diff --git a/core/include/sysparam.h b/core/include/sysparam.h
index 2894302..1407803 100644
--- a/core/include/sysparam.h
+++ b/core/include/sysparam.h
@@ -169,24 +169,20 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_info(uint32_t *base_addr, uint32_t *num_sectors);
  */
 sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data(const char *key, uint8_t **destptr, size_t *actual_length, bool *is_binary);
 
-/** Get the value associate with a key (static buffers only)
+/** Get the value associated with a key (static value buffer)
  *
  *  This performs the same function as sysparam_get_data() but without
- *  performing any memory allocations.  It can thus be used before the heap has
- *  been configured or in other cases where using the heap would be a problem
- *  (i.e. in an OOM handler, etc).  It requires that the caller pass in a
- *  suitably sized buffer for the value to be read (if the supplied buffer is
- *  not large enough, the returned value will be truncated and the full
- *  required length will be returned in `actual_length`).
- *
- *  NOTE: In addition to being large enough for the value, the supplied buffer
- *  must also be at least as large as the length of the key being requested.
- *  If it is not, an error will be returned.
+ *  allocating memory for the result value.  It can thus be used before the heap
+ *  has been configured or in other cases where using the heap would be a
+ *  problem (i.e. in an OOM handler, etc).  It requires that the caller pass in
+ *  a suitably sized buffer for the value to be read (if the supplied buffer is
+ *  not large enough, the returned value will be truncated and the full required
+ *  length will be returned in `actual_length`).
  *
  *  @param[in]  key            Key name (zero-terminated string)
- *  @param[in]  buffer         Pointer to a buffer to hold the returned value
- *  @param[in]  buffer_size    Length of the supplied buffer in bytes
- *  @param[out] actual_length  pointer to a location to hold the actual length
+ *  @param[in]  dest           Pointer to a buffer to hold the returned value.
+ *  @param[in]  dest_size      Length of the supplied buffer in bytes.
+ *  @param[out] actual_length  Pointer to a location to hold the actual length
  *                             of the data which was associated with the key
  *                             (may be NULL).
  *  @param[out] is_binary      Pointer to a bool to hold whether the returned
@@ -199,7 +195,7 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data(const char *key, uint8_t **destptr, size_t *
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data_static(const char *key, uint8_t *buffer, size_t buffer_size, size_t *actual_length, bool *is_binary);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data_static(const char *key, uint8_t *dest, size_t dest_size, size_t *actual_length, bool *is_binary);
 
 /** Get the string value associated with a key
  * 
@@ -231,8 +227,8 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_string(const char *key, char **destptr);
 /** Get the int32_t value associated with a key
  * 
  *  This routine can be used if you know that the value in a key will (or at
- *  least should) be an integer value.  It will parse the stored data as a
- *  number (in standard decimal or "0x" hex notation) and return the result.
+ *  least should) be an int32_t value. This is done without allocating any
+ *  memory.
  *
  *  Note: If the status result is anything other than ::SYSPARAM_OK, the value
  *  in `result` is not changed.  This means it is possible to set a default
@@ -251,17 +247,13 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_string(const char *key, char **destptr);
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int(const char *key, int32_t *result);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int32(const char *key, int32_t *result);
 
 /** Get the boolean value associated with a key
  * 
  *  This routine can be used if you know that the value in a key will (or at
- *  least should) be a boolean setting.  It will read the specified value as a
- *  text string and attempt to parse it as a boolean value.
- *
- *  It will recognize the following (case-insensitive) strings:
- *    * True: "yes", "y", "true", "t", "1"
- *    * False: "no", "n", "false", "f", "0"
+ *  least should) be a uint8_t binary value. This is done without allocating any
+ *  memory.
  *
  *  Note: If the status result is anything other than ::SYSPARAM_OK, the value
  *  in `result` is not changed.  This means it is possible to set a default
@@ -280,13 +272,13 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int(const char *key, int32_t *result);
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_bool(const char *key, bool *result);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int8(const char *key, int8_t *result);
 
