diff --git a/aux-etc-nixos/configuration.nix b/aux-etc-nixos/configuration.nix
index 14df73c9..323efb3e 100644
--- a/aux-etc-nixos/configuration.nix
+++ b/aux-etc-nixos/configuration.nix
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ in
   boot.loader.grub.version = 2;
   boot.loader.grub.device = "/dev/sda";
 
+  boot.blacklistedKernelModules = [ "r8169" ];
+  boot.extraModulePackages = [ (pkgs.callPackage ./r8169 { kernel = config.boot.kernelPackages.kernel; }) ];
+
   networking.hostName = "aux";
 
   networking.interfaces."${netifWan}".useDHCP = true;
diff --git a/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/default.nix b/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d96f2f55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+{ stdenv, lib, kernel }:
+
+
+let modDestDir = "$out/lib/modules/${kernel.modDirVersion}/kernel/drivers/net/wireless/realtek/r8169";
+
+in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+  name = "r8169-${kernel.version}-${version}";
+  version = "6.030.01";
+
+  src = ./r8169-${version}.tar.bz2;
+
+  hardeningDisable = [ "pic" ];
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = kernel.moduleBuildDependencies;
+
+  # rename to avoid conflict with totally broken piece of crap from mainline kernel
+  patchPhase =
+    ''
+    substituteInPlace src/Makefile --replace r8169.o r8169-vendor.o
+    substituteInPlace src/Makefile --replace r8169-objs r8169-vendor-objs
+    '';
+
+  # avoid using the Makefile directly -- it doesn't understand
+  # any kernel but the current.
+  # based on the ArchLinux pkgbuild: https://git.archlinux.org/svntogit/community.git/tree/trunk/PKGBUILD?h=packages/r8168
+  makeFlags = kernel.makeFlags ++ [
+    "-C ${kernel.dev}/lib/modules/${kernel.modDirVersion}/build"
+    "M=$(PWD)/src"
+    "modules"
+  ];
+  preBuild = ''
+    makeFlagsArray+=("EXTRA_CFLAGS=-DCONFIG_R8169_NAPI -DCONFIG_R8169_VLAN -DCONFIG_ASPM -DENABLE_S5WOL -DENABLE_EEE")
+  '';
+
+  enableParallelBuilding = true;
+
+  installPhase = ''
+    mkdir -p ${modDestDir}
+    find . -name '*.ko' -exec cp --parents '{}' ${modDestDir} \;
+    find ${modDestDir} -name '*.ko' -exec xz -f '{}' \;
+  '';
+}
diff --git a/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/r8169-6.030.01.tar.bz2 b/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/r8169-6.030.01.tar.bz2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b3700e2
Binary files /dev/null and b/aux-etc-nixos/r8169/r8169-6.030.01.tar.bz2 differ