diff --git a/package/base-files/Makefile b/package/base-files/Makefile
index 99db435e86..26fa1b723d 100644
--- a/package/base-files/Makefile
+++ b/package/base-files/Makefile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/kernel.mk
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/version.mk
 
 PKG_NAME:=base-files
-PKG_RELEASE:=131
+PKG_RELEASE:=132
 
 PKG_FILE_DEPENDS:=$(PLATFORM_DIR)/ $(GENERIC_PLATFORM_DIR)/base-files/
 PKG_BUILD_DEPENDS:=opkg/host
diff --git a/package/base-files/files/lib/functions.sh b/package/base-files/files/lib/functions.sh
index ae0257a5c5..2022e8a3aa 100755
--- a/package/base-files/files/lib/functions.sh
+++ b/package/base-files/files/lib/functions.sh
@@ -240,6 +240,40 @@ find_mtd_chardev() {
 	echo "${INDEX:+$PREFIX$INDEX}"
 }
 
+mtd_get_mac_ascii()
+{
+	local mtdname="$1"
+	local key="$2"
+	local part
+	local mac_dirty
+
+	. /lib/functions.sh
+
+	part=$(find_mtd_part "$mtdname")
+	if [ -z "$part" ]; then
+		echo "mtd_get_mac_ascii: partition $mtdname not found!" >&2
+		return
+	fi
+
+	mac_dirty=$(strings "$part" | sed -n 's/'"$key"'=//p')
+	# "canonicalize" mac
+	printf "%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x" 0x${mac_dirty//:/ 0x}
+}
+
+mtd_get_mac_binary() {
+	local mtdname="$1"
+	local offset="$2"
+	local part
+
+	part=$(find_mtd_part "$mtdname")
+	if [ -z "$part" ]; then
+		echo "mtd_get_mac_binary: partition $mtdname not found!" >&2
+		return
+	fi
+
+	dd bs=1 skip=$offset count=6 if=$part 2>/dev/null | hexdump -v -n 6 -e '5/1 "%02x:" 1/1 "%02x"'
+}
+
 strtok() { # <string> { <variable> [<separator>] ... }
 	local tmp
 	local val="$1"