 /** Set the value associated with a key
  *
  *  The supplied value can be any data, up to 255 bytes in length.  If `value`
  *  is NULL or `value_len` is 0, this is treated as a request to delete any
- *  current entry matching `key`.
+ *  current entry matching `key`. This is done without allocating any memory.
  *
  *  If `binary` is true, the data will be considered binary (unprintable) data,
  *  and this will be annotated in the saved entry.  This does not affect the
@@ -310,7 +302,7 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_bool(const char *key, bool *result);
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, const uint8_t *value, size_t value_len, bool binary);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, uint8_t *value, size_t value_len, bool binary);
 
 /** Set a key's value from a string
  *
@@ -329,13 +321,13 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, const uint8_t *value, size_
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_string(const char *key, const char *value);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_string(const char *key, char *value);
 
 /** Set a key's value as a number
  *
- *  Converts an int32_t value to a decimal number and writes it to the
- *  specified key.  This does the inverse of the sysparam_get_int()
- *  function.
+ *  Write an int32_t binary value to the specified key. This does the inverse of
+ *  the sysparam_get_int32() function. This is done without allocating any
+ *  memory.
  *
  *  @param[in] key        Key name (zero-terminated string)
  *  @param[in] value      Value to set
@@ -348,13 +340,13 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_string(const char *key, const char *value);
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int(const char *key, int32_t value);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int32(const char *key, int32_t value);
 
-/** Set a key's value as a boolean (yes/no) string
+/** Set a key's value as a number
  *
- *  Converts a bool value to a corresponding text string and writes it to the
- *  specified key.  This does the inverse of the sysparam_get_bool()
- *  function.
+ *  Write an int8_t binary value to the specified key. This does the inverse of
+ *  the sysparam_get_int8() function. This is done without allocating any
+ *  memory.
  *
  *  Note that if the key already contains a value which parses to the same
  *  boolean (true/false) value, it is left unchanged.
@@ -370,7 +362,7 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int(const char *key, int32_t value);
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_CORRUPT  Sysparam region has bad/corrupted data
  *  @retval ::SYSPARAM_ERR_IO       I/O error reading/writing flash
  */
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_bool(const char *key, bool value);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int8(const char *key, int8_t value);
 
 /** Begin iterating through all key/value pairs
  *
diff --git a/core/sysparam.c b/core/sysparam.c
index 723656f..3ce7f61 100644
--- a/core/sysparam.c
+++ b/core/sysparam.c
@@ -13,9 +13,6 @@
 #include "FreeRTOS.h"
 #include "semphr.h"
 
-//TODO: make this properly threadsafe
-//TODO: reduce stack usage
-
 /* The "magic" value that indicates the start of a sysparam region in flash.
  */
 #define SYSPARAM_MAGIC 0x70524f45 // "EORp" in little-endian
@@ -33,11 +30,14 @@
  */
 #define SCAN_BUFFER_SIZE 8 // words
 
-/* The size of the temporary buffer used for reading back and verifying data
- * written to flash.  Making this larger will make the write-and-verify
- * operation slightly faster, but will use more heap during writes
+/* The size in words of the buffer used for reading keys when searching for a
+ * match, for reading payloads to check if the value has changed, and reading
+ * back from the flash to verify writes. Will work well if big enough for
+ * commonly used keys, and must be at least one word. Stack allocated so not too
+ * large!
  */
-#define VERIFY_BUF_SIZE 64
+#define BOUNCE_BUFFER_WORDS 3
+#define BOUNCE_BUFFER_SIZE (BOUNCE_BUFFER_WORDS * sizeof(uint32_t))
 
 /* Size of region/entry headers.  These should not normally need tweaking (and
  * will probably require some code changes if they are tweaked).
@@ -119,40 +119,37 @@ static struct {
 
 /***************************** Internal routines *****************************/
 
-static inline IRAM sysparam_status_t _do_write(uint32_t addr, const void *data, size_t data_size) {
-    CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_write(addr, (void*) data, data_size));
+static inline sysparam_status_t _do_write(uint32_t addr, const void *data, void *buffer, size_t data_size) {
+    memcpy(buffer, data, data_size);
+    CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_write(addr, buffer, data_size));
     return SYSPARAM_OK;
 }
 
