diff --git a/drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c b/drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c
index 733f120c852b..9d079dc2a535 100644
--- a/drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c
+++ b/drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c
@@ -274,12 +274,20 @@ static int write_mii_word(rtl8150_t * dev, u8 phy, __u8 indx, u16 reg)
 		return 1;
 }
 
-static inline void set_ethernet_addr(rtl8150_t * dev)
+static void set_ethernet_addr(rtl8150_t *dev)
 {
-	u8 node_id[6];
+	u8 node_id[ETH_ALEN];
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = get_registers(dev, IDR, sizeof(node_id), node_id);
 
-	get_registers(dev, IDR, sizeof(node_id), node_id);
-	memcpy(dev->netdev->dev_addr, node_id, sizeof(node_id));
+	if (ret == sizeof(node_id)) {
+		ether_addr_copy(dev->netdev->dev_addr, node_id);
+	} else {
+		eth_hw_addr_random(dev->netdev);
+		netdev_notice(dev->netdev, "Assigned a random MAC address: %pM\n",
+			      dev->netdev->dev_addr);
+	}
 }
 
 static int rtl8150_set_mac_address(struct net_device *netdev, void *p)