
index 485b208b..926768da 100644
--- a/src/node_cache.cpp
+++ b/src/node_cache.cpp
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ NodeCache::getNode(const InfoHash& id, sa_family_t family) {
 
 Sp<Node>
 NodeCache::getNode(const InfoHash& id, const SockAddr& addr, time_point now, bool confirm, bool client) {
-    if (id == zeroes)
+    if (not id)
         return std::make_shared<Node>(id, addr);
     return cache(addr.getFamily()).getNode(id, addr, now, confirm, client);
 }
diff --git a/src/securedht.cpp b/src/securedht.cpp
index ea15e125..88a1b118 100644
--- a/src/securedht.cpp
+++ b/src/securedht.cpp
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ namespace dht {
 Config& getConfig(SecureDht::Config& conf)
 {
     auto& c = conf.node_config;
-    if (c.node_id == InfoHash() and conf.id.second)
+    if (not c.node_id and conf.id.second)
         c.node_id = InfoHash::get("node:"+conf.id.second->getId().toString());
     return c;
 }
diff --git a/src/value.cpp b/src/value.cpp
index 90d1aaf3..e3d3aece 100644
--- a/src/value.cpp
+++ b/src/value.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ std::ostream& operator<< (std::ostream& s, const Value& v)
         s << "encrypted ";
     else if (v.isSigned()) {
         s << "signed (v" << v.seq << ") ";
-        if (v.recipient != InfoHash())
+        if (v.recipient)
             s << "decrypted ";
     }
     if (not v.isEncrypted()) {