diff --git a/include/net/6lowpan.h b/include/net/6lowpan.h
index dc03d77ad23b..a2f59ec98d24 100644
--- a/include/net/6lowpan.h
+++ b/include/net/6lowpan.h
@@ -197,6 +197,27 @@
 #define LOWPAN_NHC_UDP_CS_P_11	0xF3 /* source & dest = 0xF0B + 4bit inline */
 #define LOWPAN_NHC_UDP_CS_C	0x04 /* checksum elided */
 
+#define LOWPAN_PRIV_SIZE(llpriv_size)	\
+	(sizeof(struct lowpan_priv) + llpriv_size)
+
+enum lowpan_lltypes {
+	LOWPAN_LLTYPE_BTLE,
+	LOWPAN_LLTYPE_IEEE802154,
+};
+
+struct lowpan_priv {
+	enum lowpan_lltypes lltype;
+
+	/* must be last */
+	u8 priv[0] __aligned(sizeof(void *));
+};
+
+static inline
+struct lowpan_priv *lowpan_priv(const struct net_device *dev)
+{
+	return netdev_priv(dev);
+}
+
 #ifdef DEBUG
 /* print data in line */
 static inline void raw_dump_inline(const char *caller, char *msg,
@@ -372,6 +393,8 @@ lowpan_uncompress_size(const struct sk_buff *skb, u16 *dgram_offset)
 	return skb->len + uncomp_header - ret;
 }
 
+void lowpan_netdev_setup(struct net_device *dev, enum lowpan_lltypes lltype);
+
 int
 lowpan_header_decompress(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 			 const u8 *saddr, const u8 saddr_type,
diff --git a/net/6lowpan/Makefile b/net/6lowpan/Makefile
index eb8baa72adc8..c6ffc55ee0d7 100644
--- a/net/6lowpan/Makefile
+++ b/net/6lowpan/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 obj-$(CONFIG_6LOWPAN) += 6lowpan.o
 
-6lowpan-y := iphc.o nhc.o
+6lowpan-y := core.o iphc.o nhc.o
 
 #rfc6282 nhcs
 obj-$(CONFIG_6LOWPAN_NHC_DEST) += nhc_dest.o
diff --git a/net/6lowpan/core.c b/net/6lowpan/core.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ed0eec9b41a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net/6lowpan/core.c
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/* This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * Authors:
+ * (C) 2015 Pengutronix, Alexander Aring <aar@pengutronix.de>
+ */
+
+#include <net/6lowpan.h>
+
+void lowpan_netdev_setup(struct net_device *dev, enum lowpan_lltypes lltype)
+{
+	lowpan_priv(dev)->lltype = lltype;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(lowpan_netdev_setup);
diff --git a/net/bluetooth/6lowpan.c b/net/bluetooth/6lowpan.c
index 24ed5b02cefc..131e79cde350 100644
--- a/net/bluetooth/6lowpan.c
+++ b/net/bluetooth/6lowpan.c
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ struct lowpan_dev {
 
 static inline struct lowpan_dev *lowpan_dev(const struct net_device *netdev)
 {
-	return netdev_priv(netdev);
+	return (struct lowpan_dev *)lowpan_priv(netdev)->priv;
 }
 
 static inline void peer_add(struct lowpan_dev *dev, struct lowpan_peer *peer)
@@ -848,8 +848,9 @@ static int setup_netdev(struct l2cap_chan *chan, struct lowpan_dev **dev)
 	struct net_device *netdev;
 	int err = 0;
 
-	netdev = alloc_netdev(sizeof(struct lowpan_dev), IFACE_NAME_TEMPLATE,
-			      NET_NAME_UNKNOWN, netdev_setup);
+	netdev = alloc_netdev(LOWPAN_PRIV_SIZE(sizeof(struct lowpan_dev)),
+			      IFACE_NAME_TEMPLATE, NET_NAME_UNKNOWN,
+			      netdev_setup);
 	if (!netdev)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
@@ -869,6 +870,8 @@ static int setup_netdev(struct l2cap_chan *chan, struct lowpan_dev **dev)
 	list_add_rcu(&(*dev)->list, &bt_6lowpan_devices);
 	spin_unlock(&devices_lock);
 
+	lowpan_netdev_setup(netdev, LOWPAN_LLTYPE_BTLE);
+
 	err = register_netdev(netdev);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		BT_INFO("register_netdev failed %d", err);
diff --git a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/6lowpan_i.h b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/6lowpan_i.h
index 923b680adb61..ea339fa94c27 100644
--- a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/6lowpan_i.h
+++ b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/6lowpan_i.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 #include <net/ieee802154_netdev.h>
 #include <net/inet_frag.h>
+#include <net/6lowpan.h>
 
 struct lowpan_create_arg {
 	u16 tag;
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ struct lowpan_dev_info {
 static inline struct
 lowpan_dev_info *lowpan_dev_info(const struct net_device *dev)
 {
-	return netdev_priv(dev);
+	return (struct lowpan_dev_info *)lowpan_priv(dev)->priv;
 }
 
 int lowpan_frag_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb, const u8 frag_type);
diff --git a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/core.c b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/core.c
index a4edee8fdc79..180e9f5f86c3 100644
--- a/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/core.c
+++ b/net/ieee802154/6lowpan/core.c
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@ static int lowpan_newlink(struct net *src_net, struct net_device *dev,
 	/* Set the lowpan hardware address to the wpan hardware address. */
 	memcpy(dev->dev_addr, real_dev->dev_addr, IEEE802154_ADDR_LEN);
 
+	lowpan_netdev_setup(dev, LOWPAN_LLTYPE_IEEE802154);
+
 	ret = register_netdevice(dev);
 	if (ret >= 0) {
 		real_dev->ieee802154_ptr->lowpan_dev = dev;
@@ -162,7 +164,7 @@ static void lowpan_dellink(struct net_device *dev, struct list_head *head)
 
 static struct rtnl_link_ops lowpan_link_ops __read_mostly = {
 	.kind		= "lowpan",
-	.priv_size	= sizeof(struct lowpan_dev_info),
+	.priv_size	= LOWPAN_PRIV_SIZE(sizeof(struct lowpan_dev_info)),
 	.setup		= lowpan_setup,
 	.newlink	= lowpan_newlink,
 	.dellink	= lowpan_dellink,