-static inline IRAM sysparam_status_t _do_verify(uint32_t addr, const void *data, void *buffer, size_t len) {
+static inline sysparam_status_t _do_verify(uint32_t addr, const void *data, void *buffer, size_t len) {
     CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_read(addr, buffer, len));
     if (memcmp(data, buffer, len)) {
         return SYSPARAM_ERR_IO;
     }
+
     return SYSPARAM_OK;
 }
 
-/*FIXME: Eventually, this should probably be implemented down at the SPI flash library layer, where it can just compare bytes/words straight from the SPI hardware buffer instead of allocating a whole separate temp buffer, reading chunks into that, and then doing a memcmp.. */
-static IRAM sysparam_status_t _write_and_verify(uint32_t addr, const void *data, size_t data_size) {
+static sysparam_status_t _write_and_verify(uint32_t addr, const void *data, size_t data_size) {
     int i;
     size_t count;
     sysparam_status_t status = SYSPARAM_OK;
-    uint8_t *verify_buf = malloc(VERIFY_BUF_SIZE);
+    uint32_t buf[BOUNCE_BUFFER_WORDS];
 
-    if (!verify_buf) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
-    do {
-        status = _do_write(addr, data, data_size);
+    for (i = 0; i < data_size; i += BOUNCE_BUFFER_SIZE) {
+        count = min(data_size - i, BOUNCE_BUFFER_SIZE);
+        status = _do_write(addr + i, data + i, buf, count);
         if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) break;
-        for (i = 0; i < data_size; i += VERIFY_BUF_SIZE) {
-            count = min(data_size - i, VERIFY_BUF_SIZE);
-            status = _do_verify(addr + i, data + i, verify_buf, count);
-            if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) {
-                debug(1, "Flash write (@ 0x%08x) verify failed!", addr);
-                break;
-            }
+        status = _do_verify(addr + i, data + i, buf, count);
+        if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) {
+            debug(1, "Flash write (@ 0x%08x) verify failed!", addr);
+            break;
         }
-    } while (false);
-    free(verify_buf);
+    }
     return status;
 }
 
@@ -297,15 +294,47 @@ static sysparam_status_t _find_entry(struct sysparam_context *ctx, uint16_t matc
 /** Read the payload from the current entry pointed to by `ctx` */
 static inline sysparam_status_t _read_payload(struct sysparam_context *ctx, uint8_t *buffer, size_t buffer_size) {
     debug(3, "read payload (%d) @ 0x%08x", min(buffer_size, ctx->entry.len), ctx->addr);
-    CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_read(ctx->addr + ENTRY_HEADER_SIZE, (void*) buffer, min(buffer_size, ctx->entry.len)));
+    uint32_t addr = ctx->addr + ENTRY_HEADER_SIZE;
+    size_t size = min(buffer_size, ctx->entry.len);
+    size_t align = (uint32_t)buffer & 3;
+    if (align) {
+        // Unaligned buffer, use a bounce buffer to align.
+        uint32_t bounce[1];
+        size_t align_size = min(size, align);
+        CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_read(addr, (void*) bounce, align_size));
+        memcpy(buffer, bounce, align_size);
+        size -= align_size;
+        addr += align_size;
+        buffer += align_size;
+    }
+    if (size > 0) {
+        CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_read(addr, (void*) buffer, size));
+    }
+    return SYSPARAM_OK;
+}
+
+static inline sysparam_status_t _compare_payload(struct sysparam_context *ctx, uint8_t *value, size_t size) {
+    debug(3, "compare payload (%d) @ 0x%08x", size, ctx->addr);
+    if (ctx->entry.len != size) return SYSPARAM_NOTFOUND;
+    uint32_t *bounce[BOUNCE_BUFFER_WORDS];
+    uint32_t addr = ctx->addr + ENTRY_HEADER_SIZE;
+    int i;
+    for (i = 0; i < size; i += BOUNCE_BUFFER_SIZE) {
+        int len = min(size - i, BOUNCE_BUFFER_SIZE);
+        CHECK_FLASH_OP(sdk_spi_flash_read(addr + i, (void*)bounce, len));
+        if (memcmp(value + i, bounce, len)) {
+            // Mismatch.
+            return SYSPARAM_NOTFOUND;
+        }
+    }
     return SYSPARAM_OK;
 }
 
