diff --git a/Socket/NetdeviceController.cc b/Socket/NetdeviceController.cc
index d3cf57ad48339f9d4bafbbe049e48b7aa96e22e7..cf25047c954eb665697498a6465f20680ab9380b 100644
--- a/Socket/NetdeviceController.cc
+++ b/Socket/NetdeviceController.cc
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ prefix_ std::string senf::NetdeviceController::interfaceName()
 prefix_ senf::MACAddress senf::NetdeviceController::hardwareAddress()
 {
     struct ifreq ifr;
+    ifrName( ifr);
     doIoctl( ifr, SIOCGIFHWADDR);
     return senf::MACAddress::from_data( ifr.ifr_hwaddr.sa_data);
 }
diff --git a/Socket/NetdeviceController.hh b/Socket/NetdeviceController.hh
index 757aac5b3be24c850701fddfe9dbbca88dd6664d..d114314b25a9f67f81c8dd5e79ff8dbce4d4b3b5 100644
--- a/Socket/NetdeviceController.hh
+++ b/Socket/NetdeviceController.hh
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ namespace senf {
         
         MACAddress hardwareAddress();
         std::string interfaceName();
-        int interfaceIndex();
+        int interfaceIndex(); ///< return the interface index of the interface
         int mtu();
         void mtu(int new_mtu);
     
diff --git a/Socket/NetdeviceController.test.cc b/Socket/NetdeviceController.test.cc
index 96a112589f3360766648fcac5da16a946c2a02e5..825afeb6b9877a98a7fc5c9f5c2cf855fcdadbd9 100644
--- a/Socket/NetdeviceController.test.cc
+++ b/Socket/NetdeviceController.test.cc
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 BOOST_AUTO_UNIT_TEST(NetdeviceController)
 {
 //    senf::NetdeviceController ctrl ("eth0");
+//    std::cout << ctrl.hardwareAddress() << "\n";
 }
 
 ///////////////////////////////cc.e////////////////////////////////////////