diff --git a/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet4Address.test.cc b/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet4Address.test.cc
index 944827f60976299bd8b37e57faa701a43b00fb5f..7ff15391a2abf419426dc49b6a134d529ca5411a 100644
--- a/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet4Address.test.cc
+++ b/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet4Address.test.cc
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(inet4Address)
     std::stringstream str;
     str << addr;
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( str.str(), "128.129.130.131" );
+    
+    str >> addr;
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(addr, senf::INet4Address::from_string("128.129.130.131") );
 }
 
 BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(inet4Network)
diff --git a/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet6Address.test.cc b/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet6Address.test.cc
index 28bba5266a6ab429eebc3b2c475384f013fd98f4..493246794f19e1e53f1eb9c7d954b7fc4a6afd2c 100644
--- a/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet6Address.test.cc
+++ b/Socket/Protocols/INet/INet6Address.test.cc
@@ -129,6 +129,13 @@ BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(inet6Address)
 
         BOOST_CHECK( INet6Address::Loopback );
         BOOST_CHECK( ! INet6Address::None );
+        
+        std::stringstream str;
+        str << addr;
+        BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( str.str(), "2001:dead:beef::1002:3004");
+        
+        str >> addr;
+        BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(addr, INet6Address::from_string("2001:dead:beef::1002:3004"));
     }
 
     {
diff --git a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.cc b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.cc
index 22b0ca995a123e48d6c0c7117d0e70643c895888..6c36a47777390086377f5be159a7e89ddc1dc03e 100644
--- a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.cc
+++ b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.cc
@@ -128,6 +128,20 @@ prefix_ std::ostream & senf::operator<<(std::ostream & os, MACAddress const & ma
     return os;
 }
 
+prefix_ std::istream & senf::operator>>(std::istream & is, MACAddress & mac)
+{
+    std::string s;
+    if (!(is >> s))
+        return is;
+    try {
+        mac = MACAddress::from_string(s);
+    }
+    catch (AddressException &) {
+        is.setstate(std::ios::failbit);
+    }
+    return is;
+}
+
 ///////////////////////////////cc.e////////////////////////////////////////
 #undef prefix_
 //#include "MACAddress.mpp"
diff --git a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.hh b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.hh
index c62c1df14b6e98d89bcad506001cee21f02bd78d..00030c661a66d3bc5f3e0ef0d4109c78dc61e696 100644
--- a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.hh
+++ b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.hh
@@ -134,10 +134,16 @@ namespace senf {
 
     };
 
-    /** \brief Write MAC address
+    /** \brief Output MAC instance as it's string representation
         \related MACAddress
      */
     std::ostream & operator<<(std::ostream & os, MACAddress const & mac);
+    /** \brief Try to initialize MACAddress instance from a string representation
+        sets std::ios::failbit on the stream if an error occurred
+        \see MACAddress from_string()
+        \related MACAddress
+     */
+    std::istream & operator>>(std::istream & os, MACAddress & mac);
 
 }
 
diff --git a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.test.cc b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.test.cc
index 683139d6722de548f94e4f5de308cc224a5147a3..0550c1a5a7803606bbbc8d490b7913e5f70a9fe9 100644
--- a/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.test.cc
+++ b/Socket/Protocols/Raw/MACAddress.test.cc
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
 
 // Custom includes
 #include <sstream>
-#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
 #include "MACAddress.hh"
+#include "../../../Utils/String.hh"
 
 #include "../../../Utils/auto_unit_test.hh"
 #include <boost/test/test_tools.hpp>
@@ -39,8 +39,11 @@
 
 BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(macAddress)
 {
+    using senf::MACAddress;
+    using senf::AddressSyntaxException;
+    
     std::string test ("A1-b2-C3:d4:E5:f6");
-    senf::MACAddress mac (senf::MACAddress::from_string(test));
+    MACAddress mac (MACAddress::from_string(test));
 
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac[0], 0xA1u );
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac[1], 0xB2u );
@@ -52,7 +55,9 @@ BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(macAddress)
     std::stringstream str;
     str << mac;
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( str.str(), "a1:b2:c3:d4:e5:f6" );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL (mac.toString(), "a1:b2:c3:d4:e5:f6");
+    
+    str >> mac;
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(mac, MACAddress::from_string(test));
     
     BOOST_CHECK( ! mac.local() );
     BOOST_CHECK( mac.multicast() );
@@ -62,30 +67,27 @@ BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(macAddress)
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac.nic(), 0xd4e5f6u );
     BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac.eui64(), 0xa1b2c3fffed4e5f6llu );
 
-    senf::MACAddress mac2;
+    MACAddress mac2;
     BOOST_CHECK( ! mac2 );
-    mac2 = senf::MACAddress::from_string("ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff");
+    mac2 = MACAddress::from_string("ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff");
     BOOST_CHECK( mac2.broadcast() );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac2, senf::MACAddress::Broadcast );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac2, MACAddress::Broadcast );
     char data[] = { 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x04,0x05,0x06 };
-    mac2 = senf::MACAddress::from_data(data);
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(mac2), "01:02:03:04:05:06" );
+    mac2 = MACAddress::from_data(data);
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( senf::str(mac2), "01:02:03:04:05:06" );
     BOOST_CHECK( mac != mac2 );
     mac2 = mac;
     BOOST_CHECK( mac == mac2 );
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(mac2), "a1:b2:c3:d4:e5:f6" );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( senf::str(mac2), "a1:b2:c3:d4:e5:f6" );
 
-    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( senf::MACAddress::from_string("1:2:3:4:5:6"), 
-                       senf::AddressSyntaxException );
-    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( senf::MACAddress::from_string("01:02:03:04:05"), 
-                       senf::AddressSyntaxException );
-    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( senf::MACAddress::from_string("01:02:03:04:05:z6"), 
-                       senf::AddressSyntaxException );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( MACAddress::from_string("1:2:3:4:5:6"), AddressSyntaxException );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( MACAddress::from_string("01:02:03:04:05"), AddressSyntaxException );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( MACAddress::from_string("01:02:03:04:05:z6"), AddressSyntaxException );
 
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac, senf::MACAddress::from_eui64(0xa1b2c3fffed4e5f6llu) );
-    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( senf::MACAddress::from_eui64(0u), senf::AddressSyntaxException );
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( mac, MACAddress::from_eui64(0xa1b2c3fffed4e5f6llu) );
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW( MACAddress::from_eui64(0u), AddressSyntaxException );
     
-    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( senf::MACAddress(0x1a2b3c4d5e6fULL).uint64(), 0x1a2b3c4d5e6fULL);
+    BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL( MACAddress(0x1a2b3c4d5e6fULL).uint64(), 0x1a2b3c4d5e6fULL);
 }
 
 ///////////////////////////////cc.e////////////////////////////////////////