 /** Find the entry corresponding to the specified key name */
-static sysparam_status_t _find_key(struct sysparam_context *ctx, const char *key, uint16_t key_len, uint8_t *buffer) {
+static sysparam_status_t _find_key(struct sysparam_context *ctx, const char *key, uint16_t key_len) {
     sysparam_status_t status;
 
-    debug(3, "find key: %s", key ? key : "(null)");
+    debug(3, "find key len %d: %s", key_len, key ? key : "(null)");
     while (true) {
         // Find the next key entry
         status = _find_entry(ctx, ENTRY_ID_ANY, false);
@@ -316,12 +345,12 @@ static sysparam_status_t _find_key(struct sysparam_context *ctx, const char *key
             break;
         }
         if (ctx->entry.len == key_len) {
-            status = _read_payload(ctx, buffer, key_len);
-            if (status < 0) return status;
-            if (!memcmp(key, buffer, key_len)) {
+            status = _compare_payload(ctx, (uint8_t *)key, key_len);
+            if (status == SYSPARAM_OK) {
                 // We have a match
                 break;
             }
+            if (status != SYSPARAM_NOTFOUND) return status;
             debug(3, "entry payload does not match");
         } else {
             debug(3, "key length (%d) does not match (%d)", ctx->entry.len, key_len);
@@ -639,70 +668,79 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data(const char *key, uint8_t **destptr, size_t *
     sysparam_status_t status;
     size_t key_len = strlen(key);
     uint8_t *buffer;
-    uint8_t *newbuf;
    
-    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
+    xSemaphoreTake(_sysparam_info.sem, portMAX_DELAY);
 
-    buffer = malloc(key_len + 2);
-    if (!buffer) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
-    do {
-        _init_context(&ctx);
-        status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len, buffer);
-        if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) break;
-
-        // Find the associated value
-        status = _find_value(&ctx, ctx.entry.idflags);
-        if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) break;
-
-        newbuf = realloc(buffer, ctx.entry.len + 1);
-        if (!newbuf) {
-            status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
-            break;
-        }
-        buffer = newbuf;
-        status = _read_payload(&ctx, buffer, ctx.entry.len);
-        if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) break;
-
-        // Zero-terminate the result, just in case (doesn't hurt anything for
-        // non-string data, and can avoid nasty mistakes if the caller wants to
-        // interpret the result as a string).
-        buffer[ctx.entry.len] = 0;
-
-        *destptr = buffer;
-        if (actual_length) *actual_length = ctx.entry.len;
-        if (is_binary) *is_binary = (bool)(ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_FLAG_BINARY);
-        return SYSPARAM_OK;
-    } while (false);
-
-    free(buffer);
     if (actual_length) *actual_length = 0;
+
+    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) {
+        status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
+        goto done;
+    }
+
+    _init_context(&ctx);
+    status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) goto done;
+
+    // Find the associated value
+    status = _find_value(&ctx, ctx.entry.idflags);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) goto done;
+
+    buffer = malloc(ctx.entry.len + 1);
+    if (!buffer) {
+        status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
+        goto done;
+    }
+
+    status = _read_payload(&ctx, buffer, ctx.entry.len);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) {
+        free(buffer);
+        goto done;
+    }
+
+    // Zero-terminate the result, just in case (doesn't hurt anything for
+    // non-string data, and can avoid nasty mistakes if the caller wants to
+    // interpret the result as a string).
+    buffer[ctx.entry.len] = 0;
+
+    *destptr = buffer;
+    if (actual_length) *actual_length = ctx.entry.len;
+    if (is_binary) *is_binary = (bool)(ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_FLAG_BINARY);
+    status = SYSPARAM_OK;
+
+ done:
+    xSemaphoreGive(_sysparam_info.sem);
     return status;
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data_static(const char *key, uint8_t *buffer, size_t buffer_size, size_t *actual_length, bool *is_binary) {
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_data_static(const char *key, uint8_t *dest, size_t dest_size, size_t *actual_length, bool *is_binary) {
     struct sysparam_context ctx;
     sysparam_status_t status = SYSPARAM_OK;
     size_t key_len = strlen(key);
 
