diff --git a/src/config/index.ts b/src/config/index.ts
index 0ea68ab2..a35db016 100644
--- a/src/config/index.ts
+++ b/src/config/index.ts
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class Config extends EventEmitter {
 
 		// NOTE: all 'db' values are stored and loaded as *strings*,
 		apiSecret: { source: 'db', mutable: true },
-		name: { source: 'db', mutable: true },
+		name: { source: 'db', mutable: true, default: 'local' },
 		initialConfigReported: { source: 'db', mutable: true, default: 'false' },
 		initialConfigSaved: { source: 'db', mutable: true, default: 'false' },
 		containersNormalised: { source: 'db', mutable: true, default: 'false' },
diff --git a/src/device-state.coffee b/src/device-state.coffee
index 1b9022ac..0bc5a9ac 100644
--- a/src/device-state.coffee
+++ b/src/device-state.coffee
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ DeviceConfig = require './device-config'
 ApplicationManager = require './application-manager'
 
 validateLocalState = (state) ->
-	if !state.name? or !validation.isValidShortText(state.name)
-		throw new Error('Invalid device name')
+	if state.name?
+		throw new Error('Invalid device name') if not validation.isValidShortText(state.name)
 	if !state.apps? or !validation.isValidAppsObject(state.apps)
 		throw new Error('Invalid apps')
 	if !state.config? or !validation.isValidEnv(state.config)
diff --git a/test/03-config.spec.coffee b/test/03-config.spec.coffee
index 8265f0a1..8d3b8a10 100644
--- a/test/03-config.spec.coffee
+++ b/test/03-config.spec.coffee
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ describe 'Config', ->
 		expect(promise).to.eventually.deep.equal({ appUpdatePollInterval: 30000, name: 'a new device name' })
 
 	it 'allows removing a db key', ->
-		promise = @conf.remove('name').then =>
-			@conf.get('name')
+		promise = @conf.remove('apiSecret').then =>
+			@conf.get('apiSecret')
 		expect(promise).to.be.fulfilled
 		expect(promise).to.eventually.be.undefined