diff --git a/include/net.h b/include/net.h
index 219107194f7..778acf7da3f 100644
--- a/include/net.h
+++ b/include/net.h
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ extern int net_ntp_time_offset;			/* offset time from UTC */
 #endif
 
 /* Initialize the network adapter */
-void net_init(void);
+int net_init(void);
 int net_loop(enum proto_t);
 
 /* Load failed.	 Start again. */
diff --git a/net/eth-uclass.c b/net/eth-uclass.c
index 396418eb390..4424d595f46 100644
--- a/net/eth-uclass.c
+++ b/net/eth-uclass.c
@@ -75,6 +75,9 @@ struct udevice *eth_get_dev(void)
 	struct eth_uclass_priv *uc_priv;
 
 	uc_priv = eth_get_uclass_priv();
+	if (!uc_priv)
+		return NULL;
+
 	if (!uc_priv->current)
 		eth_errno = uclass_first_device(UCLASS_ETH,
 				    &uc_priv->current);
diff --git a/net/net.c b/net/net.c
index 197fde3568d..ad7e3b3cf8e 100644
--- a/net/net.c
+++ b/net/net.c
@@ -338,12 +338,19 @@ void net_auto_load(void)
 	tftp_start(TFTPGET);
 }
 
-static void net_init_loop(void)
+static int net_init_loop(void)
 {
 	if (eth_get_dev())
 		memcpy(net_ethaddr, eth_get_ethaddr(), 6);
+	else
+		/*
+		 * Not ideal, but there's no way to get the actual error, and I
+		 * don't feel like fixing all the users of eth_get_dev to deal
+		 * with errors.
+		 */
+		return -ENONET;
 
-	return;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void net_clear_handlers(void)
@@ -358,7 +365,7 @@ static void net_cleanup_loop(void)
 	net_clear_handlers();
 }
 
-void net_init(void)
+int net_init(void)
 {
 	static int first_call = 1;
 
@@ -381,7 +388,7 @@ void net_init(void)
 		first_call = 0;
 	}
 
-	net_init_loop();
+	return net_init_loop();
 }
 
 /**********************************************************************/