-    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
-
-    // Supplied buffer must be at least as large as the key, or 2 bytes,
-    // whichever is larger.
-    if (buffer_size < max(key_len, 2)) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
+    xSemaphoreTake(_sysparam_info.sem, portMAX_DELAY);
 
     if (actual_length) *actual_length = 0;
 
+    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) {
+        status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
+        goto done;
+    }
+
     _init_context(&ctx);
-    status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len, buffer);
-    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
+    status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) goto done;
     status = _find_value(&ctx, ctx.entry.idflags);
-    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
-    status = _read_payload(&ctx, buffer, buffer_size);
-    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) goto done;
+    status = _read_payload(&ctx, dest, dest_size);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) goto done;
 
     if (actual_length) *actual_length = ctx.entry.len;
     if (is_binary) *is_binary = (bool)(ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_FLAG_BINARY);
-    return SYSPARAM_OK;
+
+ done:
+    xSemaphoreGive(_sysparam_info.sem);
+    return status;
 }
 
 sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_string(const char *key, char **destptr) {
@@ -724,103 +762,65 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_string(const char *key, char **destptr) {
     return SYSPARAM_OK;
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int(const char *key, int32_t *result) {
-    char *buffer;
-    char *endptr;
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int32(const char *key, int32_t *result) {
     int32_t value;
+    size_t actual_length;
+    bool is_binary;
     sysparam_status_t status;
 
-    status = sysparam_get_string(key, &buffer);
+    status = sysparam_get_data_static(key, (uint8_t *)&value, sizeof(int32_t),
+                                      &actual_length, &is_binary);
     if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
-    value = strtol(buffer, &endptr, 0);
-    if (*endptr) {
-        // There was extra crap at the end of the string.
-        free(buffer);
+    if (!is_binary || actual_length != sizeof(int32_t))
         return SYSPARAM_PARSEFAILED;
-    }
-
     *result = value;
-    free(buffer);
-    return SYSPARAM_OK;
-}
-
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_bool(const char *key, bool *result) {
-    char *buffer;
-    sysparam_status_t status;
-
-    status = sysparam_get_string(key, &buffer);
-    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
-    do {
-        if (!strcasecmp(buffer, "y")    ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "yes")  ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "t")    ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "true") ||
-            !strcmp(buffer, "1")) {
-                *result = true;
-                break;
-        }
-        if (!strcasecmp(buffer, "n")     ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "no")    ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "f")     ||
-            !strcasecmp(buffer, "false") ||
-            !strcmp(buffer, "0")) {
-                *result = false;
-                break;
-        }
-        status = SYSPARAM_PARSEFAILED;
-    } while (0);
-
-    free(buffer);
     return status;
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, const uint8_t *value, size_t value_len, bool is_binary) {
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_get_int8(const char *key, int8_t *result) {
+    int8_t value;
+    size_t actual_length;
+    bool is_binary;
+    sysparam_status_t status;
+
+    status = sysparam_get_data_static(key, (uint8_t *)&value, sizeof(int8_t),
+                                      &actual_length, &is_binary);
+    if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
+    if (!is_binary || actual_length != sizeof(int8_t))
+        return SYSPARAM_PARSEFAILED;
+    *result = value;
+    return status;
+}
+
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, uint8_t *value, size_t value_len, bool is_binary) {
     struct sysparam_context ctx;
     struct sysparam_context write_ctx;
     sysparam_status_t status = SYSPARAM_OK;
     uint16_t key_len = strlen(key);
-    uint8_t *buffer;
-    uint8_t *newbuf;
     size_t free_space;
     size_t needed_space;
-    bool free_value = false;
     int key_id = -1;
     uint32_t old_value_addr = 0;
     uint16_t binary_flag;
    
