diff --git a/plugins/mqtt/mqtt_util.c b/plugins/mqtt/mqtt_util.c
index cf9ceb04..165eb997 100644
--- a/plugins/mqtt/mqtt_util.c
+++ b/plugins/mqtt/mqtt_util.c
@@ -30,30 +30,11 @@
 #include "mqtt_plugin.h"
 #include "mqtt_util.h"
 
-int uuid_v4(char *buffer)
+int client_id_generate(char *buff)
 {
-    union {
-        struct {
-            uint32_t time_low;
-            uint16_t time_mid;
-            uint16_t time_hi_and_version;
-            uint8_t  clk_seq_hi_res;
-            uint8_t  clk_seq_low;
-            uint8_t  node[6];
-        };
-        uint8_t __rnd[16];
-    } uuid;
-
-    int rc              = RAND_bytes(uuid.__rnd, sizeof(uuid));
-    uuid.clk_seq_hi_res = (uint8_t)((uuid.clk_seq_hi_res & 0x3F) | 0x80);
-    uuid.time_hi_and_version =
-        (uint16_t)((uuid.time_hi_and_version & 0x0FFF) | 0x4000);
-
-    snprintf(buffer, 38, "%08x-%04x-%04x-%02x%02x-%02x%02x%02x%02x%02x%02x",
-             uuid.time_low, uuid.time_mid, uuid.time_hi_and_version,
-             uuid.clk_seq_hi_res, uuid.clk_seq_low, uuid.node[0], uuid.node[1],
-             uuid.node[2], uuid.node[3], uuid.node[4], uuid.node[5]);
-
+    unsigned char nonce[4] = { 0 };
+    int           rc       = RAND_bytes(nonce, sizeof(nonce));
+    snprintf(buff, 15, "%s%08x", "neuron", *((uint32_t *) nonce));
     return rc;
 }
 
@@ -147,8 +128,8 @@ int mqtt_option_init(neu_plugin_t *plugin, char *config,
     neu_json_elem_t keypass   = { .name = "keypass", .t = NEU_JSON_STR };
 
     // client-id, required
-    char uuid[38] = { 0 };
-    int  rc       = uuid_v4(uuid);
+    char uuid[15] = { 0 };
+    int  rc       = client_id_generate(uuid);
     if (1 != rc) {
         return 2;
     }