-    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) return SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
     if (!key_len) return SYSPARAM_ERR_BADVALUE;
     if (key_len > MAX_KEY_LEN) return SYSPARAM_ERR_BADVALUE;
     if (value_len > MAX_VALUE_LEN) return SYSPARAM_ERR_BADVALUE;
 
-    xSemaphoreTake(_sysparam_info.sem, portMAX_DELAY);
-
     if (!value) value_len = 0;
 
     debug(1, "updating value for '%s' (%d bytes)", key, value_len);
-    if (value_len && ((intptr_t)value & 0x3)) {
-        // The passed value isn't word-aligned.  This will be a problem later
-        // when calling `sdk_spi_flash_write`, so make a word-aligned copy.
-        buffer = malloc(value_len);
-        if (!buffer) {
-            status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
-            goto done;
-        }
-        memcpy(buffer, value, value_len);
-        value = buffer;
-        free_value = true;
-    }
-    // Create a working buffer for `_find_key` to use.
-    buffer = malloc(key_len);
-    if (!buffer) {
-        if (free_value) free((void *)value);
-        status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
+
+    xSemaphoreTake(_sysparam_info.sem, portMAX_DELAY);
+
+    if (!_sysparam_info.cur_base) {
+        status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOINIT;
         goto done;
     }
 
     do {
         _init_context(&ctx);
-        status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len, buffer);
+        status = _find_key(&ctx, key, key_len);
         if (status == SYSPARAM_OK) {
             // Key already exists, see if there's a current value.
             key_id = ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_MASK_ID;
@@ -835,24 +835,17 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, const uint8_t *value, size_
 
         if (value_len) {
             if (old_value_addr) {
-                if ((ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_FLAG_BINARY) == binary_flag && ctx.entry.len == value_len) {
+                if ((ctx.entry.idflags & ENTRY_FLAG_BINARY) == binary_flag &&
+                    ctx.entry.len == value_len) {
                     // Are we trying to write the same value that's already there?
-                    if (value_len > key_len) {
-                        newbuf = realloc(buffer, value_len);
-                        if (!newbuf) {
-                            status = SYSPARAM_ERR_NOMEM;
-                            break;
-                        }
-                        buffer = newbuf;
-                    }
-                    status = _read_payload(&ctx, buffer, value_len);
-                    if (status < 0) break;
-                    if (!memcmp(buffer, value, value_len)) {
+                    status = _compare_payload(&ctx, (uint8_t *)value, value_len);
+                    if (status == SYSPARAM_OK) {
                         // Yup, it's a match! No need to do anything further,
                         // just leave the current value as-is.
                         status = SYSPARAM_OK;
                         break;
                     }
+                    if (status != SYSPARAM_NOTFOUND) goto done;
                 }
 
                 // Since we will be deleting the old value (if any) make sure
@@ -954,39 +947,22 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_data(const char *key, const uint8_t *value, size_
         debug(1, "New addr is 0x%08x (%d bytes remaining)", _sysparam_info.end_addr, _sysparam_info.cur_base + _sysparam_info.region_size - _sysparam_info.end_addr);
     } while (false);
 
-    if (free_value) free((void *)value);
-    free(buffer);
-
  done:
     xSemaphoreGive(_sysparam_info.sem);
 
     return status;
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_string(const char *key, const char *value) {
-    return sysparam_set_data(key, (const uint8_t *)value, strlen(value), false);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_string(const char *key, char *value) {
+    return sysparam_set_data(key, (uint8_t *)value, strlen(value), false);
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int(const char *key, int32_t value) {
-    uint8_t buffer[12];
-    int len;
-    
-    len = snprintf((char *)buffer, 12, "%d", value);
-    return sysparam_set_data(key, buffer, len, false);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int32(const char *key, int32_t value) {
+    return sysparam_set_data(key, (uint8_t *)&value, sizeof(value), true);
 }
 
-sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_bool(const char *key, bool value) {
-    uint8_t buf[4] = {0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff};
-    bool old_value;
-
-    // Don't write anything if the current setting already evaluates to the
-    // same thing.
-    if (sysparam_get_bool(key, &old_value) == SYSPARAM_OK) {
-        if (old_value == value) return SYSPARAM_OK;
-    }
-
-    buf[0] = value ? 'y' : 'n';
-    return sysparam_set_data(key, buf, 1, false);
+sysparam_status_t sysparam_set_int8(const char *key, int8_t value) {
+    return sysparam_set_data(key, (uint8_t *)&value, sizeof(uint8_t), true);
 }
 
 sysparam_status_t sysparam_iter_start(sysparam_iter_t *iter) {
@@ -1012,7 +988,6 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_iter_start(sysparam_iter_t *iter) {
 }
 
 sysparam_status_t sysparam_iter_next(sysparam_iter_t *iter) {
-    uint8_t buffer[2];
     sysparam_status_t status;
     size_t required_len;
     struct sysparam_context *ctx = iter->ctx;
@@ -1021,7 +996,7 @@ sysparam_status_t sysparam_iter_next(sysparam_iter_t *iter) {
     char *newbuf;
 
     while (true) {
-        status = _find_key(ctx, NULL, 0, buffer);
+        status = _find_key(ctx, NULL, 0);
         if (status != SYSPARAM_OK) return status;
         memcpy(&value_ctx, ctx, sizeof(value_ctx));
 
diff --git a/examples/sysparam_editor/sysparam_editor.c b/examples/sysparam_editor/sysparam_editor.c
index 22f6190..539f62a 100644
--- a/examples/sysparam_editor/sysparam_editor.c
+++ b/examples/sysparam_editor/sysparam_editor.c
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 #include <sysparam.h>
 
 #include <espressif/spi_flash.h>
+#include "espressif/esp_common.h"
+#include "esp/uart.h"
 
 #define CMD_BUF_SIZE 5000
 
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@ void usage(void) {
         "  <key>:<hexdata> -- Set <key> to binary value represented as hex\n"
         "  dump            -- Show all currently set keys/values\n"
         "  reformat        -- Reinitialize (clear) the sysparam area\n"
+        "  echo            -- Toggle input echo\n"
         "  help            -- Show this help screen\n"
         );
 }
@@ -150,6 +153,7 @@ void sysparam_editor_task(void *pvParameters) {
     size_t len;
     uint8_t *data;
     uint32_t base_addr, num_sectors;
+    bool echo = true;
 
     if (!cmd_buffer) {
         printf("ERROR: Cannot allocate command buffer!\n");
@@ -171,7 +175,7 @@ void sysparam_editor_task(void *pvParameters) {
     }
     while (true) {
         printf("==> ");
-        len = tty_readline(cmd_buffer, CMD_BUF_SIZE, true);
+        len = tty_readline(cmd_buffer, CMD_BUF_SIZE, echo);
         status = 0;
         if (!len) continue;
         if (cmd_buffer[len - 1] == '?') {
@@ -214,6 +218,9 @@ void sysparam_editor_task(void *pvParameters) {
                 // using.
                 status = sysparam_init(base_addr, 0);
             }
+        } else if (!strcmp(cmd_buffer, "echo")) {
+            echo = !echo;
+            printf("Echo: %s\n", echo ? "on" : "off");
         } else if (!strcmp(cmd_buffer, "help")) {
             usage();
         } else {
@@ -229,5 +236,7 @@ void sysparam_editor_task(void *pvParameters) {
 
 void user_init(void)
 {
+    uart_set_baud(0, 115200);
+
     xTaskCreate(sysparam_editor_task, (signed char *)"sysparam_editor_task", 512, NULL, 2, NULL);
 }